North Carolina FC’s game Saturday against Memphis 901 FC is postponed

The players of North Carolina FC and Memphis 901 FC are postponing their USL Championship match set for Saturday at WakeMed Soccer Park in a stand against “the continuation of system racism.”

Memphis 901’s Twitter account posted a statement Friday, attributed to its players, which read in part: “Due to the suffering and injustices that we continue to see taking place in this country, we felt that this weekend would be best served as a time for reflection and education rather than sport.”

Minutes later, NCFC released its own statement supporting Memphis 901’s decision to postpone, adding that “the Jacob Blake shooting (in Kenosha, Wisconsin) was just one more example of racial injustice affecting our country.” The game will be rescheduled at a later date.

“We support our black players who are pillars of our club and community, as well as the Black Lives Matter movement, and condemn the actions of violence against the black community,” NCFC said in its club statement. “Change is the only solution.”

Ownership and coaches of both teams, as well as the United Soccer League, which governs the USL Championship, wrote they “fully support” the decision. On Saturday morning, Memphis 901 held a march for equality and took a team tour of the National Civil Rights Museum.

North Carolina FC is 2-4-1 this season in seven matches and riding a three-match losing streak. Memphis 901, in eight matches, is 1-4-3. The teams were scheduled to play Saturday at 7 p.m. in Cary.

The teams’ decisions to not play games followed those by players in the NBA, the WNBA, the NHL, MLS and MLB in recent days. Some college football and NFL teams have also not practiced.

NCFC’s statement Friday came about an hour before an hours-long protest against systemic racism and police brutality began in downtown Raleigh. Fourteen people were arrested and charged with violating a 10 p.m. curfew set by Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, according to the Raleigh Police Department.

NCFC players including D.J. Taylor, Graham Smith, Alex Comsia and Nazmi Albadawi tweeted in support of the club’s statement, as did staffers Austin da Luz and Jorge Acuna.

Taylor, a Black man, also said Friday on his Twitter account that he’d joined the new Black Players Alliance of the USL, which strives to “amplify the voices of every Black player both on and off the field” while also providing “the resources necessary to address systemic issues in our sport and our communities.”