The 2022 North Carolina FC season was the 16th season in the club's history and its second season in USL League One, the third tier of the United States soccer league system. North Carolina FC was coached by John Bradford and played its home matches at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. The club entered the season after finishing 12th and last in the 2021 USL League One season.
North Carolina FC finished the 2022 USL League One regular season in 11th place with a record of 8 wins, 16 losses and 6 draws. The club scored 35 goals and conceded 53, finishing with 30 points. It therefore failed to qualify for the six-team USL League One playoffs. In the 2022 U.S. Open Cup, North Carolina FC was eliminated in the second round by Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, losing 2–1 at home on April 6.
The season began with two preseason victories, including a 1–0 win over the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a 3–0 win over the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Goalkeeper Will Pulisic joined the club on a season-long loan from Austin FC in March.
During the season, Bradford signed a multi-year contract extension with North Carolina FC. The club also continued its youth-to-professional pathway, signing eight NCFC Academy players to amateur contracts in April. In September, academy product Marvin Mariche signed a two-year professional contract with the club.
Forward Garrett McLaughlin was the club's leading scorer with 14 league goals, finishing second in the USL League One Golden Boot race. He was subsequently named to the USL League One All-League First Team. Forward Oalex Anderson scored seven league goals and recorded four assists, while midfielder Jaden Servania scored three goals and recorded two assists.
The club's strongest individual late-season performance came from 16-year-old Nicolás Rincón, who assisted McLaughlin's 14th goal and scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Central Valley Fuego FC on September 28. Rincón was subsequently named USL League One Player of the Week.
Club
Roster
The club's 2022 roster combined established USL League One players with players developed through the NCFC Academy. The club also used several academy players on amateur contracts while they maintained their college eligibility.
No.Pos.NationPlayer
Eight NCFC Academy players were signed to amateur contracts on April 6: Haroun Conteh, Drew Kerr, Marvin Mariche, John McDowell, Jake Shannon, Samuel Terranova, Rohit Thakur and Caden Tolentino. The agreements allowed the players to train and play with the first team while maintaining their college eligibility.
Mariche later signed a professional contract in September. He had already made three first-team appearances before signing the contract and had previously represented the club under an academy contract.
Coaching and management
John Bradford began his second season as North Carolina FC's head coach in 2022. On June 15, the club announced that Bradford had signed a multi-year contract extension. The club cited his role in developing the organization's youth-to-professional pathway as one of the reasons for continuing the relationship.
Transfers and loans
North Carolina FC added several players during the offseason, including Oalex Anderson, Jordan Skelton, Christian Lue Young, Gustavo Fernandes, Garrett McLaughlin, Jaden Servania, Showkat Tahir and Raheem Somersall. The club also retained players including Max Flick, Pecka, Luis Arriaga, Nelson Flores Blanco and Nelson Martinez.
On March 9, goalkeeper Will Pulisic joined North Carolina FC on loan from Austin FC for the 2022 season. Austin FC retained the right to recall him during the loan period.
Preseason
North Carolina FC scheduled five preseason matches ahead of the regular season. The club defeated UNCG 1–0 on February 19 and UNC Wilmington 3–0 on February 26. The remaining scheduled matches were against Columbus Crew 2, Richmond Kickers and Charlotte Independence.
Competitions
USL League One
North Carolina FC opened its league season on April 2 with a 1–0 away victory over South Georgia Tormenta FC. The club then lost 3–1 at home to Chattanooga Red Wolves SC before drawing 1–1 with Greenville Triumph SC. After four matches, North Carolina had one win, one draw and two losses.
The club's best period came in May and June, when it recorded victories over FC Tucson, Greenville Triumph and Charlotte Independence. The 2–0 victory over Charlotte on June 18 was North Carolina FC's largest league win of the season.
The team struggled to maintain that form during the second half of the season. A series of defeats against Chattanooga, Tormenta, Richmond, Union Omaha, FC Tucson, Charlotte and others left the club outside the playoff positions. The September 10 home match against Central Valley Fuego FC was postponed because of travel difficulties and was ultimately played on September 28, when North Carolina FC won 2–1. Garrett McLaughlin scored his 14th league goal of the season and 16-year-old Nicolás Rincón scored his first professional goal for the winning goal.
North Carolina FC then drew 1–1 with Union Omaha on October 1 before losing 1–0 to Chattanooga Red Wolves SC in its final home match on October 8. The club ended the regular season on October 15 with a 5–1 defeat away to Charlotte Independence.
Standings
Match results
DateOpponentVenueResultScoreAttendanceApril 2Tormenta FCAwayW1–01,209April 9Chattanooga Red Wolves SCHomeL1–32,006April 16Greenville Triumph SCHomeD1–11,522April 30Northern Colorado Hailstorm FCHomeL1–21,723May 7FC TucsonAwayW2–1908May 14Tormenta FCHomeL2–31,056May 21Greenville Triumph SCHomeW1–01,128May 28Richmond KickersHomeW2–11,128June 8Northern Colorado Hailstorm FCAwayD1–1516June 18Charlotte IndependenceHomeW2–01,967June 25Central Valley Fuego FCAwayL2–31,753June 29Greenville Triumph SCAwayL1–3
U.S. Open Cup
North Carolina FC entered the 2022 U.S. Open Cup in the second round, where it hosted USL Championship club Rio Grande Valley FC Toros on April 6. The visitors won 2–1, eliminating North Carolina FC from the competition.
Statistics
Goalscorers
Garrett McLaughlin was North Carolina FC's leading league scorer with 14 goals. His total placed him second in the USL League One Golden Boot standings and earned him selection to the league's All-League First Team.
Player League goals Garrett McLaughlin 14 Oalex Anderson 7 Jaden Servania 3 Nicolás Molina 2 Showkat Tahir 2 Luis Arriaga 1 Shak Adams 1 Christian Lue Young 1 Nicolás Rincón 1 Max Flick 1 Own goals 3
Attendance
North Carolina FC's average reported home attendance for the 2022 regular season was 1,874. The largest reported league crowd was 5,092 for the August 13 match against Central Valley Fuego FC. The smallest reported league attendance was 1,034 for the August 10 match against Forward Madison FC. The U.S. Open Cup match against Rio Grande Valley FC Toros drew 575 spectators.
The 5,092 attendance figure was the club's largest reported home crowd of the season. The October 8 home finale against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC drew 4,873 spectators, while the October 15 away finale against Charlotte Independence drew 4,107.
Season summary
North Carolina FC improved on its 12th-place finish in 2021 by moving up one position to 11th in 2022. The improvement in position did not result in a playoff berth because the club remained outside the top six throughout the final stages of the season. The team finished with 30 points from 30 matches, scoring 35 goals and conceding 53.
McLaughlin provided the main source of goals, scoring 14 times in league play. Anderson contributed seven goals, while Servania scored three. The club's defensive record was less successful, as its 53 goals conceded were the most in USL League One during the regular season.
The season also continued the club's emphasis on youth development. Academy players received opportunities to train and play with the first team, while Rincón became one of the most notable examples of the pathway when he scored his first professional goal in September at age 16. He was named USL League One Player of the Week after contributing a goal and an assist in the 2–1 win over Central Valley Fuego FC.
References