Debut of Tepper Sports’ Crown Legacy FC in Matthews a hot ticket

CHARLOTTE — On an overcast Sunday afternoon that later turned sunny, Crown Legacy FC took the field at the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews, marking MLS Next Pro’s debut in North Carolina.

Crown Legacy is a sister team to Charlotte FC; both are owned by Tepper Sports & Entertainment.

Huntsville City FC, an affiliate of Nashville SC, won by a 4-3 margin on penalty kicks after the teams finished regulation tied at 2-2, a fitting conclusion because MLS Next Pro, as a feeder league to big brother Major League Soccer, is a testing lab for different rules, including (let the heavens sing) no ties. Sorry, make that no draws, in soccer — OK, OK, football — parlance.

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Think of MLS Next Pro as the U.S. soccer version of Triple A baseball. The junior league played its first season last year with 21 teams.

This weekend, MLS Next Pro started its second season with a total of 28 clubs: seven new teams, including Charlotte and Huntsville, and the departure of Rochester, an independent club, due to financial problems.

Like minor league baseball, MLS Next Pro aims to develop players for the top level while offering fans a lower-priced, scaled-down version of its more affluent sibling. On Sunday, signs pointed to a promising start: 1,300 fans showed up at the 5,000-capacity Sportsplex main stadium despite rain and thunder in the area through much of the pregame hours. A team spokesman said 3,000 tickets were sold.

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