They're Back! - Eagles Return to South Charlotte/Matthews
Will Play 2008 Season At Charlotte Christian
The Charlotte Eagles are bringing professional soccer and women's elite soccer back to the South Charlotte/Matthews area, and will play their 2008 seasons at the campus of Charlotte Christian School.
.jpg) | Charlotte Christian School Information: Charlotte Christian School, Christ-centered, college preparatory school for junior kindergarten through twelfth grade. Founded in 1950, the school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The school is located on 55 wooded acres in southeast Charlotte. In 2006, a new synthetic field and drainage system was installed. The rubberized texture has allowed for less slipping and sliding and seems to have aided in less injuries for student-athletes. |
The official announcement that was made today confirms many rumors about the franchise's future plans. The Eagles will use this opportunity to re-establish their long awaited presence in the South Charlotte area and the Town of Matthews as they target a permanent move into the highly anticipated Matthews Sportsplex.
"The Eagles are excited to be back playing league games in the South Charlotte/Matthews area," stated Eagles GM Tom Engstrom. Engstrom continued to discuss the facility at Charlotte Christian. "One of the factors for moving to Charlotte Christian is the width of the field. The wider field will enable us to play a better brand of attacking soccer. The fans will enjoy the great atmosphere at Charlotte Christian's stadium. We thank the Charlotte Christian administration for partnering with the Eagles."
With Charlotte Christian's intimate atmosphere and large field turf surface, fans can be sure to expect an open, fast-paced game that will provide entertainment to all that attend. The close proximity of the campus to locations such as SouthPark, the Arboretum, and downtown Matthews will also provide fans easy access and plenty of options before and after games.
The Eagles were clear today that this move was a calculated strategic plan for the future. The franchise will continue to support Mecklenburg County and the Town of Matthews' plans for the development of a 12 field complex with the 13th field being a championship field stadium facility. Phase 1 plans could begin as early as this fall, with the remaining phases to be put in place once funding is completed. Plans for the complex can be viewed on the Town of Matthews website under "Current Projects" at www.matthewsnc.com.
Today's announcement also began the Eagles new marketing and community campaign dubbed "Your Team, Our Game". The desire is to provide the community as much accessibility as possible to the players and organization. This plan will include many new partnerships, player appearances, and outreach programs. "We believe it is our mission and duty to provide professional athletes who are true role models with a product that is exciting, entertaining and inspiring," conveyed Nathan Krum of the Eagles. "This team will not be made of just professional athletes. Every business and individual will have a chance to be a part of a team that will make a true impact by serving our community through the world's greatest game."
The 2008 season will also include the return of popular events and programs. The Eagles will continue their award winning reading program "Goals on Wings" with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools as they extend the program from 3 schools last year to 9 schools this spring. Events such as the popular Kick for the Cure Night will also return with a special celebrity game played between the Lady Eagles and Eagles games on June 14th.
Charlotte will open its regular season at UNC Charlotte's TransAmerica Field on Saturday, April 19th against Bermuda. The Eagles will then open up their 2008 season at Charlotte Christian on Friday, April 25th against the Richmond Kickers. Charlotte will look to avenge its 2007 USL-2 Semi-Final loss to Richmond that kept the Eagles out of the USL-2 Championship for the first time since 2003. The Eagles will also see some new faces in the league as Real Maryland begins its expansion season in the USL-2, and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds return to the league after a 1-year hiatus.
The 2008 Lady Eagles will begin their 9th season in the USL's W-League against expansion franchise West Virginia before opening at Charlotte Christian against the Carolina Dynamo Women on May 16th. The event on May 16th will also be the first home doubleheader of 2008 as the Eagles will face the defending USL-2 Champion Harrisburg City Islanders following the Lady Eagles match.
See beloy the Eagles complete 2008 USL-2 schedule and the Lady Eagles W-League Schedules.
CHARLOTTE EAGLES 2008 USL-2 Schedule
| Sat | Apr 19 | 7:00 PM | Bermuda Hogges | at | Charlotte Eagles |
| Fri | Apr 25 | 7:00 PM | Richmond Kickers | at | Charlotte Eagles |
| Sat | May 3 | 7:30 PM | Charlotte Eagles | at | Wilmington Hammerheads |
| Sat | May 10 | 7:05 PM | Charlotte Eagles | at | Harrisburg City Islanders |
| Fri | May 16 | 8:00 PM | Harrisburg City Islanders | at | Charlotte Eagles |
| Sat | May 24 | 7:00 PM | Charlotte Eagles | at | Richmond Kickers |
| Sat | May 31 | 7:00 PM | Charlotte Eagles | at | Crystal Palace Baltimore |
| Tue | Jun 3 | 7:00 PM | Richmond Kickers | at | Charlotte Eagles |
| Fri | Jun 6 | 8:00 PM | Richmond Kickers | at | Charlotte Eagles |
| Sat | Jun 14 | 8:00 PM | Western Mass Pioneers | at | Charlotte Eagles |
| Sat | Jun 21 | 7:30 PM | Charlotte Eagles | at | Real Maryland Monarchs |
| Fri | Jun 27 | 7:30 PM | Charlotte Eagles | at | Western Mass Pioneers |
| Sat | Jun 28 | 6:00 PM | Charlotte Eagles | at | Bermuda Hogges |
| Sat | Jul 5 | 7:00 PM | Wilmington Hammerheads | at | Charlotte Eagles |
| Sat | Jul 12 | 7:30 PM | Charlotte Eagles | at | Wilmington Hammerheads |
| Sat | Jul 19 | 7:00 PM | Real Maryland Monarchs | at | Charlotte Eagles |
| Sat | Jul 26 | 7:00 PM | Crystal Palace Baltimore | at | Charlotte Eagles |
| Fri | Aug 1 | 7:05 PM | Charlotte Eagles | at | Pittsburgh Riverhounds |
| Sat | Aug 2 | 7:00 PM | Charlotte Eagles | at | Cleveland City Stars |
| Fri | Aug 8 | 7:00 PM | Cleveland City Stars | at | Charlotte Eagles |
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