Charlotte Eagles

The Charlotte Eagles are an American professional soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1991, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.

Charlotte Eagles
Full nameCharlotte Eagles Soccer Club
Nickname(s)The Eagles
Founded1991 (1991)
StadiumSportsplex at Matthews
Matthews, North Carolina
Capacity2,300
PresidentDavid Urban
Head CoachMichael Kovach
LeagueUSL League Two
20194th, Deep South Division
Playoffs: DNQ
WebsiteClub website

The team plays its home games at the Sportsplex at Matthews. The team's colors are orange, white and blue.

History

Founded in 1991 as the Charlotte Eagles Soccer Club, the team turned professional when it entered the USISL in 1993.[1] The Eagles enjoyed a brief spell in the A-League before financial troubles caused them to return to the lower level.

The Eagles are a division of Missionary Athletes International (MAI), an organization which undertakes sports ministry to share the message of Christianity through the environment of soccer. They are a sister organisation of the USL League Two side Southern California Seahorses, and also field a women's team – the Charlotte Lady Eagles – in the Women's Premier Soccer League.

Back to the PDL

In 2016 The Charlotte Eagles were profiled by Britain's The Guardian newspaper. The piece highlighted the team's policy of discrimination against openly gay and bisexual players.[2]


Stadiums
Stadium Location Term Notes
Patten Stadium
(Charlotte Latin School)		 Charlotte 1998–1999 One game in 2012
Irwin Belk Track and Field Center/Transamerica Field Charlotte 2000–2002 One game in 2014
Waddell Stadium
(E. E. Waddell High School)		 Charlotte 2003–2007
Panthers Stadium
(Providence High School)		 Charlotte 2003 Five games
Restart Field
(Charlotte Christian School)		 Charlotte 2008–2012
2016–2017
Eagle Field Rock Hill 2011–2012 Two games
Manchester Meadows Rock Hill 2012 One game
Dickson Field
(Queens University of Charlotte)		 Charlotte 2013–15
Sportsplex at Matthews Matthews 2017–present
Nation Ford Stadium Fort Mill 2019 One game

Media

The Eagles receive written coverage from Charlotte's major daily newspaper The Charlotte Observer. Highlights are often shown on local news broadcasts. All games are shown live on the Charlotte Eagles official YouTube page. Harrison Raby is the play-by-play voice for home broadcasts.

Players and staff

Staff
  • David Urban – president
  • Cliff Wright – executive director
  • Michael Kovach – head coach
  • Drew Yates – assistant coach

Notable former players
See also: All-time Charlotte Eagles roster

Head coaches
  • Brian Davidson (1993–1996)
  • Mark Steffens (1997–2014)
  • Dave Dixon (2014–2017)
  • Luke Helmuth (2017–2018)
  • Garrett Bireline (2018-2020)
  • Michael Kovach (2020-present)

Achievements

Record

Year-by-year
Year Division League Regular Season Playoffs Open Cup
1993 N/A USISL 8th, Atlantic Did not qualify Did not enter
1994 3 USISL 3rd, Atlantic Divisional Finals Did not enter
1995 3 USISL Pro League 2nd, Atlantic Divisional Semifinals Did not qualify
1996 3 USISL Pro League 1st, South Atlantic Final Did not qualify
1997 3 USISL D-3 Pro League 3rd, South Atlantic Final Did not qualify
1998 3 USISL D-3 Pro League 3rd, Atlantic Quarterfinals 2nd Round
1999 3 USL D-3 Pro League 1st, Atlantic Semifinals Did not qualify
2000 3 USL D-3 Pro League 3rd, Southern Champions Did not qualify
2001 2 USL A-League 3rd, Central 1st Round Did not qualify
2002 2 USL A-League 4th, Southeast 1st Round Did not qualify
2003 2 USL A-League 4th, Southeast Did not qualify Did not qualify
2004 3 USL Pro Soccer League 1st, Southern Final 2nd Round
2005 3 USL Second Division 2nd Champions 3rd Round
2006 3 USL Second Division 2nd Final 2nd Round
2007 3 USL Second Division 4th Semifinals 2nd Round
2008 3 USL Second Division 1st Final 2nd Round
2009 3 USL Second Division 4th Final 1st Round
2010 3 USL Second Division 4th Did not qualify 1st Round
2011 3 USL Pro 7th Did not qualify 2nd Round
2012 3 USL Pro 7th Did not qualify Quarterfinals
2013 3 USL Pro 5th Final 3rd Round
2014 3 USL Pro 12th Did not qualify 3rd Round
2015 4 PDL 1st, South Atlantic Conference Semifinals Did not qualify
2016 4 PDL 1st, South Atlantic Conference Semifinals 2nd Round
2017 4 PDL 2nd, South Atlantic Champions 2nd Round
2018 4 PDL 4th, South Atlantic Did not qualify 1st Round
2019 4 USL League Two 4th, Deep South Did not qualify Did not qualify

References
  1. "Tradition & Excellence: A Look Back". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  2. Kay, Bryan (2016-05-06). "The evangelical soccer team: no fouls, no diving, no gay players". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
Preceded by
Michigan Bucks		 Premier Development League Champion
2017		 Succeeded by
Calgary Foothills FC
Preceded by
Utah Blitzz		 USL Second Division Champion
2005		 Succeeded by
Richmond Kickers
Preceded by
Western Mass Pioneers		 USL Second Division Champion
2000		 Succeeded by
Utah Blitzz
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