The third season of Charlotte FC is expected to include a new player base, coach, and style.
With a new coach, a new play style, multiple new midfield players, and even new clothes, Charlotte FC kicks off its third MLS season on Saturday night. The team will attack more, the coach swears, playing a free-flowing style with strong defense.
And there’s reason for optimism, as Charlotte FC has accumulated a 3-0-3 record in a run of exhibition games. In fact, the last four games saw no goals allowed by the Queen City team. Following Charlotte’s second-season success, which included a wild-card round trip to the MLS playoffs, the team hired Premier League coaching veteran Dean Smith to succeed Christian Lattanzio as coach.
What is new, and what should we anticipate from Charlotte FC when they play NYCFC at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.?
New coach, fresh look.
With a name like Dean Smith, how can one possibly go wrong in North Carolina? Dean Smith was a soccer coach who worked for English teams including Norwich City, Brentford, Leicester City, and Aston Villa.
Smith, 51, has stated unequivocally that this season’s Charlotte FC will adopt a new look. The Queen City group concentrated on formations and a system under Lattanzio. Smith predicted that Charlotte would attack the goal and move a little more freely.
Attackers like Patrick Agyemang and Enzo Copetti, he claimed, had been ordered to surge forward. Smith remarked, “I need them to be running in behind (defenders) a lot more.” “Instead of running across large spaces, I need them to be running toward the goal.”
The wings produced a large portion of Charlotte’s offensive last season. This time, though, things might be different. Smith’s work has so far received appreciation from players. Copetti stated, “There have been a lot of changes.” “And this team has a positive mindset. “Smith “has had a big impact,” according to Agyemang. He went on, “We are really looking forward to this season.”
Some roster modifications
Since the previous campaign, three important players have left the team: Kamil Jozwiak, a talented striker, and Karol Swiderski, the team’s top scorer. Guzman Corujo, the defender, was the third player to leave.Jozwiak and Swiderski desired to play in Europe. Jozwiak signed with Granada of Spain, while Swiderski joined with Hellas Verona of Italy.
Instead of making big off-season acquisitions, Charlotte FC promoted two talented players from the Crown Legacy FC squad: attacker Iuri Tavares and midfielder Nikola Petkovic.
They also acquired Djibril Diani, a 26-year-old left-footed midfielder who competed in the French professional league’s second division with Caen the previous year. They also recruited 34-year-old Junior Irso, a seasoned midfielder, on Wednesday. Irso, also known as the Bear, spent two and a half seasons with Orlando City of the Major League Soccer, tallying 12 goals and 10 assists.
“He knows what it takes to win in this league, beyond his skill on the field,” stated Charlotte FC general manager Zoran Krneta. “Many of our younger players will benefit from his excellent locker room presence.”
Charlotte FC obviously made a lot of midfield additions. That suggests that Krneta and Smith believe attackers with the assistance of midfielders, such as Copetti and Agyemang, can score goals.
the fresh, youthful looks
A few of those younger players are now receiving promotions. Crown Legacy FC won the MLS Next Pro League last season, handily placing first. In 12 games last year, Petkovic, 20, finished with three goals and four assists. With 12 goals in the previous season, Tavares, 22, topped Crown Legacy FC.
Petkovic remarked, “I’ve been waiting for this opportunity.” “I liked that they informed me what they needed from me. I’m eager for this season to begin.
New kits, too
This season, Charlotte FC will wear new uniforms that have a color palette that would have appealed to basketball great Dean Smith. For soccer fans, the uniforms are called “kits” because of their base color, which is blue. These are called “Carolina Kits: Explore,” and they feature the mountains, Piedmont, and coast of the Carolinas in three different blue tones.
First, experts anticipate that Columbus, the current East champion, will win the MLS Cup again, while Seattle will prevail in the West. For fans of Charlotte FC, the news isn’t exactly great. Experts agree that the Queen City club will finish in the middle of the pack this season, having finished ninth out of 15 East teams in the previous year.
J. Sam Jones stated on the MLS website that Charlotte “doesn’t seem to have a roster that can go blow for blow in the vaunted Eastern Conference.” Only Austin FC and Toronto FC were placed higher than Charlotte FC, which came in at number 27 out of 29 teams.
Broadway Sports’ Ben Wright stated that Charlotte FC’s lineup includes some “intriguing” talents and that “Smith should raise the floor.” However, he continued, the Queen City team will “need to hope for a home run summer transfer window and survive the first half of the year.”
The superior level
This year, Bank of America Stadium’s top deck will once again be open for a few games by Charlotte FC, which has been among the MLS attendance leaders in its two seasons. Tickets for the upper deck start at $15, which is significantly less than those for the lower bowl.
The four games on the top deck are scheduled for Saturday, May 11 against Nashville FC; July 3 against Inter Miami (perhaps including Lionel Messi); and October 5 (home finale) versus CF Montreal.