Spring Soccer Cup
The Spring Cup was established in 2018. Past Champions: Carolina ('18, '19, '22), Georgetown '23, Wake Forest '24
North Carolina, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Duke, NC State, Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pitt and VCU will compete in the Spring Soccer Cup 2025.
Carolina enters the 2025 Spring Soccer Cup with a 15-0-6 record in the event, winning the championship in three of the first five years of the tournament.
Each program will participate in three matches in league play prior to arriving in Winston-Salem for the final event.
March 22: UNC vs VCU (1pm)
March 29: UNC @ UVA (2pm)
April 5: UNC @ NC State (11am)
April 13: UNC @ TBA
At the end of the three league matches, the finals matches will be determined with the 10 programs being seeded. Shuffling amongst the seeds can be done if a repeat opponent is scheduled.
Sam Williams Academic All-AmericaN
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina men's soccer midfielder Sam Williams has been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Second Team, as announced by the organization
All-ACC Academic Team
Six North Carolina men's soccer players have been named to the 2024 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Team.
The six representing the Tar Heels team include Juan Caffaro, Jameson Charles, Tate Johnson, Parker O'Ferral, Bertil Hansen and Sam Williams.
Thomas Tabbed Third Team All-America
Riley Thomas has been named to the United Soccer Coaches All-America list.
Selected as a Third Team All-America honoree, Thomas earned national honors for the first time in his career.
Thomas becomes the 51st All-America selection in program history, the first defender for Carolina since Alex Comsia in 2018 to collect national recognition.
To be named to the All-ACC Academic Team, student-athletes must have at least a 3.0 grade-point average for the fall semester and a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. Additionally, those selected must have competed in at least 50 percent of their team's contests.
Men’s Soccer Trio Named All-Region
Three North Carolina men's soccer players have been named to the United Soccer Coaches All-South Region teams, the organization announced Wednesday.
Riley Thomas (First Team), Martin Vician (Second Team) and Sam Williams (Third Team) earned postseason honors for the Tar Heels.
Men's Soccer Trio Selected In MLS SuperDraft
Three North Carolina men's soccer players were selected in 2025 MLS SuperDraft.
Tate Johnson (15th overall to Vancouver), Charlie Harper (38th overall to Colorado), and Riley Thomas (42nd overall to Austin) heard their names called Friday afternoon.
Whitecaps FC selects Tate Johnson
Vancouver Whitecaps FC selected left back Tate Johnson in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft.
Johnson was selected in the first round with the 15th overall selection. The native of Tampa, Florida played one season at the University of North Carolina, starting 17 matches as a freshman for the Tar Heels while adding one goal and two assists.
Made pro debut as a 16-year-old with Tampa Bay Rowdies in 2022.
Seven appearances and two starts with Rowdies in the USL Championship, and three appearances and one start in the U.S. Open Cup.
10 appearances and five starts in MLS NEXT Pro with Crown Legacy FC in 2023.
Colorado Rapids 2 CHARLIE HARPER MLS NEXT PRO CONTRACT
Colorado Rapids 2 have signed defender Charlie Harper to an MLS NEXT Pro contract for the 2025 season. Harper’s rights were acquired by Colorado in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft, where he was selected 38th overall from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“We are eager to welcome Charlie to the club,” said Brian Crookham, Director of Player Personnel. “We feel he fits the profile of a center back that can defend on the front foot and has the athleticism to allow us to play with a line that helps us in the press. That, combined with his ability on the ball, forms a good foundation for his success in our model.”
Harper, 21, will join the Rapids organization after spending the past three seasons at the University of North Carolina. The defender featured heavily during his sophomore and junior seasons, where he appeared and started in all 40 matches the university played in that span.
In 2023, Harper was one of four Tar Heels to appear and start in all 22 matches and was part of a defensive unit that posted eight shutouts. In his most recent season, Harper also started and appeared in every match, only missing four minutes of play for his side over 18 appearances.
Austin FC selects Riley Thomas in MLS SuperDraft 2025
In the MLS SuperDraft 2025, Austin FC selected defender Riley Thomas in the second round with the 42nd overall pick.
Thomas, who is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, appeared in 86 matches across five (5) seasons at the University of North Carolina (UNC), starting 85 of them. In 2024, he was selected as a United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-American. He was voted to the All-ACC Second Team and named to the All-ACC Academic Team for the third year in a row as a senior. Thomas helped Carolina to be the fifth-best scoring defense in the nation and first in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2023.
Sam Williams Made MLS debut for Chicago Fire
CHICAGO (March 1, 2025) – Chicago Fire FC earned its first point of 2025 in a 2-2 draw against D.C. United Saturday night at Soldier Field.
The match marked the Major League Soccer debut of midfielder Sam Williams. Sam played 84 minutes as a starter.
Sam began his career with the New York Red Bulls Academy, becoming the first Academy graduate to reach 2,000 minutes for New York Red Bulls II during the 2022 USL Championship regular season. The New Jersey native then joined the University of North Carolina Men’s Soccer program and was named to the 2022 All-ACC Freshman and All-ACC Academic Teams.
Coaches, teammates leaning on Homegrown Matt Edwards at fullback
Eighteen months ago, Matt Edwards was enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a Tar Heel for the men’s soccer team, he was matching up against attackers from Clemson, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech.
On March 1st he debuts for Atlanta United in front of 51,002 fans on the road against Charlotte FC.
North Carolina FC Signs Ahmad AL-Qaq
North Carolina FC has signed midfielder Ahmad Al-Qaq to a one-year contract through the 2025 USL Championship season with an additional one-year option.
Al-Qaq made 47 appearances with the Tar Heels across five seasons, scoring six goals and tallying five assists. Al-Qaq appeared as a trialist for NCFC in the team's 1-0 preseason friendly win over Charlotte FC.
"Ahmad has had a bright preseason trial with our group. He's shown his versatility in a few different roles and I'm excited for him to have earned his first professional contract," said North Carolina FC Head Coach and Sporting Director John Bradford.
Meet the newest Tar heels
Alan Rutkowski
Alan Rutkowski is a freshman goalkeeper for the Red Bull Academy since 2022.
Alan made his professional debut on October 1 against Phoenix Rising which made him the youngest starting goalkeeper in Red Bull II history at 15 years and 341 days old.
In the 2023 and 2024 seasons Alan played within the MLS Next Pro starting 15 games throughout both seasons making 31 saves and having a 64.6% save percentage in his 2024 season!
Dylan Kropp
Dylan is a junior defender from Xavier University. He is originally from Columbus Ohio and went to high school at Olentangy Liberty.
Dylans awards and accolades from his time at Xavier consist of:
2022-23, 2023-24 BIG EAST All-Academic Team
2024 All-BIG EAST Preseason Team Selection
2023 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team
2023 All-BIG EAST Second Team Selection
2022 All-BIG EAST Third Team Selection
2023 TDS Freshman Best XI First Team
Callum Frogson
The defender was born and raised in Nottingham, England. Callum played for professional academies such as Nottingham Forest and Mansfield Town and more recently played for Basford United, who play in the Northern Premier League. During his time with Basford, Callum made history with the club by making it to the third round proper in the FA Youth Cup and facing Premier League team West Bromwich Albion. He also made his first team debut for the club at the age of 17.
Callum is transferring from FAU where he received All-GAC/MIAA First Team and D2CCA All-Central Region First Team selection at defender honors.
Scott Cheevers
Scott is a freshman who has played for Huntsville City Football Club and for the Nashville SC Academy team. The defender is from Nashville, Tennessee and is a former United States Youth National Team player.
On January 25, 2025 Scott made his debut for the U-19 Irish National Team in a friendly game against Dundalk FC, one of the prominent teams in the First League of Ireland.
Immanuel Mathe
Immanuel is a freshman defender from Burnaby, BC, Canada. Immanuel joined the Whitecaps FC MLS Academy in 2021 from Mountain United FC.
Immanuel was called up to the Canada's U-20 squad for a June Camp in La Valera, Chile. He was 16 years old when he made his debut in Canada Soccer’s youth program in 2022.
Daniel Klink
Daniel is a freshman midfielder who played for the Pipeline SC as his club. Daniel is from Townson Maryland and went to Loyola Blakefield School.
Dan was announced The Baltimore Sun All-Metro Player of the Year and a United Soccer Coaches High School All-American selection, he was the Maryland Association of Coaches of Soccer State Player of the Year.
He was also the 2023-2024 Gatorade Player of the Year! This award is presented annually to the top soccer player in Maryland.
Javier Hernandez
Javier is a freshman forward from Riverside, California.
He played for Arlington High School where he was named 2023-2024 Gatorade California Boys Soccer Player of the Year by the Gatorade Player of the Year Program. This award is only presented annually to the top soccer player in the state.
Javier has also played with the Los Angeles FC 2 organization.
Gabriel Colon Appointed Director of Student Athlete and Personal Development
We are thrilled to announce Gabriel Colon has joined our team as the new Director of Student Athlete and Personal Development. Originally from Florida, Gabe brings a wealth of experience from his administrative and coaching roles with esteemed organizations, including Red Bull New York, Orlando City, Florida Rush, Richmond United, and North Carolina FC.
Gabe has guided players and teams in some of the nation’s most competitive leagues, including the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, Major League Soccer (MLS) Next, and the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL). Most recently, he led Richmond United to the 2023 U17 ECNL National Championship and North Carolina FC to the 2024 U13 ECNL National Semi-Final. Gabe was also selected to the United Soccer Coaches '30 Under 30' Class of 2018-19.
Please join us in welcoming Gabe to his new role, and we look forward to the incredible growth and development he will inspire in our student-athletes!
THE CAROLINA SOCCER FOUNDATION KICKOFF CAMPAIGN is an opportunity for an exclusive group of Carolina Men’s Soccer supporters to raise $500,000 over the next two years to protect and connect the program. This group will provide critical, present-day support directly to the Men’s Soccer program. The goal of this close-knit group is to provide annual support that will enhance Carolina’s ability to build and maintain a championship-level program. In the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, this group is more important than ever in providing flexibility to our Men’s Soccer program to meet their growing funding needs.