For Crown Legacy and Carolina Core, Postseason Hopes Hang on Tonight's Match
Crown Legacy FC hosts Carolina Core FC tonight at 7:00 PM ET at the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex at Matthews for a match critical to the MLS NEXT Pro playoff hopes of both teams.
The playoff equation for the two MLS NEXT Pro teams from North Carolina is pretty simple: Carolina Core FC controls their playoff destiny, while Crown Legacy FC could use a little luck in addition to some wins.
The two teams will meet for the third time this season at 7:00 PM at the Sportsplex in Matthews, N.C.
The Foxes (6-9-8, 30 points, -2 GD) enter the match in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings, with a game in hand over the Legacy (6-10-8, 29 points, -6 GD). With five matches left to play, the Core can guarantee themselves a playoff spot with five wins, including tonight’s match. They are only three points below the playoff line, with a superior goal differential to current 8th place side Orlando City B, who the Core will host in High Point for their final home match of the season on September 27.
Core Adds to Attack with Antonio Pineda
To help the playoff push, Carolina Core recently added forward Antonio Pineda, fresh off his NPSL Championship-winning season with Hickory FC.
“Antonio is a good addition to our squad, bringing a sharp instinct for finding the back of the net and pace to help stretch opposing defenses,” said Carolina Core FC Head Coach Donovan Ricketts in a statement. “He’s the kind of player who can add a different dimension to our game.”
During his time in Hickory, NC, Pineda was named the Select 2025 NPSL Golden Ball along with the Capelli Sport 2025 NPSL Conference MVP title for the Southeast Conference, scoring seven goals in regular season play after an undefeated regular season campaign en route to an NPSL Championship victory, which included two decisive goals from the forward.
When Soccer Sheet spoke with Pineda last week, he was ready for the Piedmont Derby.
“It's gonna be a battle. We're both in a position that we can make playoffs, and winning this game for either side is huge,” said Pineda. “[A win] helps your chances to make the playoffs even more, and it's a rivalry … It's not gonna be an easy match, but I think we're up for it, they're gonna be up for it, and [with the Core] coming off a win last week, I think it's huge for us. So it's gonna help us to keep progressing and keep pushing to make that run.”
Healthy Crown Legacy Hopes Win will Jumpstart Turnaround
The playoff picture for Crown Legacy FC is more complicated. They almost certainly need to win out (or come close) to make the playoffs, and they need teams like the Core, Orlando, Chattanooga FC, and Atlanta United 2 to falter — a prospect complicated by the number of games remaining between the teams and the fact that MLS NEXT Pro matches always award a total of three points due to the bonus points earned in shootouts.
Since winning the Eastern Conference in 2023, the team’s first year, Charlotte FC’s second team has been a victim of their own success. Breakout star Patrick Agyemang moved to the first team before moving to English Championship side Derby County. Idan Toklomati, who was never intended to be a longterm option for the Legacy, is now filling Agyemang’s shoes as Charlotte FC’s first-option striker.
Additionally, former Legacy players like Andrew Privett, Brandon Cambridge, Nick Scardina, Baye Coulibaly, and Tyger Smalls have mostly moved on to play for Charlotte FC. Developing talent is the point of a second team, of course, but the talent vacuum - and an unexpected coaching change - led to the Legacy missing the playoffs in their second year.
In 2025, injuries have also held back the Legacy. Goalkeeper Chituru Odunze was out until August with a thigh injury. 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Best XI honoree Aron John and his fellow Youth USMNT teammate Nimfasha Berchimas were also sidelined due to injuries. The importance of Berchimas, who has also been called up to Charlotte FC, was on full display on August 22 when he scored Crown Legacy FC’s first-ever hat trick in a 6-0 win over Inter Miami CF II.
The Piedmont Derby Returns
Tonight’s match will be the third and final matchup between the Core and the Legacy in 2025, and the sixth all-time meeting between the squads. The Core own the all-time series with two wins, two shootout wins, and only one loss. The Legacy have never beat the Core at home, nor have they ever won a shootout against the Foxes; the Core’s only competitive loss at the Sportsplex was to the USL League One Charlotte Independence in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup earlier this year.
The match can be streamed on MLS Season Pass, but do yourself a favor and try and watch the match in person at the Sportsplex at 7:00 PM tonight.