CARY, N.C. (Dec. 20, 2023) — North Carolina FC today announces four under-18 players have come to terms on professional contracts ahead of the 2024 USL Championship season, pending league and federation approval. Nick Holliday, Kyrome Lumsden, and Adrian Pelayo all return to the club alongside exciting newcomer Julian Placias.
Holliday and Placias are both signed through the 2024 season, Pelayo is inked to a one-year deal with a 2025 option, and Lumsden signed a two-year contract with an option for 2026.
“Our club’s mission of identifying and developing young talent does not waver with the move to the Championship. In fact, it grows even bolder. These four young men are incredible football talents with tremendous potential. They will contribute to our first team, but will also get invaluable reps in our professional training environment and opportunties to learn and grow. We’re excited to see them develop and what the future holds for each,” said NCFC head coach and sporting director John Bradford.
Placias, 17, joins the team from the LA Galaxy Academy, where he appeared in seven games for the club’s MLS Next Pro Team in 2023. The forward scored one goal in his 160 minutes of action and completed 85.7% of his passes. The goal capped off a 4-2 win over Houston, with Placias coming off the bench to capitalize on a late counterattack with his first professional goal.
Placias also led the Galaxy’s U-17 team to an MLS NEXT Cup title, scoring two second half goals to propel the team past Real Colorado in the final. Placias tallied a tournament-high six goals during his team’s run to the championship.
Holliday, 17, has become a club staple, rising through the NCFC Academy to ink his first professional deal with the team in 2021 as a 15-year-old. He’s amassed 2,340 minutes of experience in his three seasons as a professional, making 75 saves.
He began the 2023 USL League One season as starting keeper for a team consistently at the top of the table prior to an injury, helping lay the foundation for the team’s championship run. He will have the opportunity to learn from two experienced, veteran keepers in Jake McGuire and Akira Fitzgerald.
Pelayo, 17, first signed with the team in September for his first professional contract after leaving the Portland Timbers Academy. While under contract with NCFC, Pelayo competed at the U-17 FIFA World Cup with Mexico in November.
Lumsden, 16, signed with the team in July out of Los Angles FC’s academy, where he spent five seasons. Lumsden has been a member of the U.S. Youth National system since the U-15 level and was the team’s captain for a tournament in Italy last year.
The foursome joins nine previously announced returners, and 11 new signings announced this off-season, bringing the NCFC roster to 24 players under contract ahead of the team’s return to the USL Championship in 2024. The season kicks off on Saturday, March 9, against the Charleston Battery at WakeMed Soccer Park.
ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA FC
North Carolina FC returns to play in the United Soccer League (USL) Championship (USSF Division II) in 2024. North Carolina FC enters its 18th season of competition in 2024, having played in several professional leagues as both North Carolina FC and the Carolina RailHawks. The team won the NASL (USSF Division II) regular season championship in 2011 and 2013 and won the USL League One (USSF Division III) Championship in 2023. Follow North Carolina FC on the web at www.northcarolinafc.com and on social media @NorthCarolinaFC.
