Football Season Guide

Made it to the MLS playoffs for the first time in the club history after clinching ninth spot, but they were thrashed 5-2 by the New York Red Bulls in the wild-card game. This led to coach Christian Lattanzio’s dismissal, mainly because of the team’s inconsistence throughout the campaign. Charlotte conceded 52 goals, the fourth-worst mark in the Eastern Conference. In the offseason, Charlotte announced the appointment of former Aston Villa boss Dean Smith – a coach with Premier League and Championship experience. Meanwhile, they lost two important starters in Derrick Jones and Karol Świderski, as well as another eight backup players in their bid to rebuild the squad. Yet, Charlotte have been relatively quiet in terms of signings. For the time being, they’ve brought in Ligue 2 midfielder Djibril Diani and David Bingham, but neither of them should be a starter. Following Świderski’s departure, they’ll need to sign a solid Designated Player (DP) forward to strengthen their attack. Their main strength should be their midfield, where they have a solid duo in Brandt Bronico and Ashley Westwood, with Scott Arfield and Diani operating as backups. Meanwhile, a notable weakness lies in their attack, where Świderski departed and Enzo Copetti underwhelmed last season, where he netted just six times in 23 starts.