CARY, N.C. – USL Championship side North Carolina FC announced on Tuesday that that the club will host a historic doubleheader as it welcomes Liga MX club Necaxa as part of the Friendship Cup at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday, March 23.  

The event will kick off at 1 p.m. ET as the defending NWSL Champion North Carolina Courage face fellow NWSL side Orlando Pride for a preseason match. NCFC will then square off with Necaxa for an international exhibition at 3:30 p.m. ET.

“We are thrilled to provide another marquee event for our fans,” said North Carolina Football Club President and General Manager, Curt Johnson.

One of Mexico’s historic clubs, Necaxa’s roster features several Mexican internationals including goalkeeper Hugo Gonzalez and forwards Eduardo Herrera (on loan from Glasgow Rangers) and Angel Sepulveda, who have combined 15 caps with El Tri. They’ll measure up against NCFC, now led by former U.S. Men’s National Team Manager Dave Sarachan, with Austin da Luz, Steven Miller and Ben Speas set to lead the way for the hosts.

“We often talk about playing teams that will challenge us in different ways and a team like Necaxa certainly will be a great test for our group,” said Sarachan. “It's not often that we would have the opportunity to test ourselves in a match like this during our season and we'll look forward to the challenge of facing a talented and experienced team like Necaxa.”

Under the leadership of veteran Mexican manager Guillermo Vazquez, Necaxa currently sits in fifth place in the Liga MX standings.

The team has won three Liga MX titles, four Copa Mexico trophies, as well as two CONCACAF Champions League trophies. The club also participated in the 2000 FIFA Club World Cup tournament, finishing in third place.

The doubleheader presented by the Hilton Garden Inn Durham Southpoint will be named the “Friendship Cup” to represent North Carolina Football Club’s commitment to building deeper ties to the best men’s and women’s professional soccer clubs in the world.

In the first game, 2018 NWSL Champions Sam Mewis, McCall Zerboni, Crystal Dunn and the rest of the Courage team will face an Orlando Pride with a roster that includes powerful names such as Alex Morgan, U.S. Women’s National Team Co-Captain and Marta, six-time FIFA Player of the Year.

Previously, matches between the Courage and the Pride saw a high number of scores. The Courage scored 10 goals against Orlando within their three meetings during the most recent season.

“This is an exciting opportunity for us to showcase the passion for professional soccer in the Triangle to the world,” added Johnson. “These two matches continue our club’s tradition of providing our fans with some of the best of the best in worldwide soccer.”

NCFC season ticket members will have the opportunity to purchase doubleheader tickets during an exclusive 48-hour pre-sale window starting on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. through Friday, Feb. 22 at 10 a.m.

For non-season-ticket-members, tickets for these games can be purchased by buying a “Friendship Ticket Pack,” which gives buyers three games for one low price. Friendship Pack buyers will receive a ticket to both doubleheader games (Courage-Orlando game and NCFC-Necaxa game) plus the choice of either the NCFC home opener on March 9 or the Courage home opener on April 13.

Friendship Packs will go on sale to the general public this coming Friday, Feb. 22 at 10 a.m.

Any ticket holder for this doubleheader will also receive exclusive access to a special Necaxa closed practice and Necaxa player autograph session the day before the match (specific time TBD).