Charlotte FC takes I-85 to meet Atlanta United

Charlotte FC takes I-85 to meet Atlanta United

TROY HULL | CHARLOTTE’S POST

After going 3-2-1 in May with three goals allowed – all in a May 29 loss to the New York Red Bulls – Charlotte FC opens June with a trip to Atlanta United.

Before Wednesday, Sunday’s derby between Charlotte FC and Atlanta United appeared to be another chance for the Crown to battle against its closest MLS neighbor, with a better-than-average chance of taking all three points.

Atlanta had not won a match since the last day of March, with four draws and five defeats, four of which were at home. Charlotte was undefeated in its last five games, three of which were wins and all came via shouting.

Then came Wednesday, with Charlotte at the New York Red Bulls and Atlanta flying to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to face league-leading Inter Miami. The Five Stripes looked more like the team that won the MLS Cup in its second season, beating Barcelona’s Beach Boys 3-1, and it looked like they should have doubled that number.

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, after a scoreless half in which Charlotte looked like it would stop another top team from scoring and might score a goal itself, the skies opened for an hour and a half weather delay. When the match resumed, the Red Bulls scored twice in two minutes against the league’s stingiest defense before adding another in a 3-1 victory.

So a game that appeared to be in Charlotte’s favor on Sunday is now in question. Atlanta heading into Wednesday was ripe for the picking. Wednesday’s was almost invincible. The Crown was defined in May as the Great Wall of Charlotte. Then he was raped in triplicate.

Demolition derby

In soccer-centric Europe and South America, virtually every city has its own team, maybe two. By expanding towards the density of large cities, rivalries move to the neighborhood level, such as Tottenham-Arsenal.

While Los Angeles has two MLS clubs and, if we consider New Jersey a sixth borough of New York, the same. There were seven London clubs in the English Premier League, eight if you include Luton Town.

Although he understands the history of local rivalries, Charlotte FC coach Dean Smith is getting used to the geographic uniqueness of what that means in America.

“It’s funny. We were just talking about it in the coaches’ room,” the manager said on Friday. “I think a local derby in England, Norwich-Ipswich is probably the furthest away. I think it’s something thing like 64 miles And I think this one is 229 miles. That’s different for me.

Smith also knows the emotional importance of these games for fans.

“They’re really important because bragging rights are everything,” he said. “I was involved in (Aston) Villa-Birmingham, you know, there’s a big rivalry there. You see it with Manchester and Liverpool, Manchester United and Man City. There are great rivalries everywhere and there is none bigger than Celtic – Rangers. We are still a young club and will develop our rivalries, but the players will certainly be aware of that, and I will make them aware of it because it is so important to our supporters.

Without Atlanta, there is no Charlotte in MLS

But when it comes to football, if only indirectly, Charlotte owes its professional legacy to Atlanta. The first ever professional game in the Queen City saw the Atlanta Chiefs play their final preparation for the 1979 NASL season at American Legion Memorial Stadium against the Minnesota Kicks. Bob Benson, who was suitably impressed with the more than 3,000 tickets sold for the game, helped promote the game on behalf of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. He purchased an American Football League franchise and called it the Carolina Lightnin’, which won the ASL title in its first season, 1981.

Other teams came and went, some still fighting the good fight in building a local following, like the Charlotte Eagles and Charlotte Independence.

But without the success of Atlanta, especially the groundbreaking success of Arthur Blank and Atlanta United who proved the potential of a growing Southern city of Gen X/Gen Y, with NFL ownership and large stadiums that can regularly attract large crowds, there would be no success. It won’t be Charlotte FC.

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