CARY, N.C. (April 11, 2024) – North Carolina FC today announces its participation in the 2024 iteration of ‘The Soccer Tournament’ taking place at WakeMed Soccer Park this June 5 through 10.
North Carolina State University soccer alum and current NCFC Academy coach Dewan Bader will coach the 7v7 team for a second straight year, leading a squad comprised of a combination of North Carolina FC (nee Carolina RailHawks) alumni and soccer greats with ties to the Triangle in the quest for the winner-take-all $1 million prize.
No current members of the North Carolina FC USL Championship roster will play in TST. Players will be added to the TST roster over the next several weeks with announcements periodically throughout the buildup to the tournament. The announcement of a men’s team comes just weeks after announcing Jessica McDonald will captain a Courage-sponsored team in the women’s bracket.
“We’re thrilled to participate in TST once again this summer. Our organization had a tremendous experience in 2023, bringing back great alumni and connecting the past and present within our club. The pageantry and fanfare around the event last year was a great showcase of what soccer means to our community and this will be a great opportunity to represent our brand on our home field in front of a broad audience,” said North Carolina FC president Francie Gottsegen.
The 48-team men’s field will commence with group play on June 5-6, with teams being split into 12 groups of four. Thirty-two teams will emerge from the group stage to the knockout rounds, beginning on June 7. TST’s round of 16 and quarterfinals will take place on June 8, and the two semifinal matches will be played June 9.
TST’s inaugural women’s bracket will feature eight teams competing for an equal $1 million, winner-take-all prize. The women’s event will begin June 7, and be broken into two groups of four. Two teams will advance from each group to play in the semifinals on June 9.
Both the men’s and women’s events will conclude in a winner-take-all championship doubleheader on June 10, with a total of $2 million in prize money being awarded.
The inaugural TST included globally renowned clubs such as Wrexham AFC, Borussia Dortmund, West Ham, Wolverhampton, and sports stars like Clint Dempsey, Steve Nash, Cesc Fabregas, and Chad Johnson, among others. More than 25 players with U.S. National Team experience and a combined 1,444 caps on both the men’s and women’s side competed in the event, including Heather O’Reilly, Kirstine Lilly, Jermaine Jones, Eddie Johnson, Geoff Cameron, Jimmy Conrad, Chris Wondolowski, Brek Shea, and more.
TST, which is an open-entry event, received nearly 400 applicants for its 2023 tournament. Fans can now purchase all-sessions or single session passes for TST 2024 here. Fans can also purchase a bundle pack that includes access to a TST session, a North Carolina FC match and a Courage match. Submit a request for more information on the bundle pack here.
ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA FC
North Carolina FC is in its 18th season of competition in 2024, having returned to the United Soccer League (USL) Championship (USSF Division II) this year. The team has played in several professional leagues under the names North Carolina FC and Carolina RailHawks across nearly two decades of competition. 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. Steve Malik purchased the team in 2015 and has been the majority owner ever since. Follow North Carolina FC on the web at www.northcarolinafc.com and on social media @NorthCarolinaFC.
ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT
Founded in 2014, The Tournament specializes in hosting high-stakes, open-application sporting events distributed across the world. Its first property, The Basketball Tournament (TBT), has crowned ten champions, awarded more than $13 million in prizes, and ushered in innovations such as the Elam Ending®. Launched in June 2023, The Soccer Tournament (TST) marked The Tournament’s expansion beyond basketball. TST’s Women’s Tournament will be its inaugural women’s event. For more information on The Tournament and its properties, visit TheTournament.com.