Charlotte FC’s loss couldn’t steal the joy of fans who waited 2 years for this moment
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Charlotte FC’s MLS debut
Expanded coverage of Charlotte FC’s first match at D.C. United
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Charlotte FC’s loss couldn’t steal the joy of fans who waited 2 years for this moment
Charlotte FC’s first MLS match wasn’t a win on the field, but the team showed promise
As the final seconds ticked away in Charlotte FC’s first-ever Major League Soccer game, the fans at the watch party could have been a little dispirited.
Charlotte, after all, was going to lose its MLS debut, 3-0, on the road to D.C. United. Charlotte’s one apparent goal had been a source of frenzied joy, only to be overruled and yanked off the scoreboard. By soccer standards, the 3-0 final score represented a trouncing.
But when the game ended, the 100 or so fans remaining at Salud Beer Shop in the NoDa area of Charlotte started to clap for their new team. Then they clapped louder. Most of them stood up. One fan yelled: “We made it to the big-time!”
That was the vibe at Salud, where I went to see Charlotte FC’s debut, and probably at watch parties and in living rooms all over the Carolinas. Charlotte FC’s debut loss was disappointing, but not unexpected. More important was the debut itself, postponed by a year due to COVID and anticipated since the team had been awarded to the city in December 2019.
“I think this is a win-win no matter what the result of the game is,” said Daniel Rodriguez, 27, who was at the watch party with his girlfriend, Hunter Mathis. “Soccer is finally here.”
“Having this team will give the community another way to bond,” Mathis said. “That’s what I’m hoping, anyway.”
In some ways, the standing ovation from the fans at Salud — a rare example of happiness following a 3-0 loss — was similar to what happened to the Charlotte Hornets at their own inaugural game way back in 1988. Cleveland blasted the Hornets by 40 points on that first night at the old Charlotte Coliseum.
Nevertheless, as the first-ever Hornets game ended, the Charlotte fans stood and applauded. The startled Hornet players stayed on-court, receiving the first standing ovation in their lives for a 133-93 loss. But it wasn’t the result that was important that night, either. That was Charlotte sports’ original “We made it to the big-time!” moment.
In the ensuing years, Charlotte has turned into a big-time pro sports city known for far more than the leaps from the top rope in pro wrestling and the roar of the NASCAR engines. The Carolina Panthers debuted in 1995 — like Charlotte FC, starting on the road and losing their first game by three.
Charlotte’s MLS team now represents the third major professional team sport located in the city. For those who have followed futbol for much of their lives, it’s long overdue.
“I come from a soccer family where a lot of us played the sport,” said Charlottean Jeannette Watt, who was at Salud with her husband Eddie. Both were decked out in Charlotte FC memorabilia, including scarves and jerseys. “We bought season tickets because we figure whether the team wins or loses, it’s going to be fun.”
With all that said, it wasn’t just roses and rainbows at the watch party on the big projection screen upstairs at Salud, where the crowd reached at least 150 fans at its peak. Make no mistake, the fans wanted Charlotte FC to play better than it did.
There were groans each time D.C. United scored and screams of disbelief when Charlotte’s first-half goal was disallowed and a later shot went off the post.
Some fans also weren’t too happy when Charlotte FC kept emphasizing ball control and short passes, even when the ball was in a dangerous position right in front of its own goal.
“Get it out of there!” people kept shouting.
And a few fans grumbled when they realized the entire game was going to be played silently at the watch party, with the TV volume turned all the way down.
“I need someone to explain to me what I’m watching!” one fan yelled.
Which brings up an interesting point. The crowd at Salud skewed young, just like MLS’s prized demographics would tell you it should — most people were in their 20s or 30s. But it was a mix of soccer knowledge. There were dedicated supporters from Mint City Collective, one of Charlotte FC’s official fan groups. There were season ticket holders wearing Charlotte FC’s blue and white jerseys. There were also casual fans who hadn’t realized the team was playing until this week.
But almost all of the fans I met at the watch party had one thing in common — they were going to Charlotte FC’s home opener March 5 at Bank of America Stadium. Charlotte FC hopes to set an MLS record by drawing a sellout crowd of 74,000 fans for that one.
Said Phil Williams, a 28-year-old accountant from Charlotte: “I think that’s going to be a religious experience.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2022 at 10:02 AM.
