Charlotte FC's third season in Major League Soccer is fast approaching, promising an exciting lineup of matches. In addition to the anticipated regular fixtures, the team is gearing up for some historic first-time encounters.
Let's delve into the key matchups that should be on every fan's must-watch list for the upcoming season:
Home Opener against New York City FC
Charlotte FC’s home openers have become must-attend attractions over the last couple of seasons, and for good reason. The anticipation of a brand-new season excites a packed Bank of America Stadium as both teams on the pitch vie for electric starts to their season.
The last two home openers were against LA Galaxy and New England Revolution; this season’s opponent is one that The Crown has had a lot of success against — New York City FC. Charlotte has given the 2021 MLS Cup Champions a tough time in all of their encounters, including handing them two losses out of two matches at Bank of America Stadium.
Charlotte has yet to win a home opener, but if there’s a team that they’ll feel extra confident against, it’s the Pigeons.
First-Time Western Conference Matchups
In Charlotte’s first two seasons, they faced familiar Western sides like the Seattle Sounders, LA Galaxy, and LAFC in both years. This season, Charlotte will face some Western sides they have yet to encounter in any competition — the Portland Timbers and Minnesota United.
They will host Minnesota on April 21st and the Portland Timbers soon after on May 4th. However, CLTFC will travel cross-country before then to face the Vancouver Whitecaps away from home for the very first time on March 2nd. Followed later in the summer, by another first-ever away trip to Q2 Stadium to faceoff against Austin FC on July 20th.
The I-85 Derby
Every time Charlotte FC has faced their rival, Atlanta United, it’s made for a memorable positive or negative experience... depending on who you support. Last season, the two Southern sides split the series with each team earning a win in their opponent’s stadium.
The matchups have also generally come early in the season, but this time around the sides will face each other a little later in the year. First, it’s a trip to Atlanta for the Crown on June 2nd, with the second part of the series hosted in Charlotte on August 31st.
MLS Cup Champions
A matchup against the reigning MLS Cup Champions is always an exciting affair, and one that Charlotte has found a lot of success in. They became the first expansion team to beat the reigning champions in their first two seasons, defeating NYCFC in the first year followed by LAFC in 2023.
This season, they’ll face the reigning MLS Cup Champions, Columbus Crew, twice in what have generally been highly contested matches between the two sides dating all the way back to the 2022 preseason where tempers flared early on between the two Eastern sides. Last season, each team stole all three points from each other. First, Charlotte will host the Crew on March 23rd, and then they will wait a while to face them again, this time at Lower.com Field on July 17th.
Miami Showdown
Last season, Charlotte FC struggled in their matches against Inter Miami, but when it mattered the most, they came up with a clutch win on Decision Day to book their spot in the 2023 MLS Playoffs on the final day of the season.
This year, Charlotte will host Miami earlier in the season on July 3rd, but it will be during the 2024 Copa America which could unfortunately see stars like Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi unavailable to participate in the teams’ rematch at Bank of America Stadium. However, Queen City soccer fans can look forward to watching a Copa America Semifinal and the Third-Place Playoff in-person in July as Charlotte was selected as a host city.
Charlotte will also play Miami late in the season once again, this time in Fort Lauderdale on September 28th, in the fourth-to-last game of the season.
Decision Day in the Capital
Charlotte FC started their inaugural MLS season away at D.C. United, and in 2024, they will conclude their season in the Capital City on October 19th. As a Decision Day matchup, it will likely be a high-stakes match with playoff implications.
Decision Day is always one of the most nerve-wracking but memorable days of the season, and this will be another that you don’t want to miss.
