NASL North Carolina FC

North Carolina Courage Development Academy Teams Take the Field this Fall

Published on April 6, 2017 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
North Carolina FC News Release


MATCHDAY INFO: NORTH CAROLINA FC VS. ATLAS FC KICKOFF: MARCH 22, 2017- 7:30 PM ET

Match Preview: North Carolina FC will be hosting Atlas FC of Mexico's Liga MX in an international exhibition match ahead of the NASL season on Wednesday night at WakeMed Soccer Park at 7:30 p.m. ET. This will be the first time the two teams will cross paths; however, WakeMed Soccer Park is no stranger to international friendlies, with visits last year from West Ham United of the English Premier League and Toluca FC, also of Liga MX.

North Carolina FC had a successful preseason, with their most recent result a 1-0 win over the Richmond Kickers. 24-year-old midfielder Alex Molano, who signed with the club during the offseason, led the team in preseason with three goals in five matches.

The club's key core is returning, while there are plenty of other new faces alongside Molano, including Christian Ibeagha and Lance Laing, who was the first NASL player to be named to the NASL's Best XI three times.

The returning key core includes Brian Sylvestre, Nazmi Albadawi, Matt Fondy, Connor Tobin, Tiyi Shipalane and more. Albadawi found success last year in his generosity, as the midfielder set a modern-era NASL record for the most assists (10) in a single season. Sylvestre also found consistency in net, becoming the club's starting goalkeeper and maintaining a 1.06 GAA.

Atlas FC is currently in 10^th place in the Liga MX standings and has two players currently sharing the title as the team's leading goal scorers, Martin Barragán and Gustavo Matî - as Alustiza, with three goals each so far. The pair scores at a quick clip, with less than 200 minutes as the average in between goals.

Players to Watch: #16 Matt Fondy Matt Fondy led the team in goals last year, with seven in 20 appearances, as he came to the organization midway through the year. With a full year ahead of him with North Carolina FC in 2017, it is expected that he will only improve on his seven goals and two assists and have a caliber year.

#11 Gustavo Matî - as Alustiza Gustavo Matî - as Alustiza is one of the leading goal scorers of the club, with his three goals and two assists. Alustiza is new to Atlas FC this year, but is expected to do big things in 2017, as he is coming off an impressive 2016 with Puebla FC of Liga MX, where he scored 17 goals in 28 starts.

Coming Up Next: North Carolina FC will open the NASL 2017 regular season on Saturday, March 25 at WakeMed Soccer Park against Miami FC at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the match can be purchased at NCFCTix.com or by calling our box office at 919-459-8144.

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North American Soccer League Stories from April 6, 2017


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