LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Nov. 1, 2024) — North Carolina FC is on the road for the first round of the USL Championship playoffs, facing off against top-seeded Louisville City FC on Saturday, November 2, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Lynn Family Stadium. The match will stream live on ESPN+.
NCFC clinched the No. 8 seed in the playoffs with a come-from-behind 2-1 Judgment Day win over Las Vegas Lights FC. The Western Conference No. 4 seed struck first, but set-piece goals from Paco Craig and Oalex Anderson gave NCFC the lead before halftime.
Anderson’s goal was more than just playoff clinching. The header was Anderson’s 36th goal in an NCFC jersey and made the forward the club’s career all-competitions scoring leader.
Anderson and Evan Conway, who picked up the assist on Anderson’s record-breaking goal, have been a dangerous 1-2 punch for NCFC all season with a team-high 12 goals each. Rodrigo Da Costa was also a crucial attacking piece during the playoff race, including a four-game goal contribution streak down the home stretch that helped NCFC secure the final spot in the Eastern Conference.
NCFC was one of the most in-form teams in the Eastern Conference down the stretch with only Pittsburgh besting the NCFC’s 12 points across the final five games of the regular season.
Louisville was the top team in either conference this season with 76 points to secure the club’s first Players’ Shield, while a Judgment Day win over reigning USL Championship winners Phoenix Rising tied the league record for wins in a regular season (24).
Perennial contenders for the Eastern Conference title, LouCity let their offense lead the way with a league-best 86 goals this season. Wilson Harris is the primary threat in front of goal with 19 goals, but Jansen Wilson and mid-season acquisition Phillip Goodrum are no slouches in front of net with nine goals each.
NCFC ranks not far behind Louisville, sitting as the fifth most potent offense in the league this season. Defensively, the two teams are tied for 10th with 43 goals conceded during the regular season each.
While Louisville won both the regular season meetings with NCFC, they were close games. At Lynn Family Stadium, LouCity won, 2-1, while the match at WakeMed Soccer Park was a wild 6-4 result that featured three own goals.
Saturday will be NCFC’s first time back in the USL Championship playoffs since 2019, but this NCFC team is loaded with playoff experience. Key contributors from the team’s 2023 USL League One championship win like Anderson, Mikey Maldonado, Louis Perez, and Rafa Mentzingen are back again this year. Those returners are bolstered by new additions like Craig, who was a two-time USL Cup winner with Louisville, and Collin Martin, who is one of the most experienced players in the league.
