New name. New look. New league (maybe). New home (eventually) – and along with that, a hope of being part of MLS' future expansion plans. It was a big day for the former Carolina RailHawks.

The club rebranded to North Carolina FC on Tuesday, with owner Stephen Malik also announcing plans for a 24,000-seat stadium and a goal of getting the club – now in the North American Soccer League, but currently weighing a move to the United Soccer League – into MLS within the next 18 months.

“All along I intended to bring us to the highest level,” he said.

"We are pursuing an aggressive campaign for an MLS franchise" - @stephenmalik pic.twitter.com/11mXezYKvd — North Carolina FC (@NorthCarolinaFC) December 6, 2016

The team currently competes in Cary, North Carolina, but the News Observer reported on Tuesday that Malik is considering eight possible sites for the stadium.