Charlotte FC honors the Carolinas’ first professional soccer team

CHARLOTTE — A special ceremony was held Wednesday for the Carolina Lightnin’, the first soccer team to play in the Carolinas, before Charlotte FC’s match against DC United.

The Carolina Lightnin’ had its inaugural season in 1981 in the American Soccer League, where they played in the championship against New York United.

After trailing one-nil, the team scored a tying goal to push the match into extra time, ultimately winning the championship with a decisive set piece.

The lads in Lightnin' yellow 👑 pic.twitter.com/gcgSO9lyXG
— Charlotte FC (@CharlotteFC) July 16, 2025

“On the winning goal, you had a corner kick... A header redirected by David, and then it just hit me in the head and went in,” recalled Hugh O’Neill, a former player for the Carolina Lightnin’. David Pierce, another member of the 1981 championship team, described the moment as “pandemonium” and “redemption.”

David Pierce and Hugh O’Neill, both former players of the Carolina Lightnin’, attended the ceremony as part of their many reunions more than 40 years later.

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The kit worn by David Pierce and Hugh O’Neill during the ceremony is now an alternate kit for Charlotte FC, connecting the legacy of the Carolina Lightnin’ with the current soccer scene in Charlotte.

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