How will Hickory FC fare in USL League Two?

The Hickory FC semi-professional men’s soccer team really set the bar high during its first two years of existence.

After winning the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) Southeast Conference title and reaching the semifinals of the South Region playoffs in its inaugural season in 2024, Hickory captured another conference championship as well as a regional title while finishing 14-0-1 against NPSL opponents in 2025. Additionally, in last season’s final match, Hickory knocked off top-seeded El Farolito by a 3-2 final in San Francisco to earn a national title.

But now it’s time for the beginning of a new era, as Hickory joined USL (United Soccer League) League Two — which was founded in 1995 and currently consists of 20 different divisions totaling more than 140 clubs across the United States and Canada — in December. The squad already defeated new NPSL member Statesville FC by a 3-2 score in a road friendly on Tuesday, but will open the USL League Two regular season today (Saturday, May 16) at 3:30 p.m. when it faces Asheville City SC at Greenwood Field on the campus of UNC Asheville.

“We’re really excited as a club, as an organization, and myself as a coach on the coaching staff,” Hickory head coach Carlos Rubio said of making the move to USL League Two. “Obviously, it’s a new challenge. We loved our time with NPSL — it was a great league, great level — but now we’re excited to compete against different teams, different competition, and some familiar faces.”

Rubio called Asheville “one of the best teams in the country,” and the initial USL League Two power rankings, which include the top 20 teams regardless of division, certainly back up that assessment. Asheville is ranked fifth, although it did settle for a scoreless tie against Appalachian FC in both teams’ season opener on Wednesday in Boone.

Speaking of Appalachian, it was an NPSL club from 2021-25 and has served as Hickory’s chief rival over the past two seasons, with the rivalry set to continue now that Appalachian is also a member of USL League Two.

In addition to competing for USL League Two supremacy, Western North Carolina foes Hickory, Asheville, and Appalachian will battle each season to determine the winner of the Old North Cup. The trophy will be decided by “cup points,” which count only head-to-head matchups (the three teams will face each other twice apiece, and potential tiebreakers include goal differential and placement in the South Atlantic Division standings).

The South Atlantic Division also includes eight other teams — Wake FC, Charlotte Independence 2, Port City FC, the Charlotte Eagles, North Carolina FC U23, Tobacco Road FC, Salem City FC, and the South Carolina United Bantams — with at least the top two of the 11 squads guaranteed to qualify for the USL League Two playoffs when they start in July.

Like with Asheville and Appalachian, Hickory will also face the Charlotte Eagles and South Carolina United Bantams both at home and on the road. Furthermore, the rest of Hickory’s 15 total regular-season contests will consist of one match apiece against the other six South Atlantic Division teams as well as a home matchup with defending USL League Two national champion Vermont Green FC, which is the top-ranked club in the power rankings, as part of the prestigious Steinbrecher Cup.

“Our goal will remain the same,” said Rubio. “It was the same thing in year one and year two, and that’s focusing on Asheville and winning that game, and then focusing on the next game and winning that one. We obviously want to go far, and you want to get excited about the potential of championships … but that is something that will come after we do the right things right every single day. So, our goals are not gonna change just because we have a national championship in our bag from last year.”

Rubio noted that Hickory has approximately 30 players on its roster, nine of whom are back from last year. One of the returning players is goalkeeper Isai Jimenez, who graduated from Patton High School in 2025.

“In this environment, when you have almost a third of your squad returning and some of them returning for year three, it’s a massive advantage, especially going into the first game of the season so quickly after the guys arrive here in Hickory,” said Rubio. “It’s really important that we have players that know what we look for on the pitch and off the pitch … so they can make sure that the guys that are brand new to the city and brand new to the club can get acclimated as quickly as possible and understand that we don’t just play soccer here, we’re representing a community.”

Hickory is known for its loud and supportive fan base, and with eight home matches at Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Moretz Stadium on the regular-season schedule beginning with one against the Bantams on May 23 at 7 p.m., the team hopes to play in front of large crowds throughout the 2026 campaign.

“I might be biased, but I think we have hands down the best community and the best supporters in the country,” said Rubio. “They’ve been crucial to our growth as a club, and we wouldn’t have been able to achieve what we have achieved if it wasn’t for the support that we get week in, week out from our fans. … Our players love to play for them, we love to coach for them, we’re representing them the best way we can every week, and we cannot wait to be playing in front of them once again. I’m super excited to showcase what we can do for them.”