Fans in Charlotte, ‘a soccer city,’ gather to watch U.S. team compete in World Cup
The moment Christian Pulisic somehow threaded a pass between two Wales defenders and found Tim Weah for the first World Cup goal the United States men’s national soccer team had scored in eight years, uptown Charlotte erupted.
Beer flew. Fans danced.
Parents of infants, who found themselves among hundreds of fans at Romare Bearden Park as the U.S. men played Wales to a draw Monday afternoon, cupped their children’s ears as cheering peaked.
They couldn’t and wouldn’t miss this.
“This city has been a soccer city,” Charlotte FC president Joe LaBue said just before kickoff. “We’ve just been a vehicle to amplify that. Having that ability to host an event like this and to bring people out — I mean, there were going to be people watching the World Cup, we wanted them to watch it with us.”
Charlotte FC and Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper and players Adam Armour, George Marks and Derrick Jones were also on hand for Monday’s festivities.
One of the magical parts of Charlotte FC’s inaugural season in 2022 was the fandom it found. It brought out the international city that Charlotte is — giving a home to many from Latin America and Europe and beyond — and it also gave a team that lifelong Charlottean soccer fans had been waiting for.
It’s what soccer does.
And that connection was on display as the U.S. men opened the World Cup — the team’s first appearance since 2014 after not qualifying for the event in 2018.
Jeff Carpenter, a lifelong Charlottean, watched Monday’s game uptown while dressed in a custom USA jersey that bore his name and a soccer ball — yes, a real $160 ball — as a hat.
He and his wife, Terry, said Charlotte FC has brought them much joy.
“We went to the inaugural game, and that was so exciting the energy,” said Terry, who grew up in Apex. She pointed to her husband: “He’s been waiting for a team to come to Charlotte for a long time.”
Said Jeff: “Charlotte did have a professional team, the Carolina Lightning. That was when I was in high school ... so that was really exciting back then. We’ve had some indoor teams. We’ve had the Charlotte Eagles. We’ve had soccer but not at the top level.
“So bringing that top-level team here — I’ve got a team to pull for now.”
Over at Latta Arcade, a few steps away from Romare Bearden Park, more people gathered. Fans began filing in around 11:30 a.m. for the 2 p.m. match. Each individual bar was filled to the brim, and the alley (technically called Brevard Court) had fans watching the draw on televisions outside.
This alley in uptown, one of the few historic districts in Charlotte, is considered the heartbeat of the city’s soccer fandom. Cotton Room, Belfast Mill and Hooligans and other outposts open early on Saturday mornings so fans can watch their Premier League teams.
As Charlotte FC rose, the team found a home in Latta Arcade, too.
“We understand we’re steps away from Latta Arcade,” LaBue said. “We’re two blocks away from the stadium. I’d say, as a city of Charlotte is evolving — this park wasn’t here when I moved to Charlotte in 2011 — so I think it’s a good representation of the growth of the city, the growth of soccer.”
He added: “It’s appropriate we’re here. There’s a reason we’re here.”
