October 19, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Charlotte FC News Release
As the saying goes… time flies when you’re having fun.
Charlotte FC’s initial announcement all the way back in December of 2019 seems like an eternity ago, but already the inaugural season has come to an end. It passed in the blink of an eye but has left us with special moments that will forever stay imprinted in our memories.
Instead of lumping everything that happened this season together, I approached this through what I see as the three main pillars that make up the foundation of a professional soccer club: On-Field Performance, Youth System, and Fan Culture.
Each one of these categories is loaded with sub-categories but all are vital to a Club’s overall success, and for an expansion side they are developed from scratch. Zero, zilch, zip, nada, nothing. This is an enormous challenge that many have failed right out of the gates but one that Charlotte FC exceeded expectations in across the board.
As someone who has dedicated his life to Major League Soccer, and seen many expansion sides join the league, here are my thoughts on why the Queen City’s inaugural season was a resounding success despite some hiccups along the way.
On-Field Performance
Just like for any MLS expansion team, there were several question marks heading into the inaugural season. The now famous “we’re screwed” comment from previous head coach Miguel Ramírez dampened expectations of the team. Several moves fell apart and it was noticeably clear that for one reason or the other the roster was not complete.
MLS analysts were quick to predict that the biggest accomplishment in Charlotte’s inaugural season would be winning the Wooden Spoon. A lot of the initial enthusiasm on how the team would perform on the field turned to concern. Expectations dropped to an all-time low.
However, to the surprise of everyone but the players, Charlotte were much more formidable on the pitch than pundits anticipated. Early on they showed that this was a group that shouldn’t be taken lightly and that could compete against anyone. Not only did they compete, they did so by staying true to the style of football the Club had stated they wanted to play long before the 2022 season.
“This is what makes me proud,” said Head Coach Christian Lattanzio. “That our team – and for an expansion team it is not a given – to be able to go on every pitch home and away and to be in control and to try and play the way that suits us.”
Despite Charlotte…
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