City: Cary, NC

Category: Spectator Sports

Telephone: (919) 859-5425

Address: 101 Soccer Park Dr.

Description: In 2007, more than 6,000 people watched the birth of Cary’s first professional sports team when the Railhawks debuted at WakeMed Soccer Park. The team gave a huge boost to the Triangle and Cary. Christened for a fictitious bird, the Railhawks’ name hints at the town’s birth as a depot on a regional rail line. Soon after the team’s start, it won the Southern Derby Cup and on the last day of the season, earned its way into the USL First Division playoffs. In the 2009 season, the team announced it would form and seek sanctioning for the new North American Soccer League starting play in 2010, along with teams in Atlanta, Miami, St. Louis, Minnesota, Montreal, and Vancouver.