Charlotte Eagles

Charlotte Eagles

Full name	Charlotte Eagles Soccer Club
Nickname(s)	The Eagles
Founded	1991
Stadium	Charlotte Christian School Charlotte, North Carolina (Capacity: 4,000)
Owner	Pat Stewart
Head Coach	Mark Steffens
League	USL Pro
2011	Regular Season: 8th American Division: 5th, Playoffs: DNQ
Website	Club home page
Home colors Away colors
Current season

Previous Eagles Logo 1993-2007

Charlotte Eagles is an American professional soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1991, the team plays in the American Division of the new USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.

The team plays most of its home games at the stadium on the campus of Charlotte Christian School, where they have played since 2008, but has played larger friendlies at the 4,000-seat Irwin Belk Track and Field Center/Transamerica Field on the campus of UNC Charlotte. It is expected that the club will move to play its home games at the 6,000-seat Matthews Sportsplex upon its completion. The team's colors are orange, white and black. Their current head coach is Mark Steffens.

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 club's local rivals include the Carolina Railhawks and Charleston Battery of the USL First Division, the Wilmington Hammerheads (with whom they compete in the North Carolina Derby) and the Richmond Kickers of the Second Division; the fans of the Northern Virginia Royals also maintain a rivalry with Charlotte, despite them playing a division lower.

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

Colors and badge

Stadiums

• Patten Stadium (at Charlotte Latin School); Charlotte, North Carolina (1998-1999)
• Irwin Belk Track and Field Center/Transamerica Field (at UNC Charlotte); Charlotte, North Carolina (2000-2002)
• Stadium at E. E. Waddell High School; Charlotte, North Carolina (2003-2007)
• Panthers Stadium (at Providence High School); Charlotte, North Carolina (2003) 5 games
• Restart Field (at Charlotte Christian School); Charlotte, North Carolina (2008-present)
• Eagle Field (at Winthrop University); Rock Hill, South Carolina (2011) 1 game

Club culture

Broadcasting

Players and staff

Current roster

As of June 2, 2011.^[2]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 0 GK Corbin Waller 2 DF Cheyne Roberts 3 DF Mark Bloom 4 DF Brady Bryant 5 MF Joseph Connor 6 MF Greg Dalby 7 FW Chris Salvaggione 8 MF Diego Martins 9 FW Sallieu Bundu (on loan from Carolina) 10 MF Jorge Herrera 11 MF Luke Williams

No. Position Player 12 MF Juan Guzman 13 FW Gibson Bardsley 14 MF Alan Sanchez 15 DF Walter Moore (on loan from Caledonia AIA) 18 MF Ben Page 19 MF Miguel Ferrer 21 MF Darren Toby 22 GK Patrick Mitrovich 23 DF Chad Smith 24 GK Eric Reed 29 MF Josh Rife (captain)

Staff

• Pat Stewart - President
• Tom Engstrom - General Manager
• Mark Steffens - Head Coach
• Patrick Daka - Assistant Coach
• Kevin Sephton - Assistant Coach
• Steve Shak - Assistant Coach
• Ryan Souders - Goalkeeper Coach
• Allan Courtright - Director of Operations

Notable former players

• See also: All-time Charlotte Eagles roster

• Nelson Akwari
• Desmond Armstrong
• Jeff Bilyk
• Jeff Duback
• Chris McClellan
• Darío Muchotrigo
• Caleb Norkus
• Steve Shak
• Dustin Swinehart

Head coaches

• Brian Davidson (1993-1996)
• Mark Steffens (1997-present)

Achievements

• USISL Pro League
  • South Atlantic Division Champions (1): 1996

• USL D-3 Pro League
  • Champions (1): 2000
  • Atlantic Division Champions (1): 1999

• USL Pro Soccer League
  • Southern Division Champions (1): 2004

• USL Second Division
  • Champions (1): 2005
  • Regular Season Champions (1): 2008

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			2nd Round

Average Attendance

• 2010: 911

References

1. ^ Tradition & Excellence: A Look Back
2. ^ http://uslpro.uslsoccer.com/teams/2011/22311.html#ROSTER

External links

• Official Website
• Official Twitter page
• Official Facebook Fan Page

Preceded by Western Mass Pioneers	USL Second Division Champion 2000	Succeeded by Utah Blitzz
Preceded by Raleigh Capital Express	Southern Derby Winner 2001	Succeeded by Atlanta Silverbacks
Preceded by Utah Blitzz	USL Second Division Champion 2005	Succeeded by Richmond Kickers