Pro sports return to Raleigh, without fans, as NCFC hosts Birmingham Legion FC

For the first time since March, professional sports will return to the Triangle Saturday as North Carolina FC takes on Birmingham Legion FC. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at WakeMed Soccer Park.

“We love our field, so we’re really happy to get out there,” midfielder Dre Fortune said. “We’re looking for three points.”

While there won’t be fans at the game, coach Dave Sarachan said there’s still a home-field advantage. He likened the field at WakeMed to “an immaculate carpet of grass” and said it could rival “any field in any league in the country.”

NCFC played its first game since the coronavirus pandemic temporarily shut down sports on the road July 17 against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, finishing the game in a 2-2 draw. Fortune netted the team’s first goal of the season — the team was scoreless against Louisville City FC on March 7 — and a header by Robert Kristo tied the game.

“[Fortune’s] threatening when he goes to goal,” Sarachan said. “He’s got strength and power and technique to do well within this team and be a guy that can help us in possession, but also be dangerous in the final third.”

Both were second half goals. The Rowdies scored early, in the 7th and 22nd minutes, leaving NCFC in the hole at halftime.

“We went at halftime [and] felt like we weren’t really being ourselves,” Fortune said. “So we went back out and tried to play more to our strengths, and I think we did that quite well and showed that we’re a resilient team that’s always gonna fight until the end.”

Sarachan said he felt the team was timid, lacking confidence and urgency in the first half of the game against the Rowdies, though it was somewhat expected due to the break in the season.

“We were rusty,” Sarachan said. “We weren’t sharp.”

Goalkeeper Alex Tambakis compared Birmingham and Tampa’s playing styles. The Legion also tied its game against the Rowdies 1-1 on July 25. Prior to that, Birmingham beat Memphis 901 FC 3-0 and Charleston Battery 2-1.

“They counter attack a lot, so we have to be careful and we have to keep the ball, play our game,” Tambakis said. “If we move the ball well and play like we did in Tampa the second half, I think we’re gonna win.”

Sarachan had his own thoughts about Birmingham’s style.

“They’ve had a good restart to the season so they’re coming in with confidence,” he said. “I think their system and our system are somewhat similar. We try to keep the ball on the ground and they try to keep the ball on the ground, and they are pretty good on the counter attack. They have some speed up top and wide so we have to be aware of that.”

NCFC has decided to hold its games without fans — at least for the time being — even though USL rules don’t prohibit spectators. Sarachan said he thinks involving fans right now can be a “tricky scenario.”

“I think our club is taking the right steps early on by not having fans and allowing some more data and information to play into it before we decide to do that,” he said. “So I’d be a little critical there, but all in all I think safety and health has still been handled in a way that it’s a high priority, as it should be.”

The game will be broadcast on WRAL-2 and ESPN+.

This story was originally published July 31, 2020 at 3:05 PM.