The history of the USMNT in North Carolina

By Sean McGuffin - @SeanMCG704

Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/TopBin90

The United States Men's National Team is in Charlotte tonight to take on the Senegalese National Team. It will be the second USMNT match played in Charlotte, but the team has a storied history in North Carolina. 

On September 15, 1990, the United States national team would make its debut in North Carolina, playing a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago in High Point. 34 years before the Carolina Core would begin playing and make High Point a soccer hotspot, the national team drew a crowd of 11,361 to A.J. Simeon Stadium. The crowd would be in for a big win from the United States as they beat Trinidad and Tobago 3-0. Peter Vermes, Bruce Murray, and Eric Eichmann all scored against the Caribbean nation.

The Old North State had proven to be good to the national team in their debut; they would make their return to Simeon Stadium the following year to take on Jamaica in a friendly. Only 9,128 would be in attendance for the match, and it would be a much closer contest. A goal from Sadri Gjonbalaj would give the US a 1-0 win over Jamaica. The US would go 2-0 in High Point.

The USMNT would stay in the Triad in 1991, driving down Highway 29 for a match in Greensboro. The Canadian National team would travel down on October 9, 1992, to take on their southern rivals. The soccer stadium at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro would play host for the match; the crowd of 2,097 would see a scoreless draw between the North American rivals. Bringing the record to 2-1-0, playing in North Carolina. 

The team would head back to High Point in 1992, hoping to return to their winning ways. For the first time, the US would face a European team in North Carolina, facing the Ukrainian national team at Simeon Stadium. A crowd of 4,298 would witness the US’s first loss in North Carolina, as the national team fell to Ukraine 2-1. Hugo Perez would give the US a lead early before the Ukrainians scored two goals right before halftime. 

1994 marked the national team's first match in the Charlotte area. Davidson University’s Richardson Stadium would play host as the US took on Moldova. The change of scenery proved helpful for the US as they beat Moldova 3-0 in front of 4,790 spectators. Frank Klopas, Mike Lapper, and Claudio Reyna all scored in the shutout. The US improved to 3-1-1 in North Carolina.

The 3-1-1 record would last through the 90s as the USMNT would not return to the state until 2006. This time, playing at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. 17 years before the venue would play host to The Soccer Tournament, the stadium would play host to another friendly against Jamaica. 8,093 would pack the stands for a 1-1 draw against the “Reggae Boyz.” The draw brought the US record in North Carolina to 3-2-1, another record that stayed frozen as North Carolina would once again enter a multi-year drought from US Men's team matches. 

12 years after the draw, the United States would return to Cary for a friendly against Paraguay, just before the 2018 World Cup. Bobby Wood scored a PK just before halftime to give the United States a 1-0 win in Wake County. The USMNT would finish out the 2010s with only one match in North Carolina, improving their record to 4-2-1.

July 2, 2023, would be a historic match, as not only would the US Men's team play their first match in the city of Charlotte, but it would be the first non-friendly match played by the team in North Carolina. Once again, they would face Trinidad and Tobago, but this time the stakes were higher than ever before. A group stage matchup against Trinidad, not many years after an upset Trinidad win that eliminated the US from an entry into the 2018 World Cup. 47,382 would be in attendance for the match, shattering the record for national team crowds in the state. The match was a doubleheader with Honduras and Haiti immediately following the match. The opener would be a clinic from the United States, a 6-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in the team's Charlotte debut.

This brings us to today, where the US Men's National Team will play an African nation for the first time in North Carolina. Another World Cup-qualified team, Senegal, will go toe to toe with the Americans at Bank of America Stadium. The US goes into the match with a 5-2-1 record in North Carolina, and it will be the first exhibition match for the squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Charlotte FC’s Tim Ream will wear the captain's armband for the United States, returning home one more time before the tournament.