GREENSBORO — When soccer season kicks off later in the spring at Macpherson Stadium in Browns Summit, the primary tenant will take the field with a new name and look.

The team formerly known as the Carolina Dynamo is now the North Carolina Fusion U23, and the Lady Dynamo, which plays in the Women's Premier Soccer League, will go by N.C. Fusion U23 WPSL.

“It’s something we’ve been working toward for quite a few years,” said Scott Zapko, general manager of the Fusion. “The timing was perfect with the Fusion having just merged Greensboro and Winston-Salem, so for us it was a natural progression.”

The rebrands and ties to the larger youth soccer organization puts the U23 clubs in position to interact directly with more than 6,000 families in the Triad. The move also grows the staff involved with the clubs.

“Sometimes names, logos and experiences become a little stale,” said Zapko, who led the rebrand after 26 years with the Dynamo nickname. “People will see more resources dumped into the club and a better product on the field overall.”

The name change and acceptance into the North Carolina Fusion organization will also help the USL League Two and WPSL teams cultivate players from a young age, something that has been done for years overseas.