Charlotte FC graded a "Met Expectations" by MLS Soccer Pundit Matt Doyle. What is required for the club to exceed expectations in 2026?
- Brian Maurer
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
By Brian Maurer
MLS writer Matt Doyle published his grades for every MLS team this past week, and for Charlotte FC, he gave them a grade of "met expectations."
It's a fair grade, and his assessment is likely common among many around the fanbase. Doyle's overall take was "[Charlotte FC] can grind out regular-season wins, but that's about it."
The primary focus for Charlotte in 2026 will be their performance in the postseason, Leagues Cup, and US Open Cup. All tournaments, they should be able to compete in, but the Crown hasn't been able to make any serious movement under Dean Smith's leadership.
In Smith's first two seasons, the Crown has never advanced past a Tier 1 team in tournament action. Smith has mentioned that his preference and view on success is to stay consistently rising in the table. Which he has done. The question now is silverware and qualifying for the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Here is an early look at what I think Charlotte FC's grading expectations are for 2026, using a similar model to Doyle's grading system for 2025: exceeding, met, or below expectations:
Exceeding Expectations - Winning Supporters' Shield or MLS Cup. If this team reaches the peak of MLS success either through their regular season consistency or with an exciting MLS Cup run, then they would have exceeded their season's expectations in my eyes.
Met Expectations - Qualifying for Champions Cup or winning silverware. It's pretty straightforward what the next step up for this club is. Not accomplishing these feats would be below the club's own standards, which they have been setting, which is continued progress. They were one point from qualifying for the Champions Cup in 2025, so any progress made in the table this season should get them over the line.
Below Expectations - If, at the end of this season, the conversation is "they are just one piece away" or "if this player or that player wasn't hurt at this time" or any of the other reasons that have been discussed in the past couple of seasons come up again, 2026 fails to live up to the hype.
Sitting comfortably in the playoff picture won't be good enough, or satisfactory to a fanbase dying to see that next step taken in a city starved of trophies.