Soccer has found its own niche in Beaufort County, especially in recent years. Washington’s boys’ soccer team has become one of the most dominant 2-A clubs on this side of the state. The Lady Pack has a tradition of success, too.

Southside is also building quite the group at the 1-A level. The Seahawks haven’t been able to get over the hump come the playoff, but they’re getting closer and closer to becoming contenders each year.

Here in Beaufort County, soccer has been growing in popularity from high school all the way down to the youth level. It seems to be picking up steam across the state, too, as North Carolina is making a push for a Major League Soccer team.

Cary’s Carolina RailHawks recently rebranded. They changed their name to North Carolina FC, and announced intentions to jump up a tier to the MLS and create a women’s soccer team in the NWSL — all within the next year and a half.

North Carolina is a prime spot for an MLS expansion team to land. This side of the nation is generally jam packed with teams in every professional sport, but there’s a lot of empty land between D.C. Untied and Atlanta United FC. The area has shown its support of the sport and the now-former RailHawks. The team drew a club-record 5,058 fans on average in 2016, and broke attendance records when 10,125 spectators saw the RailHawks battle to a 2-2 draw with West Ham United of the English Premier League.

That support is one of the most important factors in earning an expansion bid. Charlotte is another area where soccer has gained traction. The city got a United Soccer League club — the third tier of American soccer — in 2014. In addition to the two-year old Charlotte Independence, the Queen City has been a hotbed for big-time soccer matches.

Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers, has housed NCAA men’s soccer championships, international friendlies, CONCACAF Gold Cup matches and the International Champions Cup. The 2016 International Champions Cup match between FC Bayern Munich and F.C. Internazionale drew 53,629 fans.

It comes at a price, though. As part of the rebranding and campaign to jump to the MLS, NCFC owner Steve Malik said that a new 24,000-seat stadium is in the works, and the MLS franchising fee could approach $200 million, according to IndyWeek.com.

Malik, a Kinston native, said he and investors are prepared to finance those privately, but will seek public investment in infrastructure and parking. Malik has shown in his brief time at the helm that he’s willing to do what it takes to take the team to the next level.

A top-tier professional soccer team in North Carolina — especially as close as Cary — could mean a lot to Beaufort County and eastern North Carolina as a whole. Professional organizations oftentimes sponsor camps and open youth academies. The Sacramento Republic in the USL, which is also building a case to make the jump to the MLS, has a youth academy of its own. It’s one of the organization’s more attractive features.

Those all give eastern North Carolina’s high school soccer players more opportunities to hone their craft and build a résumé as they aspire for a professional career.

Soccer is becoming more and more popular in Beaufort County. A nearby professional team would increase that popularity exponentially, and would be nothing but good news for local players.