Match Info:
MIAMI (May 24, 2024) — North Carolina FC is back on the road for Week 12 of the USL Championship regular season, heading south to take on Miami FC on Saturday, May 25, at 7 p.m. ET at FIU Soccer Stadium. The game will stream live on ESPN+.
North Carolina FC enters the match in ninth in the Eastern Conference standings with 11 points and a 2-4-5 record, but the team is unbeaten in its last two games with a home win over Loudoun United FC and a road draw with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Miami currently sit 12th in the Eastern Conference with seven points and a 2-8-1 record.
NCFC’s series record against this Miami FC sits at 2-2-4, with all eight of those meetings coming during the 2016 and 2017 NASL seasons. However, North Carolina FC has a 7-5-5 record against teams named Miami FC, with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers going by that name from 2006-2011. NCFC’s biggest win in team history came against the then-named Miami FC, a 9-0 home drubbing in the 2009 season.
Week 11 of the USL Championship season saw NCFC claim four important points with a home win over Loudoun and a draw at Pittsburgh. The draw at Pittsburgh was the team’s first road point of the season and was a solid result against the reigning Players’ Shield winners who entered the match on a six-game unbeaten streak.
Midfielder Raheem Somersall made his 100th USL regular season appearance in the draw at Pittsburgh, with 60 of those appearances coming in an NCFC jersey as the midfielder played a crucial role in NCFC’s 2023 title run, including being named the USL League One Final MVP.
Louis Perez picked up his second assist of the season in the draw, finding Evan Conway with a stellar ball for the forward to knock home his first goal in an NCFC shirt. Conway’s recent return from injury has been a major boon for the NCFC attack, with the forward providing another dangerous option in front of goal with the ability to also create chances for those around him.
The match at Miami will be a homecoming for Paco Craig and Jake McGuire, who joined NCFC from Miami FC this offseason. McGuire spent just one season with Miami, but Craig spent three seasons in the Sunshine State and made nearly 100 appearances for the club.
Scouting Miami FC
Miami FC sits last in the Eastern Conference and the team’s seven points is the second-lowest point total of any team in the USL Championship, with just El Paso Locomotive’s five points sitting lower after 11 weeks.
Allen Gavilanes is Miami’s main goal threat with a team-leading four goals this season. Gavilanes made the jump to the USL Championship this offseason after three seasons with the Greenville Triumph and has hit the ground running for Miami.
Andrew Booth, who played his college soccer at FIU, has been an important piece in the Miami attack with one goal, one assist and a team-leading 10 chances created. The Jamaican midfielder spent the last two seasons with the Charleston Battery.
Daniel Gagliardi, another FIU alumni, has been asked to do a lot of work in net for Miami, with the second-most saves and joint-most shots on target faced in the league this season. Previously signing for Fort Lauderdale CF in USL League One and FC Tulsa in the USL Championship, this is the first season Gagliardi has seen significant minutes in the professional game, but the goalkeeper has been solid.
Journeyman Italian midfielder Antonio Nocerino, who had lengthy spells with Palermo and AC Milan before joining MLS side Orlando City for the 2016-17 seasons, was named Miami’s head coach this offseason. Following his retirement in 2018, Nocerino was hired as an academy coach in the Orlando City Academy, but Miami is the former midfielder’s first time at the helm of a professional team.
Next Up
North Carolina FC is off in Week 13 of the USL Championship action, but will return in Week 14 to round out the three-game road trip at Louisville City FC. The game at Lynn Family Stadium will kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 8.
