May 15, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
Charlotte FC News Release
Charlotte FC has started a critical month of May with back-to-back shutout victories at home.
Now, CLTFC faces a quick turnaround to a midweek away match in Chicago where the team has seen good success at Soldier Field in the past. A win on Wednesday would be the first away victory of 2024 for Dean Smith’s team to keep pushing Charlotte FC up the table.
Match: Charlotte FC vs Chicago Fire FC
When: Wednesday, May 15
Where: Soldier Field
Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. ET
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV – How to Watch & Listen
Listen: WFNZ 92.7 FM (English) & WOLS 106.1 FM (Spanish)
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Previous Matches:
Charlotte FC 1 – 0 Nashville SC (Major League Soccer | May 11)
Chicago Fire FC 1 – 3 St. Louis City SC (Major League Soccer | May 11)
Eastern Conference Table: For the full live table, click here.
5. New York City FC – 17 points, 12 GP
6. Charlotte FC – 17 points, 12 GP
7. D.C. United – 17 points, 12 GP
8. Columbus Crew – 15 points, 11 GP
9. Philadelphia Union – 14 points, 11 GP
———- Playoff Line ———-
…
14. Chicago Fire FC – 10 points, 12 GP
Away Match Mentality Shift
Since arriving in Charlotte this winter, Head Coach Dean Smith has fielded plenty of questions on the differences between soccer in the United States and football in England, where he had spent the entirety of his career until now between the Championship and Premier League.
One that comes up often in press conferences is away travel, where Charlotte FC is still searching for their first win in 2024. In Major League Soccer, there has always been a narrative about it being more difficult to earn points away from home here than elsewhere in the world. The numbers back up this narrative, as our writer Caleb Adams found that MLS teams earn 0.1-0.2 PPG less away from home compared to Europe’s top five leagues last season.
Related:
Home Advantage: Charlotte FC’s Critical Month Ahead
Various theories abound on the why behind this increased home advantage, including the length of air travel across a country with multiple time zones and vastly different home surfaces (turf vs artificial turf, wide fields vs baseball outfields, etc.).
However, Dean Smith simply does not agree with the narrative.
“I believe some people before they even leave have accepted that it’s going to be tougher,” he said at Thursday’s press conference. “And the only reason it’s tougher is because that’s in your…
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