The USA vs. Paraguay friendly being held in Cary on March 27 is a huge opportunity for the sport of soccer in the Triangle. Being able to host the US Men’s National Team will provide exposure for the sport across the entire state, and it will also provide the Triangle with a chance to show the rest of the country that it can provide a great atmosphere for a big soccer match.

Except, this isn’t a big soccer match. It’s a mostly useless friendly.

Thanks to the failure of the USMNT to qualify for this summer’s World Cup, we have a long time before there is a competitive game for the US to prepare for. This would not matter as much if we were bringing in a World Cup powerhouse for a tune up game, but we aren’t doing that either. We are facing Paraguay, and other than a few MLS players (like Atlanta United star Miguel Almiron) they will not be bringing in a lot of star power. It is impossible to predict whether the USMNT will show any interest in fielding a strong XI themselves. I’d personally love to see Christian Pulisic on the field, but at a crucial point in the club season, I am not sure it’ll happen.

This is terrible news for North Carolina FC, and here’s why: In the lead up to the last round of expansion announcements, Nashville (who was granted a team) got the chance to host a USNMT match. In the opening game of the 2017 Gold Cup, Nashville brought 47,000+ fans to a game between the USMNT and Panama and provided a great atmosphere. It’s no accident that Nashville passed their audition with flying colors and were granted an MLS team soon thereafter.

The Triangle has now been granted an audition, but instead of the ideal conditions Nashville had, we are being asked to provide a high level of excitement for a team and occasion that doesn’t really deserve it.

An example of the problem can be seen in the city of Houston. When the USMNT played against Canada in a friendly in 2013, less than 12,000 people showed up at the game in the Houston Dynamo’s 22,000 seat stadium as the crowd saw the Americans field a weak lineup in a 0–0 draw.

Fast forward a few years: The same city gets to host the USMNT vs. Argentina and a certain famous diminutive forward of theirs in the 2016 Copa Sudamerica. 70,000 people packed out Reliant Stadium. The city of Houston wasn’t at fault for the fact that they were given a ho hum occasion in 2013, and they proved themselves when they got the chance three years later.

Fortunately, Sahlen’s Stadium only holds 10,000 people, and I’m confident even at high prices we can sell the place out. But with MLS hopes for NCFC still up in the air, I wish we were getting the chance to put our best foot forward in a competitive match at Carter Finley Stadium with 57,000 screaming fans under the lights instead of an unglamorous friendly in a smaller venue.

I believe in the soccer culture of the Triangle, it’s great to see the USMNT coming to the state, and you already know “I believe that we will win.” I hope and expect that our fans will do the nation and our local club proud. I just wish we had the chance to show more on a bigger stage.