USL Charlotte Independence

The Early History of the Charlotte Independence

March 27, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charlotte Independence News Release


The Charlotte Independence may be a new team in the USL, having organized as an expansion club in September of last year. But soccer in Charlotte has a lengthy history in the form of the Charlotte Eagles, a team that competed in the USL league system dating back 23 years.

The new club, owned and operated by Queen City Soccer Club LLC, last summer acquired the USL PRO rights for the city from the Eagles, who have since moved to the USL's Premier Development League.

The ownership group, led Jim McPhilliamy, who also is president and managing partner of the Charlotte Hounds of Major League Lacrosse, has set as its goal "to make Charlotte a better place to live by being the premier sports and entertainment company in our region, through annual increases in both the quality and quantity of the events we provide for our community."

The club's new nickname was chosen after a number of focus groups that included Charlotte's most passionate soccer fans- members of the Queen City Outlaws, the Charlotte chapter of the American Outlaws national supporters group. The name "Independence" was chosen because it captures and celebrates Charlotte's rebellious and visionary history.

On May 19, 1775, the citizens of Charlotte learned of the massacre of colonists by the British at the Battle of Concord and Lexington. Angered at this news and already burdened by the oppressive, unjust laws of King George III, a group of citizens met through the night and into the morning of May 20 to draft the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. It marked the first ever document in United States history to call for complete independence from the Crown of England and was signed by Mecklenburg citizens on May 20, 1775.

The group met again on May 31 to draft a set of Resolves that outlined how they would self-govern. A young tavern owner, Captain James Jack, volunteered to take the treasonous documents to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Knowing full well that if caught he would be immediately hung, Captain Jack risked his livelihood to transport the documents. He arrived safely in Philadelphia in June 1775, demanding Mecklenburg County's declaration of independence be read into the record.

Captain Jack has become a legendary figure in the annals of Charlotte Mecklenburg history. He is a significant symbol of the Charlotte community, someone who risked everything for the rights and protections that Charlotte residents take for granted today. This spirit is what the Independence seeks to honor, both on and off the field.

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