2016 schedule is out for Wilmington Hammerheads
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The 2016 regular season schedule is out for the Wilmington Hammerheads. Our local professional soccer team will open the season on the road against Orlando in late March. The first home game for Wilmington will be Friday, April 1 against Richmond at Legion Stadium.
Click here to see the complete 2016 Wilmington schedule.
WILMINGTON, NC (HAMMERHEADS) — Wilmington Hammerheads FC announced their 2016, 20th anniversary regular season schedule this afternoon which will showcase 15 home and 15 road games that will be played from March 26 – September 23.
After months of planning the USL unveiled the schedule which will feature six new teams bringing the total to 29 teams overall. The alignment features 14 teams in the Eastern Conference and 15 teams in the Western Conference.
“We are all extremely excited for the new season and having the official schedule out gets us closer to opening day,” said General Manager Jason Arnold. “We think the league has done a great job with the schedule and it will provide our fans with a lot of opportunity to see great soccer and to support our hometown club.”
The home opener for the Hammerheads will be on Friday, April 1 at 7 p.m. when the team will face the Richmond Kickers in a rematch of last season’s opener. The Hammerheads will look to start off the season strong with a win after tying the Kickers last year.
Some other highlights of the season include three matches each with Southern Derby opponents Charleston Battery and Charlotte Eagles. The Hammerheads will play the Battery twice at home and once on the road and will face the Eagles once at home and twice on the road.
The Hammerheads will try to establish some patriotic pride over our neighbors from across the border with a home game against Toronto FC on Fourth of July weekend. The game will also include a fireworks show at Legion Stadium.
Finally, the season will come to a close right where it began, with a home game against the Richmond Kickers on Friday, September 23 at 7 p.m.
“Now that the schedule has been released we can prepare our team for each opponent,” said Head Coach Mark Briggs. “We are excited to start the season and this is a big year for us as it’s our 20th anniversary and we want to make it a special season for the fans.”
For more information regarding Wilmington Hammerheads FC, please contact (910)777-2111 or visit www.wilmingtonhammerheads.com.
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TAMPA, FL (USL) – The United Soccer League today announced the league’s 2016 Regular Season Schedule, with the 435-game slate set to kick off on March 25 with an action-packed opening weekend of the season.
The opening weekend of the season will see 13 contests across the United States and Canada. Newcomer Bethlehem Steel FC will visit FC Montreal in the opening game of the season on Friday, March 25, with a big Western Conference clash between 2015 USL Playoff sides Seattle Sounders FC 2 and Sacramento Republic FC set to round out the East-West Doubleheader.
Four more expansion sides will be in action on opening weekend, as the Swope Park Rangers welcome the Portland Timbers 2 to Children’s Mercy Park for their inaugural home opener, and Orlando City B hosts Wilmington Hammerheads FC at the Titan Soccer Complex in the club’s return to the league.
FC Cincinnati’s inaugural season in the USL will kick off on the road as it visits the Charleston Battery in what’s certain to be a must-see contest between the old guard and the new in the Eastern Conference, while Rio Grande Valley FC will visit Tulsa Roughnecks FC at ONEOK Field as it makes its league debut.
Other highlights of the opening weekend’s schedule sees a rematch of the 2015 USL Playoffs’ Western Conference Semifinal between OKC Energy FC and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, which should produce another pulsating contest at Taft Stadium. The historic rivalry between the Richmond Kickers and Harrisburg City Islanders will also be renewed at City Stadium, while Arizona United SC will visit the LA Galaxy II in what will be a keenly-contested clash between the west-coast rivals.
Defending USL Champions the Rochester Rhinos will get their title defense underway in Week 2 of the season, as they visit the Pittsburgh Riverhounds at Highmark Stadium for a big rivalry clash. Meanwhile, San Antonio will take to the field for the first time when it visits Seattle Sounders FC on April 3 at Starfire Stadium.
The 2016 USL Regular Season will be staged over 27 weeks, with the final day of the season set for September 25. The top eight teams from the Eastern Conference and Western Conference will then advance to the 2016 USL Playoffs, with four weeks of postseason action set to crown the league’s next champion.
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