MLS expansion clubs New York City FC and Orlando City SC, along with the Houston Dynamo, will be featured in the 12th annual Carolina Challenge Cup, the event’s first edition in partnership with MLS.
The three teams, along with host club Charleston Battery of USL PRO, will play six matches at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C. from Feb. 21-28, and feature some of the league’s newest stars in Orlando’s Kaká and NYCFC’s Frank Lampard and David Villa.
“This is a fresh and very exciting field this year, with probably the biggest names from world soccer that we've ever brought to Charleston,” Mike Anhaeuser, Battery general manager and head coach, said in a statement. “Kaka, Lampard, David Villa. Those are world-class players. And that's not to mention the [US] national team players from the World Cup: [DaMarcus] Beasley, [Brad] Davis, maybe some more by the time the tournament starts. It's very exciting for the Battery as a club and for the community.”
The 2015 tournament will also mark a new level of cooperation between the Charleston Battery and MLS. Carolina Challenge Cup pioneered the format of a lower-division club hosting multiple MLS teams when the tournament debuted in 2004.
Battery President Andrew Bell welcomed the league's involvement.
“I think it clearly raises the profile of the Carolina Challenge Cup,” he said. “We've been doing this for 11 years now and have been part of the growth of the sport of soccer in the US. Major League Soccer is an incredibly successful league and brand, and to be a part of it even in a small way is fantastic.”
The tournament will also bear the distinction of hosting the first meeting between the two MLS expansion teams.
“The competition should be outstanding as we’ll face a number of established MLS teams, our fellow league newcomers NYCFC and former USL PRO rivals Charleston Battery,” said Orlando head coach Adrian Heath, who has guided the former USL PRO side since 2011.
Said NYCFC sporting director Claudio Reyna: “The opportunity to play in the Carolina Challenge Cup was one that we didn’t want to pass up. It’s a fantastic tournament and Charleston is a great city for us to spend time in during preseason.”
