After a long Fall season, North Carolina FC made the NASL playoffs on October 22nd after the New York Cosmos and Jacksonville Armada drew 4–4. Then, after coming back to draw Indy Eleven 2–2 in the final minutes, NCFC clinched the #3 seed and will face the San Francisco Deltas in the first round of the NASL Championship Bracket.

The Dead Whales finished the NASL Fall season with 24 points. Part of that came from playing great on the road and getting the job done when they had to. During the Spring season, NCFC was only able to get eight points on the road: They earned 15 points on the road in the Fall.

The once-infamous “Roadhawks” were able to get 23 points in total on the road in 2017 which is the best performance in team history.

So, no “Clarke Out” then?

At several points throughout the 2017 season, there were talks of #ClarkeOut, a movement to replace the head coach. Those calls came from fans frustrated with the team giving up wins and settling for draws. June was a terrible month for the team, and after finishing 5th in the Spring season, the year looked like it was over.

But the team made some improvements and brought in some depth to help out, and other players stepped up. The biggest addition was Renan Gorne, on loan from Brazilian Série A side Botafogo. Gorne has been an immediate success at the club and has scored six goals in 12 games played.

Key takeaways from 2017

Defense

Defense. Defense. Defense. The Boys in Blue finished 5th in the Spring because they couldn’t score, but they couldn’t stop the opposition from scoring either. The team allowed 22 goals and only only had two clean sheets. NCFC turned that around in the Fall, only allowing 15 goals and recording five clean sheets. They also only had four games where they allowed two or more goals, whereas in the spring they had eight.

Draws

Draws instead of losses. No, a draw isn't the best outcome, but it’s better than a loss. The team recorded seven losses in the Spring and only two in the Fall. Five wins, two losses, and nine draws a playoff team makes.

The Future

North Carolina FC made some good signings and brought in youth to the lineups. The club brought in 18-year-old Nelson Blanco from DC United’s academy, a regular on United’s U16–18 squads. 23-year-old Macklin Robinson has gotten a good amount of playing time under superstar Brian Sylvestre. Robinson has played five times this season (once in the USOC against the Charlotte Independence) and has only only allowed three goals. There’s lots of talent at the PDL side NCFC U23 as well. The future is bright… no matter what league it’s in.

What’s Next

On Sunday, North Carolina FC travels to San Francisco to face the Deltas in the NASL Playoff semi-finals. The game starts at 8pm, and given the likelihood (nay, certainty) that the Deltas are folding at the end of the year, this will be the last time the two teams face each other.

So far, SFD has NCFC’s number, winning twice, and drawing twice in four meetings. But NCFC is trending upwards: We lost 3–1 in April, 2–1 in May, and tied 1–1 in both August and October. A one-goal win on Sunday night seems the likely progression.

The winner will face the winner of Miami FC and NY Cosmos in the Championship final. If NCFC beats SFD, and the Cosmos beat Miami, Wakemed Soccer Park will host the historic match.