Hi, Footy!

FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off tomorrow. It should be a lot of fun and full of incredible soccer to watch. Before we get there, Charlotte footy has a lot happenin’. So let’s get to it!

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⚽️ Tim Ream named USMNT Captain

The center back received the designation ahead of the USMNT's May 31 friendly against Senegal in Charlotte. Ream started in a 3-2 win for the Americans; however, he did not play the second half (rotation).

Of Ream, USMNT Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino said:

⚽️ Ream also gets nod as MLS All-Star starter

On June 5, the defender was named to the First XI, selected through a combined vote of MLS fans, players, and media members. This is Ream’s second time representing the host team (2011; Red Bull New York). Ream is Charlotte FC’s second all-star, joining former Crown forward Patrick Agyemang—who did not play—in 2025.

⚽️ Charlotte FC recalls defender

Also on June 5, Mikah Thomas was recalled from his loan with USL Championship side Indy Eleven. Thomas has primarily appeared with Crown Legacy FC, totaling 22 games played, two goals, and two assists since last year.

⚽️ Carolina Ascent’s Briana Martinez retires

On June 2, the defender announced her retirement. She played in 24 matches for Carolina, making 16 starts and logging more than 1,300 minutes.

In a statement released by the Ascent, Martinez had this to say about her retirement:

Carolina Ascent came up short. Their coach thinks that's exactly the point.

In an end-of-season exclusive interview with Charlotte Footy, Carolina Ascent FC head coach and general manager Philip Poole reflected on the Gainbridge Super League championship loss, the league’s coming changes, and what year three needs to look like.

The big picture

Poole is entering his third season carrying the sting of a championship-game loss — and a deliberate choice about what to do with it.

“If you take it as a loss, then you lose,” Poole said in an interview with Charlotte Footy. “If you take it as a learning opportunity and an experience moment, then you win.”

• Poole was direct that the loss hurts: “Everyone that asks me the question, I answer it the same way before I elaborate — it hurts.”

• But he’s equally direct about the alternative: “It’s only a catastrophic loss if you don’t learn.”

The moment that keeps him up at night

Ascent conceded three goals in the championship defeat to Lexington SC, but it’s the final one Poole can’t shake.

• “The second goal [in extra time] was so uncharacteristic for Carolina Ascent,” he said. “We are very, very good when it comes to defending set pieces — we’ve actually statistically led the league1 for two years.”

  “I wake up two or three in the morning and go, what a strange time for us to do that.”

• He was quick to credit the opponent: “Lexington aren’t there by accident. They’re a good side. It’s not a case of us blowing it — it’s a case of two good teams.”

Despite the loss, Poole says the numbers tell a story of growth. Ascent won more games and earned more points in year two than in year one, when they claimed the league’s first-ever Players’ Shield.

• “Coaches are often self-deprecating — I just don’t feel good about the season,” he said. “But when you take stock and step back, we took some lessons from year one to year two and improved.”

• “In knockout sports, sometimes it can be cruel to lose a championship in overtime.”

On the league’s format change

Spinning forward, the Gainbridge Super League announced June 5 a compressed 14-match fall 2026 season, with a full shift to a spring-to-fall calendar beginning in 2027. Poole said the change doesn’t alter Ascent’s approach.

• He endorsed the long-term direction, pointing to the U.S. hosting the Women’s World Cup in 2031: “This will be a really impressive, aggressive, progressive three years for soccer in this country.”

• On keeping the league’s American identity as it grows internationally: “Let’s play to our strengths. Let’s be the queen of our castle first — let’s not try and take somebody else’s kingdom and castle yet.”

The 2026 fall season opens August 15, and he outlined three priorities before the opener.

• Roster management: “I like our group. Any additions we make have to make us better on and off the pitch.”

• A stronger preseason: Ascent didn’t start well last season despite strong momentum coming in, and Poole wants that fixed.

• Continued improvement across the board: “Let’s get better at marketing, selling tickets, game day experience. Let’s be better coaches.”

Poole confirmed Mia Corbin — who scored the team’s lone goal in the championship game — will return next season, and didn’t hold back on what she means to the club.

• “Championship teams win, championship teams lose, but championship teams are consistent,” he said. “Year one to year two with the position change, Mia stayed consistent, stayed a top performer. Not just on the pitch — just who she is every day has been so important to us.”

• He added she has more to give: “She’s got more goals in her, more assists in her. We’ll see even more next season.”

Of note: Defender Tyler Lussi left the championship match with a knee laceration that required nine stitches, stitched up by the team doctor at the stadium. Poole said follow-up scans came back clean. “She’s going to be fine.”

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⚽️ The hard part for the USMNT is over

Tim Ream is sure of it.

Between the May 31 friendly against Senegal in Charlotte and last Friday’s send-off against Germany in Chicago, Ream sat down with the media and offered one of the more honest assessments of what this USMNT has been building. The most compelling part wasn’t the tactical breakdown; it was his candor about how hard the process actually was.

Asked about the team’s comfort level heading into the World Cup, Ream didn’t sugarcoat the early going:

For a system that asks this much of players who spend only a handful of weeks together each year, that kind of buy-in from a veteran voice matters. If this team goes deep in the tournament, this analysis will become more than a footnote.

⚽️ Poole on fans, culture, and what this team is becoming

In his end-of-season interview with Charlotte Footy, Poole didn't need prompting to bring up the fans.

Ramblewood Soccer Complex on Charlotte’s south side was once home to the Charlotte Independence, the city’s men's professional side; for Poole, it stands as the bare minimum — the floor, not the ceiling.

That perspective matters as Ascent’s players continue earning recognition on and off the pitch: on Tuesday, the club announced its 2025/26 team awards, with Jill Aguilera named Woman of the Year after leading the league in chances created, Meaghan Nally and Addisyn Merrick sharing the CARES Award for community service, and Jenna Butler — who led the league in clearances with 203 (31 more than second-closest) — named Player of the Year.

The awards are nice. The bigger thing Poole is after is a team and a city that feel like they belong to each other.

Hello, Fabulous Footy!

Thank you for being here, and welcome to our new subscribers! It was nice to meet some folks IRL at the Ascent semifinal watch party last weekend. Let’s do it again, and bring your friends!

It’s a fun time for Charlotte pro footy — so much high-level soccer is being played, so many stories are being written, and I’m doing my best to capture as much of it as possible for you right here, right now.

So, let’s get to all of that and more, with Edition #4 of Charlotte Footy:

⚽️ All we do is win

It was another successful weekend on the pitch for Charlotte’s two highest-level pro footy teams. Charlotte FC won their final game before the international break for FIFA World Cup 2026, defeating the New England Revolution 1-0.

Down in Jacksonville, the Carolina Ascent stayed red hot and, for the second game in a row, defeated Sporting JAX, also by a score of 1-0. The semifinal win sends the Ascent to Kentucky to play in the Gainbridge Super League Final, where they will meet No. 1 seed and Players’ Shield champion Lexington SC.

⚽️ Wilfried Zaha out

The breadcrumbs had been leading to this outcome, but Zaha and Charlotte FC made it official on Sunday: the forward will depart the Club following the conclusion of his loan on June 30, 2026.

During his year-and-a-half stint in Charlotte, Zaha made 46 appearances across MLS regular season and playoff matches, recording 13 goals and 14 assists. His 27 goal contributions rank fifth all-time in Charlotte FC history.

⚽️ Ascent earns two First Team All-League nods, one Second Team selection

Defenders Jill Aguilera and Sydney Studer were named Tuesday to the All-League First Team. Mackenzie George was named to the All-League Second Team.

Aguilera, the reigning Defender and Playmaker of the Year, scored four goals with three assists. She also tied Jenna Butler for the club lead in minutes (2,430) and starts (27), missing just one match while on international duty with Puerto Rico.

Studer anchored a defense that posted five straight clean sheets in February and March. She still leads the team in aerial duels won despite a late-season ACL injury.

George quickly established herself as an important part of Carolina’s attack. She was the only player to appear in all 28 regular-season matches, scoring three regular-season goals before notching the game-winning goal in Sunday’s semifinal.

⚽️ Tim Ream named to USMNT roster

Tuesday also brought official confirmation that Charlotte FC defender Tim Ream was named to the United States’ 26-man FIFA World Cup 2026 roster. Ream is one of eight MLS players on the USMNT roster and just the second Charlotte FC player named to a World Cup squad while with the club, joining Karol Swiderski (Poland, 2022).

Fans in Charlotte can see Ream and the USMNT team this Sunday, May 31, at Bank of America Stadium, where they’ll play Senegal in the Allstate Continental Clásico.

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Carolina Ascent Gainbridge Super League Final Preview

Game details: Saturday, May 30, 7 p.m. ET · Lexington Sporting Club Stadium, Lexington, KY

⚽️ Lexington SC (1-seed, Players’ Shield champs) vs. Carolina Ascent (3-seed) ⚽️

Series history:

• Oct. 10: Lexington SC 1, Carolina Ascent 1 (draw, at Lexington)

• Feb. 7: Lexington SC 2, Carolina Ascent 1 (Lexington win, at Charlotte)

• Apr. 11: Carolina Ascent 1, Lexington SC 0 (Ascent win, at Charlotte)

The big picture

• Lexington claimed the Players' Shield on the back of a 14-3-11 record and a +26 goal differential (50 scored, 24 conceded).

• Carolina Ascent started the spring 0-3, then went 11-0-1 since Feb. 21 — including a 1-0 win over Lexington on April 11 — to arrive as the league's hottest team.

• The series between these two sides is split: one win each and a draw.

Depth over stars: Ascent’s threat is spread across the roster — by design

• Head Coach Philip Poole brought back more players from season one to season two than any other team in the league. That continuity produced goals and assists that have been distributed across the squad.

• He reached for a Carlo Ancelotti1 line to explain the philosophy: he’d rather have 10 players with three goals than one with 30.

“I don’t know the answer to your question, I just know that it’s about consistency. We have a good group and I’m not complaining either.” — Coach Poole

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The goalkeeper battle: Marty vs. Kat, and the numbers favor the challenger

• Lexington’s Kat Asman had the league’s lowest goals-against average during the regular season and has amassed 12 clean sheets in 28 appearances (including the playoffs). Her numbers made her the benchmark in the league heading into the postseason.

• But Coach Poole made a pointed statistical counter: Sydney Martinez has recorded eight shutouts in 13 games — all starts. His framing was deliberate: “Marty’s probably the form goalkeeper at the moment.”

• Martinez herself is focused less on the comparison. She described her mindset on the 75th-minute save on Sunday in characteristically direct terms: brain off, see ball, chase ball.

“Once anything comes within the technical box, the brain just shuts off. I turn into my dog — I see ball and I have to get ball.” — Sydney Martinez, goalkeeper

Offensive chess: Lexington’s possession game is a weapon — and potentially an opening

• Lexington coach Kosuke Kimura said post-game Saturday that his players make more decisions off the ball than anyone else in the league, and that confidence spreads through the group. Poole took note and sees an opportunity.

• His read: expansion creates space. The more Lexington stretches the field in possession, the more room opens for Ascent’s transition game. “There’s an opportunity in everything,” he said.

• Midfielder Mackenzie George reinforced the point from a player’s perspective. The Ascent have regularly ceded possession in wins this season, but it has not rattled them.

“That hasn’t bothered us one single bit. When we get a break, we get a break. We trust in the process, we trust in our structure.” — Mackenzie George, forward

A sixth-minute winner, a give-and-go, and what it meant

• George’s goal in the sixth minute on Sunday — a give-and-go with Riley Parker that she described as something they had been building toward all year — was the game-winner in a 1-0 semifinal victory. It was the fourth goal of her season, and her first in the postseason.

• George joined the Ascent this season after coming over from Brooklyn FC and appeared in all 28 regular-season matches — the only player on the roster to do so. The All-League Second Team selection finished the regular season with three goals and two assists before adding Sunday’s winner.

• She was clear that the goal was a collective effort. But executing something practiced, with a player she described as being “in her brain,” in that moment, carried obvious weight.

“We freaking did it. It just felt good — one of those moments where it’s like, OK, that’s what we want to do, that’s what we practice to do.” — Mackenzie George

On Catherine Barry: 61 shots, 17 goals — and a scouting report that redirects the problem

• Lexington forward Catherine Barry is the league’s Golden Boot winner this season with 17 goals on 61 shots. Coach Poole’s assessment was pointed: she’s not primarily a chance creator; she’s a chance finisher. Stopping Barry means stopping the players who supply her.

• Martinez, when asked who she’d be tracking, named Barry — then pivoted quickly. “They’re going to have to watch out for us more than we need to watch out for them.”

Chip on the shoulder: the 3-seed knows exactly what they missed out on

• George acknowledged directly that not competing for the Players’ Shield stings — especially given the form Ascent have shown in the back half of the season. That grievance, she said, is fuel.

• She stopped short of predicting anything about Lexington’s mentality Saturday. But her own team, she had no doubt about.

“I don’t know if they’re going to be sleeping, but we’re going to be awake. I know that for sure.” — Mackenzie George

Final whistle

Lexington earned the top seed and will be at home, backed by the most consistent season in the league. But the Carolina Ascent is a team that has internalized the underdog role without being diminished by it. They have the goalkeeper numbers, the tactical flexibility, a proven scorer in George, and — by their own telling — the hunger of a team that knows what it has been capable of all spring. Saturday at 7 will answer whether that’s enough.

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⚽️ Dean Smith has a vision for what Charlotte FC can be

Saturday was a reminder of how far the Crown has come and how far they still need to go.

Smith didn’t sugarcoat it after the win. When asked about the first half of the season, he acknowledged the team has been “a bit of a stop-start” — injuries, young players learning on the job, and a defensive foundation that hasn’t been as reliable as it was a year ago. But when the clean sheet was secured and the three points were banked, something else came through. “We’ve built ourselves from being a really solid team and a team that’s hard to play against,” he said, “and we’ve got to get back to that — but with the attacking flair that we know we’ve got.”

That dual ambition matters given where Charlotte sits. Six points back of New England for a top-four spot in the East, Smith knows the math on what he’s calling a “19-game sprint season.” The margin for slip-ups is thin, but the gap to a home playoff series is closeable. Going into the break on back-to-back wins — with a performance that held together even after going down to 10 men — is the kind of foundation he was looking for.

⚽️ Tim Ream was Will Cleary's earpiece Saturday night

The rookie right back, making his home debut, described Tim Ream’s in-game communication as a running tutorial — left shoulder, right shoulder, when to release early as Ream shifted across, when to track runners on the back post with play on the far side. It’s the same quality that earned Ream a USMNT recall last September: the ability, as my reporting outlined at the time, to make everyone around him better in the spaces that highlight reels never capture.

For Cleary, who had to switch to the left side after the red card to David Schnegg, that value wasn’t just tactical. “You could feel like you’re on an island out there,” he said, “but when someone’s telling you what to do, and you’re talking, it really takes you off the island, and you realize you have a team out there.”

That’s the kind of debut that sticks, not just because it went well, but because of who was standing next to him, making sure it did.

The Carolina Ascent defeated Sporting JAX 1-0 to advance to the Gainbridge Super League Final. They will meet Players’ Shield champion and No. 1 seed Lexington SC, in Lexington, KY, on Saturday, May 30. The game will be streamed on Peacock and is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. ET.

The Ascent scored on a 6th-minute goal by Mackenzie George and held on the rest of the way. Goalkeeper Sydney Martinez made two tremendous diving saves to preserve the clean sheet.

Charlotte Footy will be back later this week with more on the win and a preview of the upcoming match.

Hi, Fabulous Footy:

We’ve got tons to cover this week. Playoff soccer is here! Let’s get into Edition #3:

⚽️ Spectacular Saturday with the Ascent and Crown getting dubs

Charlotte FC stopped its winless skid and picked up a 3-1 win vs. Toronto at Bank of America Stadium. It was the club’s first outright victory since April 18. Across the city, the Carolina Ascent beat Sporting JAX (more on them in a minute) 3-1. My family was at the game as part of the FANtastic FANale crowd1: the girls received cool team t-shirts, drank colorful slushies, and got to see fireworks after the win!

⚽️ Ascent semifinal watch party deets

⚽️ Charlotte FC loans defender Jack Neeley to Charlotte Independence

Charlotte FC announced last Friday that they sent defender Jack Neeley on a loan to the Charlotte Independence through the end of June 2026.

“As Jack continues to progress as a professional, we want to see him get as many competitive matches as possible. For these next two months, the aim is for him to compete and gain valuable minutes in a different environment before rejoining the group after the World Cup break,” GM Zoran Krneta said in the press release.

⚽️ Charlotte FC defender Morrison Agyemang named to Matchday 14 Team

According to Charlotte FC, Morrison earned a penalty kick in the 84^th minute and finished above 80 percent in efficiency for passing accuracy (91%; 51/56), ground duels won (86%; 6/7), and aerial duels won (83%; 5/6), per FotMob.

Left back David Schnegg was also named to the Matchday bench.

⚽️ Still time to vote for the 2026 MLS All-Star Game

The 2026 MLS All-Star Game will kick off in Charlotte on July 29. Until 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 21, fans can vote for their favorite eligible Charlotte FC players.

Carolina Ascent Semifinals Playoff Preview

Game details: Sunday, May 24, 5 p.m. ET · Hodges Stadium, Jacksonville, FL

A year after a painful playoff overtime defeat, the Carolina Ascent travels Sunday to face Sporting JAX2, the league’s highest-scoring team, with a sharper squad, a settled identity, and unfinished business.

Carolina Ascent is the reigning Players’ Shield holders and finished with 51 points — more than they earned last year — yet come in as the 3-seed on the road against an expansion club that led the Gainbridge Super League in scoring in its very first season.

The winner goes to the championship on Saturday, May 30.

The opponent: a first-year club that nobody expected

Sporting JAX is an expansion franchise in their inaugural Super League season, yet they finished first with 53 points and a 16–7–5 record. They are led by Stacey Balaam, an English-born coach whose background is rooted in offensive development. Other coaches have described her as having “a player-centered approach” and a knack for building positive culture. As a player, she captained the Atlanta Silverbacks to the 2011 USL W-League championship — so she knows what winning looks like.

Sporting JAX scored 48 goals on the season, outperforming their expected-goals tally of roughly 39.7, meaning they converted chances at a rate well above what their chance quality suggested.

For context: the Ascent generated 40.9 xG and scored 39 — slightly underperforming. The numbers, as Head Coach Philip Poole told Charlotte Footy this week, tend to even out.

“Jacksonville have exceeded their expected goals by a good number. And we are under our expected goals. And always with numbers, there’s a regression to the mean at some point.”

— Coach Poole, Carolina Ascent

The head-to-head tells an interesting story

These teams have met four times this season, and the series has swung back and forth. JAX won two, the Ascent won one, and one ended level — but the most recent result is still fresh in everyone’s minds:

• Sept. 13, 2025: Sporting JAX 2–2 Carolina Ascent (at JAX)

• Sept. 28, 2025: Sporting JAX 4–3 Carolina Ascent (at Carolina)

• Jan. 31, 2026: Sporting JAX 1–0 Carolina Ascent (at JAX)

• May 16, 2026: Sporting JAX 1–3 Carolina Ascent (at Carolina)

May 16 wasn’t just a win: the Ascent denied JAX the Players’ Shield, sending a statement heading into the playoffs. Coach Poole says the key to winning again is straightforward.

“It’s truly going to be about winning the boxes... we’re both going to be having chances, so it’s just who’s going to put them away.”

— Coach Poole

The road record is quietly a strength

Playing away from American Legion Memorial Stadium might sound like a disadvantage, but the Ascent’s road numbers this season tell a different story. Away from home, they went 9–2–3, collecting more points on the road than their 6–5–3 home record. Coach Poole frames the absence of crowd pressure as a release, not a burden.

“The responsibility is on the home team to entertain the crowd and get the job done. You lose that when you’re away. It’s just play your game.”

— Coach Poole

Lessons from last year’s loss

The 2024-25 semifinal — played on a hot Charlotte evening, and decided with an OT golden goal — looms. Coach Poole is candid about what he’d do differently: press harder to win outright rather than manage toward extra time.

“I’d rather die on my feet than walk on my knees... the depths of overtime is a moment to shine, not a moment to tense up.”

— Coach Poole

Captain Taylor Porter, who sat alone at the post-match stage after that result, says the team has used that pain as fuel rather than baggage — and that the physical preparation this week has matched the mentality.

“We’re still hitting PRs at training — speed PRs, jumping PRs. We’re like really just flying right now... I actually think we’re peaking at the right time.”

— Taylor Porter, captain

Identity over adjustment: how the Ascent found their run

The Ascent lost three straight to open the spring. The temptation in any locker room at that point is to tear things down and start over. They didn’t. That decision, Coach Poole says, is what produced the 11-game unbeaten run that carries them into Sunday.

“The hardest thing to do was to say, no, we are us. We’ve got a very clear play and style. We’ve got a very distinct way we do things... championship teams win, championship teams lose, but championship teams are very consistent.”

— Coach Poole

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The leadership picture

Porter is candid about what the captain’s role actually requires — not just energy on the field, but check-ins, individual attention, and holding space for teammates who aren’t at their best on a given day. She says the accountability inside this group runs in every direction.

“I can help bring a lot of heart and I hope that a lot of the girls see that and they also kind of want to replicate that in themselves too.”

— Taylor Porter

A note on gratitude

Coach Poole closed his conversation with Charlotte Footy by making sure one thing got said: the appreciation for the Ascent’s ownership group and the Charlotte soccer community is genuine, not performative. The fan base is still growing, and he wants them to know it registers.

“The gratitude and the appreciation for our ownership group is real. The gratitude and appreciation for our fan base and it’s still building... I always want to try and convey that my appreciation and gratitude for ownership, for fans, for the sports city we live in.”

— Coach Poole

The bottom line

The Ascent is more productive on the road than at home. They’ve beaten JAX in a big-moment game. Their xG gap is closing at exactly the right moment. And they spent 12 months turning a devastating loss into a road map. JAX is a genuine test — a first-year club that led this league in goals — but the Ascent arrives in Jacksonville having earned the right to believe.

Stats via Charlotte Footy reporting. xG figures via midseason and end-of-season league data.

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⚽️ What significance does the MLS All-Star game have for its players?

This tweet made me laugh:

It’s funny, when I started covering soccer, I didn’t think there would be much crossover with baseball. But this tweet could have been about the baseball All-Star Game in July — there will be a tweet like this when voting gets underway next month.

I try not to get too caught up in All-Star selections because I don’t think they are as meaningful as they once were — in any sport. If you told a player that an All-Star selection could get them more money at the bargaining table, then sure, it would carry more weight. But I think actual numbers throughout the season—in any sport—mean more than a convoluted All-Star voting process.

This game is strictly a friendly exhibition. That’s all.

I get that Charlotte FC fans want to see their guys represent the team during the game, but fans can see these players numerous times on the back half of the schedule in more meaningful play.

For my money, representing the team in the playoffs would be more significant than an All-Star selection anyway.

Hi, Footy Faithful!

Thank you to everyone who has subscribed—especially our paid subscribers. Some of you, I don’t even know (yet). For you to blindly put your trust in me means more than words can describe. I am very appreciative and hope to prove to you that this is a wise investment of time (and money, if you choose)!

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With that, let’s get into Edition #2:

First Touch 👟

⚽️ Carolina Ascent wins 5th straight match; unbeaten in last 10

On Saturday night, the Ascent traveled to Florida and defeated Fort Lauderdale United 3-0 in the team’s road finale. Mackenzie George, Mia Corbin, and Tyler Lussi all scored, while Sydney Martinez earned her seventh clean sheet of the season. The dub keeps the Ascent in the hunt for a home playoff game heading into this week’s regular-season finale against Sporting JAX.

⚽️ Three Ascent players earn award recognition for April

Martinez, Jill Aguilera, and Jenna Butler were all named to the Gainbridge Super League April Team of the Month. Head Coach Philip Poole also picked up his second straight Coach of the Month award.

⚽️ Charlotte FC draws, 2-2, and loses Westwood for Wednesday’s match

Meanwhile, The Crown played a topsy-turvy game in Charlotte Saturday night, which ended in a 2-2 draw. Charlotte FC dug itself out of a 2-0 first-half hole with an electrifying two minutes of offense. Idan Toklomati and Pep Biel found the back of the net, the defense regained its footing after a sloppy start, and Charlotte gained a point on a night where it seemed they wouldn’t get any. But, in the process, they lost captain Ashley Westwood to yellow card accumulation. Westwood will miss Wednesday’s home match and 2025 playoff rematch versus New York City FC.

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The Pitch 🗣️

The Carolina Ascent is trailblazing in so many ways, but perhaps most importantly, they were the first professional women’s sports team to return to Charlotte after a long absence — the Charlotte Sting of the WNBA ceased operations back in 2007. Now, with the Charlotte Crown tipping off their inaugural season this Friday, the Ascent have helped prove something bigger: that women's professional sports can not only survive in this city, but thrive.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the experience comes without challenges. More teams in the city means more competition for fans’ time and money, not to mention competition with all else that life and Charlotte have to offer.

At the heart of it is Jan Ivey, the Ascent’s Chief Communications Officer — and unofficially, their Chief Positive Energy Executive. Jan has been with the club since its inception, bringing a background that spans Wells Fargo, the Charlotte Hornets, and freelance work, but what stands out isn’t the résumé. It’s the authenticity. Her enthusiasm for women’s soccer and for this club isn't a talking point — you can feel it.

I talked with Jan last week about a wide range of topics, including the upcoming FAN-TASTIC FAN-ALE. Tickets for Saturday’s fun and the game can be purchased here.

For more on all of that, read on, and thank you to Jan for her time and insights:

On the FAN-TASTIC FAN-ALE (May 16th) game and ticket packages

Jan: We’ve developed a new young adult program where we include a couple of alcoholic beverages with the ticket. We’ve got family four-packs that include food for the kids. We’re looking at the pockets of our target audience and trying to have something appealing to each of them. And if nothing else, it’s a discounted ticket — because we don’t want money to be the reason people don’t come to our games.

What we find a lot of times is it’s time. The bigger question we have, from an organizational standpoint, is: how do we become a priority to the people who love coming to our games? They’re busy already. There are a lot of great sports and entertainment options out there — the Hornets, the Panthers, Charlotte FC, the Checkers. They all have products now, trying to get people into the building rather than pricing them out. And we’re all hearing from the Charlotte community that we have to be more flexible.

A lot of our research showed that people are in need of more time in their schedules. You [Colin] have two daughters and a recital planned for Saturday, and you are very typical of a lot of the people who attend our games. So our real effort has been into tackling audiences that may not be quite as stretched, hence the young adult package. It’s a ticket with two drinks, and there aren’t a lot of those out there, with a savings involved.

We’re also trying to support women’s sports and reach out to dads with daughters and say, let’s give them role models who look like them. We’ve reached out to corporate partners for discounted tickets for their employees, and to regional partners like the CRVA and the HTA for partnership deals. We’re really asking: who else can we reach out to? Who else can we get out here?

We feel like if we can get people to come to their first game, we can get them back. We look at it like this is the appetizer before the meal — come try us out, come sample us, and we’ll do it in a family-affordable way. (Emphasis mine.)

On the Beach Club / young adult area

Jan: We did build a little area behind the goal on the west end of the stadium, near — kind of under — the scoreboard. We’re calling it the Beach Club. We built a little picket fence area just for those ticket holders. It’s over-18 only, and it gives people a standing room option where you don’t have to take a seat.

Some people would rather not have a bunch of kids running around while they’re trying to enjoy a beverage1, so that’s one of the reasons we fenced that area off. We have signage going in and out of it.

We’ve got plenty of seats, unfortunately. We hope as the years go on and as the players continue to win, winning fixes a lot. We’ve addressed basically a sophomore slump. A lot of teams in the league have experienced this; we’re not alone. We probably had some seekers last year who were curious about what to expect, and this year they checked that box. But we need to open up to more communities. We need to do a better job reaching out to minorities in the area. We’re building a community relations department to do more outreach to the Hispanic community, the LGBTQ community, and others.

What’s special about the “FANALE” event

Jan: Oh my God, everything’s special. From three o’clock on, it is a Special Saturday.

We have our Base Camp Bash from 3 to 5 PM over at the CPCC Quad — it’s a beautiful green space. We’ll have food trucks, fun and games, inflatables, all kinds of entertainment. Some of our nonprofit partners will be there talking about the good work they do in the community. We’ll have a DJ out there with fun music to make it feel like a party.

Gates open at 5:30 — normally it’d be six, but we’re opening a half hour early because we have a Taylor Swift cover band playing inside before the game.

For the national anthem, we have a national recording artist coming in — Quentin Gibson, the lead guitarist for the Darius Rucker (backing) Band. He’s going to play the national anthem. I wouldn’t be surprised if he sits in with the cover band, but I’m not saying that’s going to happen.

We also have a very special surprise at halftime. I can’t tell you what it is, but it’s going to be big and purple — and that’s all I’m going to say. There’s also going to be a flash mob dance on the field. And whatever the halftime surprise is, it will also be in and around the concourse for the rest of the game, introducing itself to fans.

And if the burn ban is lifted by the Charlotte Fire Department, we’re going to have fireworks as well. Hopefully the weather will be conducive — I need the rain, just not between three and ten on the 16th.

We’ve been billing this as the “FANALE” — F-A-N, then finale, F-A-N-A-L-E. Fantastic Finale. It might be our last (home) game of the season, and that’s really the spirit of it — come be a part of this party.

On the mission beyond the game

Jan: We’re not just a sports team. Our mission is to empower women, to lift women, to give them opportunities in sport — and that message needs to continue to resonate. We want to give your daughters the understanding that, yeah, you could be one of them. You could go through an academy, go through a regimen of working hard, and you could be one of those players. It can happen. It does happen. And that’s one of the reasons I keep showing up every day — because I like being a part of that.

On facility challenges

Jan: I wish we had our own stadium because there are so many things we’d like to do, but we have restraints because we’re a tenant. We move in and out of that building constantly.

We run a little bit like a MASH unit — we have to build everything, then break it down and move, then build it again and break it down and move. It’s a lot harder than the Hornets with their state-of-the-art facilities, or Charlotte FC with their complex, or the Panthers with all their resources. Down the road, God willing, we’ll have a smaller version of that — but right now, American Legion is our home, and it can be complicated being a little engine.

On Taylor Porter, Ascent captain and midfielder

Jan: She played every minute of every game last season — she actually received the Iron Award for that. She was one of two or three players who played every game at 90 minutes. That is an incredible streak. Take away everything else, but just not to have an injury — it’s beautiful. It shows her dedication to training, the weight room, recovery, nutrition. It’s the whole package.

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Stoppage Time (+2) ⏱️

⚽️ Dean Smith is not the problem for Charlotte FC

On Sunday, I tweeted this:

After Saturday night’s first-half disaster, there were plenty online calling for Smith to lose his job. To be fair, had the game continued to spiral, it did have the feeling of the type of game where someone loses their job, but I don’t think Smith’s position was ever in serious jeopardy. Yet.

We could get there, but online discourse is generally best for overreactions. The people who left Saturday night’s game early and posted about it have every right to do so. It’s their time and money. But they missed a hell of a comeback, and it wasn’t a mass exodus of the crowd, otherwise owner David Tepper may have taken more notice.

Logistically, I don’t know that Charlotte FC could ask for a better coach than Smith. He seems to do more with less, is very even-keeled, and generally has the support of his players. Say what you want about Wilfried Zaha, but I think that whole situation has to do more with things out of Smith’s control than anything else. On top of all of that, Smith seems to genuinely be a good person.

I’ve missed perhaps a handful of games by this team since last April. There have been some clunkers sprinkled in throughout that time, but I would have been shocked if they got absolutely pummeled on Saturday. I didn’t think they’d draw even, but I certainly expected better tempo, cohesion, and overall adjustments to be made in the second half — and that’s exactly what happened. Because that’s what Dean Smith’s teams do.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting more or thinking it could be better. But winning at the highest level is already ridiculously hard to do. Smith has proven consistency, and the team is maybe a player or two away—on both sides of the ball—from being a legit contender. It just doesn’t feel like now is the time to give up.

Let’s see how the rest of the month plays out and then take the time during the international break to evaluate and have a more nuanced discussion.

⚽️ This missed opportunity could haunt Charlotte FC

I mentioned being surprised that Charlotte FC came back to tie FC Cincinnati, but there was one moment after that that caught my attention. Between the 60-68 minute mark of the game, Charlotte FC had numerous deep presses into FCC territory, with all the momentum and a chance to take a 3-2 lead. They got a couple of shots off, to no avail, but perhaps their last great moment to go ahead came beginning at the 68:36 mark:

• FCC was deep into Charlotte’s territory when an errant pass went to defender Nathan Byrne, who quickly got it upfield to Biel, before Biel fought through traffic and gave a through-pass to Byrne, who was streaking down the near side of the field.

• Byrne crossed the ball over the box to Kewrin Vargas, who quickly passed back to Zaha toward the top left of the box. Zaha found Biel open at the top center of the box, before Biel kicked it back out in the middle to Djibril Diani.

• Diani faked a shot, then reversed back to Byrne, who was hanging out inside the box at the top right corner.

• After contemplating for a couple of seconds, Byrne tried to get a pass across the center of the box to Toklomati, but put it right into traffic—five FCC players were converging on the ball—before the FCC defense cleared it and ended the threat.

That is a LONG sequence that close to the goal without getting a shot off. 69:01 was on the clock when it ended.

The crowd moaned, and the Apple TV commentators displayed their displeasure. But I also remember thinking at that moment what a letdown it was. Charlotte FC had all the momentum and multiple scoring opportunities, including the sequence I just laid out, but they didn’t get it done.

My in-game notes were not great, and that is on me to be better about in the future, because if I could go back, I would have written that sequence down and asked Smith about it in the postgame presser. He’s watched the film since then; whether he realized it in the moment or later, it would be an interesting tactical discussion. But it remains a big sliding door moment, and depending on how the rest of the month plays out, it will either gain or lose a fair amount of significance.

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Hi, everyone! Welcome to the first edition of Charlotte Footy. Soccer, culture, community, and FUN are to be had. Thank you for being here, and please leave any future story ideas, comments, etc. below.

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First Touch 👟

⚽️ Leagues Cup is coming to Bank of America Stadium

Tickets are now on sale for Charlotte FC’s three matches on Aug. 4, 7, and 11, versus Pumas UNAM, Atlas FC, and CF Pachuca, respectively. Game times will be announced at a later date.

⚽️ Grab your Carolina Ascent PLAYOFF tickets

Speaking of buying tickets, you can secure your spot in the playoff crowd during the weekend of May 22. Tickets start at $15! If the Ascent does not host the game, the ticket(s) will be converted into a digital voucher, good for any 2026/27 Ascent regular-season home game.

The Pitch 🗣️

When we look across the current Charlotte soccer landscape, we see two distinct paths: Charlotte FC is on the struggle bus, while the Carolina Ascent are on a heater.

No matter how it played out, 2026 was always going to be a pivot year for professional soccer in Charlotte. The previous season saw Charlotte FC and Carolina Ascent make the playoffs; the Crown grabbed a No. 4 seed and first-round home-field advantage before losing the series 2-1 to NYFC. The Ascent won the inaugural USL Players’ Shield and hosted a semi-final playoff before losing, 2-1, to Fort Lauderdale United FC.

Expectations were high for both squads heading into a new season, but both teams got off to bumpy starts. When the fall campaign opened for the Ascent, it took them until their sixth game to claim their first outright victory, and they had only two wins in their first eight games. They finished 3-2-1 before the winter break, setting themselves up for a return with three games against three teams they were chasing in the standings.

They dropped all three.

But then — reminiscent of their spring dub streaks of the past — they won four games in a row before drawing with Fort Lauderdale. They enter the final two games of the season riding another four-game winning streak. They are currently the No. 3 seed, but with only five points separating them and first-place Sporting JAX, they have a legitimate chance to win the league or grab a 2-seed.

It’s a reminder that, like professional basketball and baseball, and unlike American football, the soccer season is a marathon, not a sprint. If a team can weather bad stretches, it can make up ground and be in a position to be successful.

The same can be said on the MLS side. Throw in a full month and change of time off for the World Cup, and the season is going to feel even longer than normal. Perception can mean as much as the actual results. That’s what’s so interesting about Charlotte FC.

Currently sitting in 7th place in the Eastern Conference with a 4-5-2 overall record, Charlotte FC sure doesn’t seem like a legit playoff contender. They’ve been outscored 9-3 in their last three MLS games — which doesn’t include a 2-0 U.S. Open Cup loss to Atlanta — and they’ve looked lifeless on the pitch.

That’s why these next four home games are crucial. Sure, it would be the cherry on top to win all four outright and gain 12 points heading into the international break. But they seemingly HAVE to win games against NYCFC and Toronto — two teams behind them in the standings — while hoping for a draw or more against Cincinnati and New England — two teams they are chasing in the standings.

If something worse happens, the online and social media discourse will be toxic, to say the very least. With no one to blame but themselves, the entire Charlotte FC organization would have to sit in that wasteland until July 22, when MLS action resumes.

Don’t dig that hole, Charlotte FC! Play inspired ball, and give us reason(s) to be excited over the break!

That’s the 40,000-foot view.

There are many individual storylines for each club, and we’ll get into those in the weeks ahead. But for those new to Charlotte Footy, or looking for a quick “what’s happening,” — well, that’s it!

The Ascent is peaking at an ideal time and has a chance to build on its playoff run last season. Charlotte FC is at a really delicate point for the organization. Both are fascinating in their own right, and it will be interesting to see how they play out on the pitch.

Stoppage Time (+2) ⏱️

⚽️ Soccer fan social media engagement

I mentioned the Charlotte FC fan discourse above because it’s been on my mind for a minute now. Regardless of the toxic wasteland of comments that have dominated social media the past few weeks, I’m reminded that fan interaction of any kind is preferable to having little to none at all. Which has me wondering, Carolina Ascent fans, where are you?! I know you are out there, but I don’t see you engaging much on X, IG, or Reddit. Am I not on the right message boards for women’s soccer? Let me know in the comments. Is it marketing, a lack of fan interest, something else entirely? Either way, I want to know why there isn’t as much social media fan interaction for the Ascent.

⚽️ Kahlina is my favorite Charlotte FC player

I’ve told anyone who would listen that Kristijan Kahlina, goalkeeper for the Crown, is my favorite player to watch. He won the 2024 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year before I joined the beat, but he has mostly been as special to watch since then. Put it this way: Charlotte FC isn’t a playoff team without him. He covers up a lot of deficiencies and makes a very hard job look incredibly easy. I suspect I’ll be writing more about him in the future, but in the meantime, MLS put together this fun compilation of his saves from 2024:

Charlotte is becoming a soccer city. Maybe you’ve felt it — the Crown’s noise on a Saturday night, the Ascent building something quiet and serious, the conversations happening in supporter sections and group chats and parking lots before kickoff. Something is growing here.

Charlotte Footy exists to cover that growth the way it deserves. Not with game recaps and press conference quotes, but with the stories underneath. The people who make these clubs what they are. The moments that don’t show up in the box score. The texture of what it actually feels like to follow soccer in this city right now.

Every issue has a feature that goes somewhere most coverage doesn’t, a lighter section for the fun and weird stuff the soccer internet can’t stop talking about, and a quick interview to close — because the best part of this beat is always the people on it.

You don’t have to be a die-hard to be here. You just have to be curious.

Find me on X at @cjcernig, and subscribe below if you want Charlotte soccer in your inbox.