‘The reaction was anger’ – North Carolina FC’s shutdown for a potential USL Division One return carries a real human cost

NCFC are not the first USL team to halt operations in recent years – 12 franchises have folded in the last decade. As the league expanded, this has become something of an unfortunate trend. Ownership groups have often gambled on markets without success. And due to a lack of long-term sustainability, some simply pull the plug. 

It’s common for players to see this happening in real time. One player, who was part of Memphis 1901 before it folded in December 2024, admitted that he could see the news coming. 

“You don’t wake up one morning to a press release,” he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to have his identity protected. “It starts slowly with whispers in the locker room, uncertainty in staff meetings, small signs that something isn’t right.” 

NCFC said their reason for ceasing operations was the franchise agreement ending, as well as an application to USL’s new Division One league, set to come to USL in either 2027 or 2028. They were, in effect, closing their doors now to set themselves up for the future. 

The club itself reiterated that sentiment in an email. 

“We had a great 20 years, but we’re aiming to make professional soccer sustainable here for the next 20 and beyond. There’s an incredible soccer community in the Triangle, and this reset will give us the time and resources to connect better, understand more deeply, and best represent them when we kick off again in the future,” a club spokesperson told GOAL. 

The club has already applied for Division One status, and its application, like many, is under review. 

When asked about the club’s decision, the USL declined to offer a comment. According to sources, there isn’t an expectation that other clubs hoping to play USL Division One will make similar moves. The club, when asked about communications with the league itself, said they were unable to comment on behalf of the USL. 

The general sentiment from club executives around the league is one of anger and disappointment. The president of another USL Championship club, speaking anonymously, characterized NCFC’s decision as a “betrayal of trust” and made clear that they don’t wish for the club to be let back into the league. 

“It’s embarrassing for NCFC to capitalize on Division One the way they have, especially before the playoffs,” they said. 

That same president also acknowledged that the decision comes at an inopportune time, given the league’s recent success and big ambitions for the future. “It’s disappointing at a time when there is so much happening around the league,” they added. 

The USL Players Association expressed similar frustration. 

“When a professional club shuts down, the players are always the ones left holding the bag. North Carolina FC is the 12th USL Championship club in the past decade to fold, and each time it happens, players are left with only two months of salary, immediate housing instability, and, for international players, real uncertainty over their immigration status,” Connor Tobin, Executive Director of the USLPA, said in a statement to GOAL.

One squad member, who has a wife and son, was ‘shocked and disappointed’ to hear the news. He was supposed to be under contract for at least one more year – on a guaranteed salary. That deal, expected to sustain him for at least another season, has been shortened to just two months of compensation. He declined to answer if he felt optimistic about the chances of signing a new contract elsewhere. 

A second player who had spoken with GOAL took the news poorly, but wasn’t entirely surprised. 

“I felt hurt, but honestly, I could see it happening beforehand,” he said. 

Another suggested that NCFC had been hinting that it would shut its doors for some time. The club’s franchise agreement was due to expire at the end of the 2025 season, and a few players noticed that the lack of marketing from club leadership – which also owns the NWSL’s North Carolina Courage – indicated that things might change. 

“I wasn’t extremely shocked because of the lack of effort from the front office when it came to marketing the team,” he said. 

But more generally, the reality for those who put their trust in a club can be devastating. 

“A few had relocated their families just months earlier and signed year-long leases. Breaking those leases meant paying thousands of dollars they didn’t have and forcing many to stay in a city without a team simply because leaving was financially impossible,” a former squad member of a different USL club told GOAL.

Part of the shock for the players was the timing of the announcement. 

The club revealed its decision four days before an Eastern Conference semifinal clash with Rhode Island FC – a game which NCFC hosted at WakeMed Soccer Park. Head coach and sporting director John Bradford was looped in on discussions around the timing of the announcement. 

The players, however, were baffled that the club chose a date so close to a crucial fixture. 

“I was more surprised and annoyed with the timing right before a home playoff game,” one said. 

Some players admitted that the news impacted their performance, or certainly the vibe around the team in the days before the game. 

“It affected the training in the week leading up. Time that could have been spent preparing was spent on HR meetings and other meetings,” one player said. 

One player who spoke with GOAL acknowledged that “team spirit took a hit,” but one insisted that they “focused valiantly on doing their best” given the circumstances. 

The club, meanwhile, praised the players’ attitude in the week leading up to the game. “The players and staff were utmost professionals during the training sessions and the playoff match that followed the announcement, and we are incredibly proud of the effort and heart they showed in the conference semifinal,” an NCFC spokesperson told GOAL. 

They lost 2-0.

Yet the effects of that Nov. 4 decision extend far beyond the result itself. USL contracts are typically shorter than those in MLS or other leagues, leading to significant roster turnover. In the USL, it’s common for players to be on one-year or two-year deals, creating constant movement from season to season. 

But finding work so late into the season, when most teams have already formulated their roster plans for the following year, can be immensely difficult. 

“The worst part is you’re late to the free agent game. Most teams have spent a good chunk of their budget and roster spots already. You lose all the leverage that you may have had if you knew you’d be a free agent six months ago. And as a result, you have to take a bad deal or a deal you don’t believe matches market value,” one player said. 

Another, previously employed by a different club that folded, acknowledged the same. 

“Contract status shapes the fallout,” they said. “Players out of contract can move on more quickly, but those with ‘guaranteed’ deals often discover the guarantee is limited. In a league with modest wages, that adds up to four paychecks and a public signal that players from a folded club can now be acquired at a steep discount.”

The sentiment about finding a new club was generally pessimistic. Only one of the players GOAL spoke to said they were confident that they would seal a new deal with a new team. The club insisted they have worked with players to find new clubs. 

“As soon as the team’s immediate future direction was finalized, our priority was to provide players and staff with timely, transparent information so they could prepare for 2026 and beyond,” a spokesperson said.

The USL Collective Bargaining Agreement currently has barriers in place to protect players when clubs close doors – although they are far from extensive. All teams are required to offer a minimum of two months’ salary, with some players historically granted more. 

However, what is an act of good faith from the league can hold some players back. 

Tobin echoed that sentiment. 

“For most players, [two months] barely covers basic living costs, especially when next season’s rosters across the professional landscape are already filling up,” the USLPA president said. 

The specifics of that may yet change. The USLPA, clubs, and league are currently engaged in tense negotiations about a new CBA, with the two sides at an impasse on hashing out an agreement to follow up on the original one, ratified in 2021. Conversations have occurred for over a year, and there is little optimism from the USLPA side that a deal can be reached before the Dec. 31 deadline. Players from FC Tulsa and Pittsburgh Riverhounds, which faced off in last week’s USL Championship final, wore pregame shirts in protest of what they perceived as a lack of ‘professional standards’ from the league. USL didn’t show the trophy presentation on its broadcast of the game in response.

“We really hit a wall this fall. There has not been a lot of progress,” Tobin told GOAL. 

The USL declined to comment on the status of talks.

When the agreement expires on Dec. 31, existing guardrails will be removed.

All of the players who talked to GOAL said that they felt the USL, as an entity, has not supported them, with one pointing out that ‘the USLPA has been our main source of support.’ 

Some felt the team itself had been particularly helpful. One player revealed that the club helped them stay in housing until the end of the year. Another said they were promised that the club would follow CBA rules by the book. 

The club itself has insisted that player welfare was ‘high priority.’ It also pointed out to GOAL that they have made extra efforts to help out the players on both short and long-term contracts. Bradford held conversations with each player after the announcement, asking them where they hoped to play next, and helped energize talks over their future clubs with both agents and other franchises. Those efforts have continued, and the club is optimistic that its former players will find new homes. 

They also provided individual resource guides for each squad member, tailored to their specific needs, which were then disseminated at the time of the announcement.

“Guided by the USL’s collective bargaining agreement, the cub met all requirements and went further by providing additional support for healthcare, housing, and individualized assistance during the transition. We also extended similar offerings to those not under guaranteed contracts for 2026,” a spokesperson said. The same spokesperson also highlighted the fact that ‘several’ players have already penned new deals at other clubs next season.

However, for all of the progress made with some players joining new clubs, there are still several who have no options for 2026. And the reality is some might not have the opportunity to play at the same level – at the right team – again.

The true, real life, human impact of losing a job has been exposed here. And while North Carolina unfortunately aren’t the first to fold – and might not be the last – but the fallout goes far beyond someone having to look elsewhere to kick a football. 

In the end, it’s the human cost that lingers long after the club is gone.