Nostalgia has more power over sports fans than they would likely admit. Fans will sit around for hours talking about their favorite athletes from years past. On Sunday night, after the Charlotte match, a good portion of the sellout crowd stuck around for a trip down memory lane with FCC. 27 players ranging from the first season in the USL, to the 2018 side that won the regular season championship in the USL; all the way up to players on the first MLS roster were in attendance. A lot of the fan favorites donned the Orange and Blue once again for a 30 minute friendly inside TQL stadium.
The Players were split into two teams and played a 30 minute match, with a five minute break after 15 minutes that was used as half time. The match was a ton of fun and a lot of fan favorite were back on the pitch once again. Djiby Fall, Jimmy McLaughlin, Danny König, Kenny Walker, Matt Bahner, Emmanuel Ledesma and so many more. The match was like stepping into a Time Machine and getting all of the who’s who’s of FCC’s history and having them play a fun 30 minute friendly. The Blue team ended up having a great come from behind victory in the second half. After trialing the White team 2-0, the blue team scored three unanswered, with the last coming with just seconds left on the clock.
The score didn’t matter though. This was about giving those men out on the pitch to play on the grass that was built by their hard work and dedication. Without every single one of those players, what FCC has right now would not have been possible. Seeing Djiby Fall, and Jimmy McLaughlin, Emmanuel Ledesma and Emory Welshman all score in front of the Bailey was an emotional experience. Ledesma had this to say after the match “It was an amazing experience. I enjoyed every single moment of it. Unfortunately we didn’t win, but it’s ok we had so much fun.” As the players took their lap around the pitch you could see in their faces how much this moment meant to them. Plenty of players stuck around to take pictures and sign autographs.
It was a truly incredible night that was much needed after a bitter defeat to Charlotte FC. These players getting the flowers they deserved was enough to make even the most hardened fan emotional.
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