The Eagles were formed in 1993 and joined USL along with the neighboring Charleston Battery. The team is owned and operated by Missionary Athletes International, a non-denominational, non-profit Christian ministry that uses soccer as a missionary tool around the world. While the franchise has made some news off the field with its ministry efforts, most of the headlines can be credited to the Eagles' success on the field. In the last five D3 Pro League seasons, Charlotte reached the semifinals four times and finally won the title in 2000. A league championship record crowd of 5,350 fans turned out in Charlotte for the final. The following season, the club moved up to the A-League and found success, posting a 14-10-2 mark in its first season at the new level. The club reached the postseason in 2001 and 2002. Charlotte was honored as the A-League Organization of the Year in 2001 and General Manager Tom Engstrom was honored as D3 Pro League Executive of the Year in 2000. At the time the club joined USL, it was led by Brian Davidson, who was the East Coast Director of MAI and the team's first Head Coach.