The 2004 Carolina Challenge Cup was the first staging of the Carolina Challenge Cup, a preseason soccer tournament co-hosted by USL A-League side, Charleston Battery and USL Pro Soccer League club Wilmington Hammerheads. Held from March 20–March 28, the Cup featured two Major League Soccer clubs, one USL Pro Soccer League club, and one USL A-League club.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | United States |
| Dates | March 20 – March 27 |
| Teams | 4 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Columbus Crew (3rd title) |
| Runners-up | D.C. United |
| Third place | Charleston Battery |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 6 |
| Goals scored | 12 (2 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | 3 players with 2 goals |
Columbus Crew of MLS won the inaugural tournament on goal differential over D.C. United.
Teams edit
Four clubs competed in the tournament:
| Team | League | Appearance |
|---|---|---|
 Charleston Battery (co-hosts) |
A-League | 1st |
| Wilmington Hammerheads (co-hosts) |
USL Pro Soccer League | 1st |
| Columbus Crew |
MLS | 1st |
| D.C. United |
MLS | 1st |
Standings edit
| Team | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Crew | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 7 |
| D.C. United | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 7 |
| Charleston Battery | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 1 |
| Wilmington Hammerheads | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 1 |
Matches edit
| D.C. United | 2 – 1 | Charleston Battery |
|---|---|---|
Adu  56' Convey 83' |
Report | Conway 75' |
| Columbus Crew | 2 – 0 | Wilmington Hammerheads |
|---|---|---|
| Marshall 2' Hejduk 86' |
Report |
| Columbus Crew | 3 – 1 | Charleston Battery |
|---|---|---|
| Paule 17' Hejduk 65' Marshall 69' |
Report | Conway 12' |
| D.C. United | 1 – 0 | Wilmington Hammerheads |
|---|---|---|
| Moreno 13' (pen.) |
Report |
| Wilmington Hammerheads | 1 – 1 | Charleston Battery |
|---|---|---|
| Bagley 60' |
Report | Forward 64' |
| D.C. United | 0 – 0 | Columbus Crew |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Attendance: 4,803
Scorers edit
- 2 goals
- Paul Conway (Charleston Battery)
- Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew)
- Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew)
- 1 goal
- Freddy Adu (D.C. United)
- Chris Bagley (Wilmington Hammerheads)
- Bobby Convey (D.C. United)
- Buddy Forward (Charleston Battery)
- Ross Paule (D.C. United)
- Jaime Moreno (D.C. United)