HUNTSVILLE, AL (MAY 7, 2026) - Carolina Core FC came up short on the road against Huntsville City FC, falling 3-0 to the Alabama side.
The match opened with both sides trading chances in a balanced first half. The Core found success attacking down the left wing through Jair Caiza, while goalkeeper Nick Holliday kept the game level early with two quality saves.
However, Huntsville managed to break the deadlock in the 28th minute when Maximus Ekk found the back of the net. CCFC responded with a sustained period of pressure before the break but were unable to find an equalizer.
The Core began the second half on the front foot, creating the majority of the scoring opportunities as David Diaz and Tim Zeegers both tested the Huntsville defense. The momentum shifted in the 57th minute, however, when Nolan Evers was shown a second yellow card.
Despite a resilient effort from CCFC, Huntsville capitalized on the man advantage with a 79th-minute strike and a stoppage-time goal off a free-kick rebound.
The Core now turn their attention back home as they return to Truist Point Stadium next Saturday, May 16 at 6 p.m. ET to host Chicago Fire FC II.
MATCH DETAILS
Date: May 7, 2026
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro
Venue: Joe Davis Stadium | Huntsville, AL
Kickoff: 8.00 p.m. ET
Weather: 67 degrees, Cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY
FT: 0-3
HNT: Maximus Ekk - 28'
HNT: Klaus Sullivan - 79'
HNT: Moises Velix Rodriguez - 90' + 3'
LINEUPS
CCFC: Nick Holliday; Nelson Martinez (87' Khalid Balogun), Santiago Yepes, Nolan Evers (C), Jair Caiza; Tim Zeegers (77' Alenga Charles), Mohamed Diakite, Robinson Aguirre (62' Ricardo Montenegro); David Diaz (76' Dyllan John), Arnaud Tattevin, Thomas Raimbault (62' Anthony Sumo Jr.)
Substitutes not used: Trevor Jackson, Corey Lundeen, Dominique Colon, Nathan Brown
Huntsville City FC: Will Mackay; Malachi Molina, Nigel Prince, Leo Christiano (C), Julian Gaines (46' Kessy Coulibaly); Light Eke (62' Xavier Aguilar), Nicholas Parino, Moises Veliz Rodriguez, Misei Yoshizawa (80' Angel Iniguez); Maximus Ekk (62' Klaus Sullivan), Jayvin Van Deventer (85' Joshua Swanzy)
Substitutes not used: Abdel Talabi, Liam Devan, Fabian Reynolds, Ammar Delic,
STATS SUMMARY
CCFC / HNT
Shots: 7 / 15
Shots on Goal: 3 / 9
Saves: 3 / 6
Corners: 9 / 2
Possession: 47% / 53%
Fouls: 16 / 12
Yellow Cards: 2 / 0
Red Cards: 1 / 0
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CCFC: 23' - Nolan Evers (Yellow)
CCFC: 32' - Mohamed Diakite (Yellow)
CCFC: 57' - Nolan Evers (Red, Second Yellow)
