North Carolina FC U23

History

The Raleigh CASL Elite entered USL League Two, then called the Premier Development League, in 2002, operated by the Capital Area Soccer League. They finished second in the Mid-Atlantic Division with an 11–7–0 record and made the playoffs, defeating Vermont Voltage 1–0 in the Conference Semi-finals before losing to Cape Cod Crusaders in the Eastern Conference final. In the US Open Cup, they beat Carolina Dynamo 5–2 in the first round and fell 3–0 to Richmond Kickers in the second. In 2003, Raleigh Elite placed third in the Mid Atlantic Division with an 8–8–2 record; Chris Norbet scored seven goals, and John Izzo had three assists. The team finished fourth in 2004 with a 7–9–2 record. In 2005, they lost only four games and placed third in the Mid Atlantic Division, one point behind Carolina Dynamo; Aaron King scored ten goals, and Spencer Wadsworth had eight assists. Before the 2006 season, the CASL organization ended its involvement, and Next Level Academy took over, renaming the team Raleigh Elite. That year they won four games; Willy Guadarrama scored nine goals, and Guadarrama and Michael Harrington each had four assists. In March 2007, Next Level Academy partnered with the Carolina RailHawks, making the RailHawks the parent club, and the team was renamed the Cary RailHawks U23s. That season they did not win until the fourth game; Schilawski and Sassano were top scorers with four and five goals, and Joe Germanese contributed four assists.