CARY, N.C. (Dec. 8, 2023) — North Carolina FC has acquired English center back Paco Craig via transfer from Miami FC for an agreed upon fee and signed him to a two-year, guaranteed contract through the 2025 season, the club announced Friday. The contract is pending league and federation approval.
Craig brings eight years of USL Championship experience, anchoring the defenses of Louisville City and Miami FC since 2016. He’s been named to the USL Championship All-League First Team three times and All-League Second Team twice. Craig won the USL Championship Final twice with Louisville in 2017 and 2018.
“We are pleased to welcome Paco to the club. He is a proven winner in this league and well respected across the USL Championship and beyond. We’re excited for his experience and tenacity to bolster our back line,” said NCFC head coach and sporting director, John Bradford.
“I am very excited to get started at North Carolina FC. Playing against them over the years I was very impressed by the professionalism of the organization. Now, I’m looking forward to contributing any way I can in helping them achieve their goals of success,” Craig says.
Craig has made 203 appearances in the Championship’s regular season, recording 17,551 minutes of action. Since the start of the 2017 campaign, he has recorded a tackle success rate of 66.2 percent, and a duel success rate of 63.5 percent, while recording 841 clearances, 311 interceptions and 1,127 recoveries. Across his career, Craig has never had a season with lower than a 43.6% tackle success rate and 57.5% duel success rate.
Last season, Craig started 33 games, playing 2,889 minutes and won 63.6% of his tackles and 65.4% of his duels, while making 37 interceptions and 143 clearances. The center back also won 97 aerial duels.
After a season playing in England’s National league north with Bishop’s Stortford, Craig came to the United States to play college soccer at Young Harris College, a Division II school in Georgia.
While with the Mountain Lions, Craig was named the Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year in 2013 and Player of the Year in 2015. The Mountain Lions won two Peach Belt Conference Tournaments with Craig. During his time at college, Craig also played for the NPSL’s Rocket City United and PDL’s Ocala Stampede.
The former West Ham youth player signed his first professional contract with Louisville City in 2016 and stayed with the club through 2019. Following a one-month contract, which expired during the COVID-19 Pandemic, with Wycombe Wanderers in England, Craig returned to the United States, joining Miami FC in January 2021.
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.
