There has always been a strong connection between NC State soccer and North Carolina FC, dating back to when the club was known as the RailHawks, and the upcoming USL Championship season is no exception.
With four players — Nazmi Albadawi, Conor Donovan, Caleb Duvernay and Manny Perez — currently on the NCFC roster having played college soccer at State, a strong contingent of Pack Pros helps make up the core of NCFC’s current squad.
“It’s awesome,” Albadawi said. “It’s the most Wolfpack guys we’ve ever had. We always have a couple of Wake Forest guys, or UNC or Duke, but it’s awesome having Conor Donovan, Caleb Duvernay and now Manny Perez, all very good players that deserve to be here.”
The most senior of the four, Albadawi is already a club legend and fan favorite. After making his return from FC Cincinnati halfway through last season, the midfielder became the club’s all-time assist leader and has been around for some of the most exciting moments in its history.
“My wife is also from here, also an NC State grad as well, but we were so happy to come back home,” Albadawi said. “We love the city of Cincinnati, but it is different with your own family and being around all your friends. It was a tough situation there … and so as soon as we got the opportunity to come back, my wife and I were ecstatic.”
During his rookie season, Albadawi started for the RailHawks in their third win over the LA Galaxy in as many seasons. That game saw the likes of USMNT legend Landon Donovan and Ireland and Premier League legend Robbie Keane come to Raleigh for a U.S. Open Cup match.
“We had a very, very, very strong team,” Albadawi said. “That was one of the most fun years I’ve had as a pro, just because it was my rookie year, and you don’t really have any expectations; you’re just out there playing for fun, just happy to be out there. That was definitely a very memorable game for me.”
As Albadawi has grown from a great college player into an exciting rookie and now a seasoned pro, the Raleigh native has had the opportunity to go around the world playing the game he loves while representing his grandparents’ home country, Palestine.
“It’s probably the coolest thing I’ve done in my career, seeing what it means to the people over there, the Palestinian citizens,” Albadawi said. “It means the world to them. They’re going through a whole lot. Seeing what they go through and seeing what a lot of my teammates go through really inspires me to be better and to see how grateful I am for everything I’ve been given growing up here.”
This season, Albadawi is set to be the club’s captain, as announced by head coach Dave Sarachan at the team’s annual media luncheon.
“I grew up supporting this club,” Albadawi said. “I used to come to the games when I was younger and watch the games. Even when I was at State over the summer, when I had the opportunity to, I trained with the first team. I’m very invested in the club, and it’s an honor to be named captain.”
Donovan and Duvernay both arrived at NC State as freshmen in 2014, but the duo’s relationship goes back before NC State, as the two played on youth teams together.
“We were actually roommates, too, which made it even better,” Donovan said. “We walked to class together and everything, so we have that off-field relationship. The on-field relationship also grew even more. As freshmen, having that familiarity with each other was massive.”
From there, the pair’s careers diverged, as Donovan was selected 22nd overall in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft by Orlando City SC. His career was derailed by an injury just 10 minutes into his MLS debut, when he tore his ACL. Donovan moved around between Orlando’s B team and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, both on loan from Orlando, before settling in Edinburg, Texas with Rio Grande Valley FC, where he played in 2018 and 2019 before signing with his hometown club, the NCFC, this offseason.
“Obviously the injury was terrible,” Donovan said. “The medical staff I worked with at Orlando, and then I also ended up working with Rob Murphy at NC State, who did an amazing job for about two months with me and even longer still to help me get back. From a physical standpoint, it was a long journey … I’ve grown a lot and I’ve seen a lot of different things, been around a lot of different environments, been around a lot of different teammates and learned a lot of lessons. It’s been a long journey, but [playing for NCFC is] something I’m extremely excited about.”
Duvernay remained at NC State for all four years of his eligibility, playing 67 of a possible 69 games across his college career. After his senior season, where he played alongside Perez in his freshman season, Duvernay was selected in the third round of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft by the Portland Timbers, who did not sign him.
“It was a guaranteed trial, and they just didn’t sign me after that,” Duvernay said. “I took a year, tried out here the following year; I was finishing up school at State while I was doing that. Then they signed me here, and they were able to work with me to finish up my degree, which was really nice.”
In Duvernay and Perez’s lone college season together, 2017, the Wolfpack made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009, and the team has replicated this feat every season since.
“It was [NC State men’s soccer head coach George Kiefer’s] first season there, and he came in telling us that was his goal, for us to make the tournament,” Perez said. “As a player coming in, I wanted to respect that, and I wanted to value that and help the team, and I’m sure the team wanted it as much as the coaches did.
Following his stellar freshman and sophomore seasons, Perez left the Wolfpack to sign for 50-time Scottish League and one-time European champions, Celtic. While he has yet to play for the Hoops, the move to a European club is a dream come true for the 21-year-old.
“I’ve always wanted to play in Europe as my goal as a kid,” Perez said. “To be able to sign with a team in Europe, especially Celtic, is just a dream come true for me, honestly. It was something I was very excited for, and it’s life-changing. It’s brought the most out of me as a professional, and it’s really opened a lot of doors for me as well.”
In their years at NC State, NCFC’s four Pack pros combined to make 156 appearances, and the four of them created many memories both for their teams and the NC State faithful.
When looking back on their time with the Pack, three of the players, Albadawi, Duvernay and Donovan, cited golden goals they scored as their favorite moments.
“I scored against South Carolina to win in overtime, so that was pretty cool,” Donovan said. “It was my first goal, and it was an overtime goal. I think overtime is a pretty cool concept in college soccer, so to score and then just end it like that with 10 seconds left was pretty awesome.”
Albadawi’s overtime game winner against North Carolina on his senior night in November 2013 was his favorite memory, while for Duvernay, a conference matchup saw the defender score a game winner against Boston College, one of just two goals from his time with the Wolfpack.
“We played Boston College, and it was in overtime, 1-1,” Duvernay said. “I scored the winning goal, took off my shirt and ran at the crowd. That was probably my moment.”
All four players still feel a connection to NC State. Whether it’s soccer or any other sport, the guys still keep up with the Wolfpack.
“It’s fun because we can talk about State games,” Albadawi said. “After State beat Duke, we were all coming in very happy.”
The former players have even added a new member to their pack with midfielder Steven Miller, who played at Colgate in his college days, and is now studying for his MBA at NC State.
“We consider him a Wolfpack guy now too,” Albadawi said. “He reps the Wolfpack too as well, so we have a very good contingent here.”
With a squad full of talent from all around the ACC, it should come as no surprise that the rivalries have managed to stay alive. Perez currently rooms with one such rival, Alex Comsia, who played for North Carolina. While Perez has a really close relationship with the former Tar Heel, he won’t let a Wolfpack win over North Carolina go unnoticed.
“I’m always joking around with him, telling him about the 1-0 win that we had,” Perez said in reference to the game the pair attended together in 2019. “We’ve always gone after it when we play each other. I think I played him three times as I was at State. That competitive aspect was always there, and it was fun for me. I’m sure it was fun for him.”
Donovan said it best, describing the Wolfpack soccer program as a “brotherhood.” These four might not have all played at NC State at the same time or for the same coaches, but they have something that brings them together on and off the field: the shared experience of playing in the red and white of NC State.
