The Soccer Tournament brings all-stars, actors and another sports boost to local economy

A $1 million prize is on the line this weekend during The Soccer Tournament at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.

The event running from Thursday through Sunday is bringing some of the world’s hottest soccer teams and starts to Cary. It includes Wrexham soccer team, which is owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. A U.S. Women’s team will be coached by Mia Hamm.

Crews had to turn the pitch around quickly after Sunday's NCAA women's lacrosse championship.

“We have five fields going at once,” said Jon Mugar, the CEO and founder of The Soccer Tournament.

Several stars are expected this weekend, including U.S. Women’s National Team legend Heather O’Reilly, former NBA star Steve Nash, Spanish star Cesc Fabregas and social media star Noah Beck.

There will be 32 teams competing in 63 games over four days in the first-of-its kind, winner-take-all tournament.

“It’s going to be an electrifying new format that’s never been done before in soccer,” Mugar said. “All games will end on a goal … There somebody’s going to hit a single shot for $1 million on Sunday.”

The Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA) projects the following estimated economic impact from three consecutive weekends in Cary:

• NCAA Women’s Lacrosse National Championship: $1.6 million
• The Soccer Tournament: $1.7 million
• NCAA Baseball Division II World Series: $1 million

It totals about $4.3 million and 9,000 hotel room nights, according to the GRSA.

“Sports tourism in this market is big business,” said GRSA executive director Scott Dupree. “It’s a major economic engine for the region, and it’s year-round.”

Triangle Sports Commission CEO Hill Carrow discussed upcoming events in North Carolina, including the Division II College Baseball World Series.

“We’re going to be asked to do a lot of test events to get everybody ready, but in one sense, we’ve got some already built in because these events are bringing forward volunteers,” Carrow said. “They’re bringing forward interested spectators.”

The GRSA projects that sporting events will have contributed 150,000 hotel room nights and $99 million in estimated economic impact for the 2022-23 fiscal year that ends on June 30.

“What it means is lower taxes because of the massive influx of visitor dollars coming into the market that are being taxed,” Dupree said.

Games in The Soccer Tournament will be played in two 20-minute halves on a field slightly smaller (65 x 45 yards) than a traditional soccer field. The halftime break is only two minutes long.

“We wanted to prioritize the fields in the first year and make it a place our teams and players would want to come to and then come back to,” Mugar said.

Tickets range from $20-$35 and are still available for Thursday and Saturday evening.

“The community’s already done its part in our ticket sales and attendance is going to far exceed our expectations,” Mugar said.