CARY, N.C. (Jan. 3, 2020) – One of the USL Championship’s top goalkeepers over the past two years, Alex Tambakis has signed a new contract to return to North Carolina FC for the 2020 season, the club announced Friday. The transaction is pending league and federation approval, and no further details were disclosed, per club policy.



Since joining NCFC in 2018, the Greek goalkeeper has recorded 15 clean sheets, the third-most in team history, and is coming off a 2019 campaign that included eight shutouts and a 75.21 save percentage, the highest among the top ten goalkeepers in saves in the USL Championship.



“One of our top priorities was to secure Alex for another season with us,” NCFC head coach Dave Sarachan said. “I strongly believe he’s as good as any goalkeeper in the USL Championship. He was a mainstay for us, making important saves and continuing to grow as a player. When you get a guy like Alex in goal for you, it’s a great starting point as we continue to grow our roster.”



In 2019, Tambakis’ second year with the club, he made 91 saves during the USL Championship regular season and no goalkeeper who faced 120-plus shots on target saved a higher percentage than Tambakis. As a result, Tambakis made the USL Championship’s Opta Second XI Team and was named NCFC's Most Valuable Player, as voted on by his teammates.



One year removed from four USL Championship Save of the Month nods in 2018, Tambakis recorded a league-high five SOTM wins in 2019, as he strengthened his reputation as one of the league’s most exciting shot-stoppers. With Tambakis starting in the majority of matches, NCFC recorded its best defensive record (1.09 goals allowed per match) since 2011, and the Greek goalkeeper recorded five-plus saves on nine occasions.



Before arriving to Cary in 2018, the Athens, Greece, native previously played for Atlanta United in Major League Soccer and the Charleston Battery, as well as Niki Volos and Panathinaikos of the Super League in Greece.



Tambakis joins Steven Miller, Ben Speas, Nazmi Albadawi, Sam Brotherton, Alex Comsia, Caleb Duvernay, Robert Kristo, Graham Smith, Conor Donovan, Pecka and Hadji Barry on the list of players confirmed for the 2020 season, as the club continues to negotiate with additional players.



Season tickets for North Carolina FC’s 2020 season are on sale now. Click here to learn more about season tickets or call the Coastal Credit Union Box Office at 919-459-8144 to speak with a ticket representative.