I know what you are looking for. Where is the breakdown of all the stats and nuggets showing how great of a season Charlotte FC had. I get it. It’s nice to see the numbers, but I’d rather share something ‘For The Perspective’.
There are rare times when someone joins the organization, and it just feels so right. Yes, there are good hires. Yes, there are cultural fits. Yes, there are (insert whatever other cliche you want to throw out there). But not often in the sports world can you say, yes, that ‘feels so right’.
Enter Dean Smith.
I’m writing this as the Director of Content for Charlotte FC. Some might say that has some bias. I say I have been working in and around this league since 2013. Even further back, I was a 12-year-old kid sitting in the ‘rustic’ seats of RFK Stadium, watching one of the greatest MLS matches ever, the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals. Shoutout to Nick Rimando. I know this league. I get this league. I have an unhealthy obsession with it. There’s your bias.
You don’t see this often. It’s rare. It’s happened in MLS, but it's still rare. Dean Smith has brought life to this team in so many ways. And that energy has bled throughout the entire club. 'Culture' is an obnoxious term that gets tossed around with little to no meaning. But I am going to use it because there isn’t a better way to describe the changing tides in the halls of Atrium Health Performance Park.
This club has been ambitious from day one. There is no doubt about that. We have set records, defied odds, and rallied a city together behind a common crest. But it’s always felt like there was that one last piece of the puzzle to bring the entire vision together—a defining stamp on the ‘culture’ from business to pitch.
Dean Smith brought with him the terms 'Attitude, Application, Teamwork' during preseason. Something that we made very fan-facing. It set a tone for what to expect from the team. Aligning fans' expectations of what product they want to see with what we wanted to deliver. But even prior to that, Dean made his presence felt on day one in the office. Here’s a little story…
We were preparing for Dean’s arrival at the facility—his first day on the job, in the middle of December. We planned to follow him from the moment he arrived to sign the infamous ‘very official contract,’ to our studio, and to visit the technical staff halls. Everything needed to feel professional. We were building a new appearance; we had a Premier League manager entering our world. And being so caught up in that, I made the decision, with others (I can’t be the only one to blame or take credit, depending on your POV), to do the most Grinch thing I could think of… run around the office and take down all the holiday inflatables. Hide them all. Literally, all of them.
That’s right. I was so caught up in the moment of Dean Smith, first impressions, and presenting the right narrative to our fans that we TOOK DOWN JOY in our office. The inflatables were up to spread some cheer. If you watch any of our content, you know we like to have fun here. And that’s both organic and intentional. It’s a 'culture' the business side has built from day one.
Now, this is where it hit home for me—that things were going to be different this year. Dean Smith, after walking through the office, was so overwhelmingly nice, inviting, and caring to everyone he met. After talking to every single person in the room, making jokes, asking about Sir Minty, etc., etc. (just watch the video), he then asked, “Where are all the inflatables?!"
Well, would you look at that… Eric. Overthinking the moment. Here is this Premier League experienced coach, on day one, already recognizing that he has a job to do, and it is not just win matches; it’s be a steward of 'culture' with everyone. I never would have expected that but I had never been so happy to see it. And that's one of the many reasons he was hired.
For me, that spoke volumes. And you saw it time and time again over the course of the season: a coach ready to push for excellence on and off the pitch. He says all the right things, at all the right times, constantly aligning to our club's voice. He is a dream to work with. Just go back and watch his moments with Caroline Love, and you will see it.
So it’s no surprise that the Club has performed on and off the pitch this season. We can sit here and break down all the tactics, the acquisitions, the changes, the clean sheets, blah, blah, blah. But nothing sums it up more for me than the 'culture' Dean has started to build. This is just the beginning. The standard we expect for our Club is here.
Dean might just be the last piece of the puzzle. Does this mean we are talking MLS Cup? Maybe. "Who would doubt us" right?
But for now, here are those stats and nuggets about Charlotte FC's record season you were looking for. You earned it if you made it this far...
2024 Season Accolades:
- Most Points
- Most Home Points
- Most Away Points
- Most Clean Sheets
- Most Wins
- Most Goals
- Least Goals Allowed
- Best Goal Differential
- Most Wine Given to Players
And I’m sorry, Dean. The inflatables will stay up this year.
