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USL North Carolina FC

North Carolina FC Returns Home to Face Monterey Bay FC

June 16, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
North Carolina FC News Release


CARY, N.C. - North Carolina FC returns to WakeMed Soccer Park for the first time in a month to host Western Conference foe Monterey Bay FC on Sunday, June 16, at 6 p.m. ET. The match will stream live on CBS' Golazo Network and broadcast on Sirius XM FC.

North Carolina FC will honor and celebrate Juneteenth with special performances, food trucks, vendors, giveaways, and more throughout the evening. Headlining the celebration is a cleat fundraiser, with shoes designed by local artist Mike Phillips in conjunction with - and signed by - the NCFC players. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. ET and tickets are available here.

North Carolina FC enters Week 15 of the USL Championship regular season in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 14 points from 13 games and a 3-5-5 record, while Monterey Bay FC sits third in the Western Conference with 19 points from 15 games and a 5-6-4 record.

NCFC's four-match unbeaten streak was ended by Louisville City FC on Saturday, but the team put up a good fight in the 2-1 road loss to the league leaders. Goalkeeper Jake McGuire made a season-high six saves to keep NCFC in the game. His final save of the night was his 300th in USL regular season action for his career.

Evan Conway scored in stoppage time to give NCFC hope for a point, but Louisville was able to hold onto all three points. Conway has now scored in three consecutive games and is NCFC's leading scorer in USL play.

Sunday's showdown with Monterey will be the team's first home game in over a month, with the last match at WakeMed Soccer Park being the 2-0 win of Loudoun United FC on May 14. NCFC went 1-1-1 during its three-match road swing since that win, with the lone loss coming against the league-leaders.

The match will also mark the first ever meeting between the two, with Monterey Bay FC entering the USL Championship in 2022, while NCFC was in USL League One.

Scouting Monterey Bay FC

Monterey Bay FC is firmly part of the Western Conference standings log jam, with just two points separating third (Monterey Bay, 19 points) from ninth (Oakland Roots SC, 17 points). While Monterey Bay is on top of that clump, thanks to a head-to-head win over reigning USL Championship champs Phoenix Rising FC early in the season, the team has just one win in its last eight games.

Former Air Force Falcon Tristan Trager has led the way for the Monterey Bay attack with five goals in just under 600 minutes of action. Trager started the year as a substitute before getting a good run of starts through April and into May. The forward missed a few games in May but returned to the lineup in Monterey Bay's 2-0 loss to Sacramento Republic on June 8 as a substitute.

Midfielder Mobi Fehr is the only other Monterey Bay player to record multiple goals this season. Fehr, along with Rafael Baca, pull the strings in the midfield for Monterey Bay. The duo leads the team in passing accuracy and have a combined five goal contributions on the season.

Anthony Siaha, who leads the league with 55 saves, has played every minute in goal for Monterey Bay and conceded 19 goals.

Head Coach and Sporting Director Frank Yallop, who made 52 appearances for the Canadian National Team during his playing days, has a wealth of experience at the MLS, USL and National Team level. Yallop led the Canadian National Team from 2004-06 and had head coaching stints at four MLS teams before leading multiple USL Championship teams in either coaching or front office roles.

Next Up

North Carolina FC will be back at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday, June 22, to take on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at 7:30 p.m. ET. The two sides drew, 1-1, in Pittsburgh in May. The match will be the team's Pride Match.

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