Wilmington Hammerheads was an American professional soccer team based in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1996, the team played in the USL Second Division (USL-2), the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team ceased operations after the 2009 season.[1]
The team played its home games at Legion Stadium, where they had played since 2003. The team's colors were sky blue and white. Their final head coach was Englishman David Irving.
History
The Hammerheads had one championship under their belt from 2003 and were a finalist in 2002, losing to the Long Island Rough Riders 2-1. Wilmington had found great success in the US Open Cup in their later years regularly drawing MLS teams in the late rounds. Their most famous result occurred in 2003 when they drew the Dallas Burn, an MLS team, in the middle of a particularly bad year. They shocked the soccer world by defeating the Burn 4-1 at Legion Sports Complex before bowing out to DC United 1-0 in the quarterfinal round. The Hammerheads regularly drew well over 2,000 fans per game, and had drawn nearly 5,000 for playoff games. On June 30, 2009, the Hammerheads upset the Chicago Fire in the third round of the 2009 US Open Cup 1-0 at home.
Players
Final roster
Notable former players
Year-by-year
| Year |
Division |
League |
Reg. Season |
Playoffs |
Open Cup |
| 1996 |
3 |
USISL Pro League |
3rd, South Atlantic |
Semifinals |
Did not qualify |
| 1997 |
3 |
USISL D-3 Pro League |
5th, South Atlantic |
Did not qualify |
Did not qualify |
| 1998 |
3 |
USISL D-3 Pro League |
6th, Atlantic |
Division Semifinals |
Did not qualify |
| 1999 |
3 |
USL D-3 Pro League |
2nd, Atlantic |
Conference Finals |
2nd Round |
| 2000 |
3 |
USL D-3 Pro League |
2nd, Southern |
Conference Quarterfinals |
2nd Round |
| 2001 |
3 |
USL D-3 Pro League |
1st, Southern |
Conference Finals |
Did not qualify |
| 2002 |
3 |
USL D-3 Pro League |
1st, Southern |
Final |
Did not qualify |
| 2003 |
3 |
USL Pro Select League |
2nd, Southern |
Champion |
Quarterfinals |
| 2004 |
3 |
USL Pro Soccer League |
2nd, Southern |
Quarterfinals |
3rd Round |
| 2005 |
3 |
USL Second Division |
4th |
Semifinals |
3rd Round |
| 2006 |
3 |
USL Second Division |
8th |
Did not qualify |
4th Round |
| 2007 |
3 |
USL Second Division |
7th |
Did not qualify |
Did not qualify |
| 2008 |
3 |
USL Second Division |
7th |
Did not qualify |
Did not qualify |
| 2009 |
3 |
USL Second Division |
1st |
Playoff Semifinals |
Quarterfinals |
Honors
- USL Second Division Regular Season Champions 2009
- USL Pro Select League Champions 2003
- USL D-3 Pro League Southern Division Champions 2002
- USL D-3 Pro League Southern Division Champions 2001
Head coaches
Stadia
References
External links
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Chuck Sullivan
David Irving
John O'Hara
Junior Zarate
