Smith confident Charlotte FC can regain momentum – The North State Journal
CHARLOTTE — Charlotte FC’s promising start to the 2026 MLS season has recently given way to turbulence, but third-year coach Dean Smith remains steadfast in his belief that his club can regain its footing.
After building momentum through March and early April, Charlotte entered the final week of April at 4-4-2 (14 points), sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference standings but searching for stability following a recent difficult stretch.
Losses in two of the club’s past three MLS matches exposed defensive vulnerabilities, with Charlotte conceding eight goals across back-to-back defeats after allowing just 10 through its first eight league games.
Despite those struggles, Smith said Monday he remains focused on long-term development rather than short-term panic.
“What we have to do is make sure that we keep working hard every day to become the team that we want to be,” Smith said. “As I said, be consistent. The fact is that we finished fifth in my first year, we finished fourth in the second year and our aim is to go better. And If somebody tells me after 10 games that we’re not going to do better, I’d say they’re seeing a lot further into the future than probably a lot of other people can.”
Charlotte’s week began with a U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 showdown Tuesday against regional rival Atlanta United FC at the Sportsplex at Matthews, with the club seeking its first-ever quarterfinal berth in the tournament.
The match followed Charlotte’s resounding 6-0 victory over Charlotte Independence in the Round of 32 on April 15, but MLS form entering the Atlanta matchup had been far less convincing.
The Crown opened its recent league swing with a resilient 2-1 road win over New York City FC on April 18, overcoming a sluggish first half that produced no shots before second-half goals from Idan Toklomati and Kerwin Vargas secured the result.
That momentum quickly dissipated.
A trip to Orlando City SC on April 22 resulted in a season-worst defensive showing, with Charlotte surrendering four goals in a lopsided defeat. Morrison Agyemang’s goal for the club provided little solace in a match where defensive breakdowns repeatedly gave Orlando’s offensive attack room to work.
Charlotte then traveled to face Eastern Conference-leading Nashville SC last weekend and again conceded four goals in another loss.
For Smith, navigating adversity is nothing new.
“I’ve had the fortune of being in professional football since I was 16 — 39 years — so I’ve been through a lot of wins, a lot of draws, a lot of losses as any footballer and football manager has,” Smith said. “I’ve gotten better at coping with it, but losing is still as bad as it always has been. You probably work harder after every loss than you do after every win, and the wins last much less longer than the losses do in your brain, because you always feel that there’s something new to fix.”
Charlotte’s defensive concerns have become increasingly important as the club attempts to match or exceed the breakthrough success of 2025.
Last season marked Charlotte FC’s best campaign since joining MLS, as the club posted a franchise-best 19-13-2 record and amassed 59 points to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference.
It also established Bank of America Stadium as one of MLS’s premier home-field advantages, producing the league’s best home record while transforming from postseason hopeful into legitimate contender.
Though the club’s playoff run ended in a first-round exit to New York City FC, the season significantly raised expectations for a club now pursuing its third straight winning season. Replicating that success will require a return to the defensive discipline that fueled Charlotte’s rise.
This season the group has allowed opponents one of the league’s highest shot volumes this season, a troubling trend that has placed increasing pressure on its back line and goalkeeper.
Still, Smith believes perspective is critical.
“When you’re 10 games in, you don’t get too high and you don’t get too low,” he said. “I didn’t get too high after New York, I didn’t get too low after Orlando and I certainly won’t after Nashville, where I felt that we’ve competed. So people will have opinions, and as I say, opinions I’m okay with.”
With MLS play continuing Saturday on the road against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium, Charlotte now faces an important opportunity to steady itself.
From there, the club will have a much-needed return home to Bank of America Stadium where it will host five home games in a row, starting with FC Cincinnati on May 9.
Source – Indonesia News
