The Carolina Challenge Cup is back after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a return to the small sided tournament, the Columbus Crew is set to take the reigns as “Kings of the Cup.” Both Columbus & D.C. United have four titles respectively.
This will see three MLS sides take on the home team Charleston Battery with games slated to take place February 12-19 at Patriots Point.
The Columbus Crew, who are four-time winners of the tournament, will go against the likes of the Battery as well as fellow MLS counterparts Inter Miami CF and newly minted expansion side Charlotte FC.
When asked about the mentality of the tournament, Head Coach Caleb Porter stated, “We’re looking at this as a tournament.” Given that the Black & Gold have won the tournament before and are seeking to defend their CCC title (last title came in 2019), the Crew are looking to kick off the final phase of preseason on the right foot.
“We want to win,” said captain Jonathan Mensah, “But our main focus is building a bond with the team,” he went on to say.
The CCC is being played over a span of four match days, with a winner being decided on points and/or tiebreakers.
Carolina Challenge Cup kicks off
The four-team tournament will kickoff Saturday February 12 at 1pm, putting the Crew against Eastern Conference side Inter Miami CF. The homeside Charleston Battery will battle Charlotte FC, in what will be the Queen City’s first tournament game in franchise history.
Matchday two sees the Black & Gold be put against Charlotte at 5pm, while Inter Miami and the Battery round out the night at 8pm.
On matchday three, the two Black & Gold teams in the Battery and Crew are slated to be the only matchup with kickoff at 8pm.
Finally, Inter Miami and Charlotte will round out the tournament ending on February 19. Kickoff is 7:30pm.
Crew fans can catch all the action on the Club’s official site this weekend.
