Hot Take of the Week: Was Charlotte FC's Regular Season a Success?
By Brian Maurer | @BAMaurerMedia
Under Dean Smith's tenure, the stated goal for Charlotte FC has been to bring home trophies. To date, Smith's tenure has raised the level of consistency but is still missing that playoff push or tournament run throughout the course of the season. The window looked there for the Crown to advance deep in both Leagues Cup and the U.S. Open Cup.
The opportunity to finish top four for a second consecutive season was also there for the Crown this season, but came up just short after ending 2026 one point behind the Chicago Fire.
When looking at MLS Cup history, only one team has ever won the MLS Cup finishing fifth in their Conference: the Colorado Rapids in 2010. The upside for Charlotte when looking at past MLS Cup winners is that they finished strong when looking at the Supporters' Shield race (seventh). Six MLS Cup winners were ranked seventh or worse in SS Standings.
Charlotte's attacking numbers have had an evolution, setting club records in several attacking categories. The most prominent being their 66 goals scored. The Crown has seven players with six or more goal contributions, and three with 15 or more. With goals coming from so many different players and areas, there is a renewed sense of optimism for the club's postseason hopes even if they don't have home-field advantage.
The question remains. Was this regular season campaign a success for Charlotte FC?
Argument: Charlotte FC's regular season was a success
They are scoring tons of goals and have multiple goal scorers in form at the right time.
They have had multiple strong results and comebacks that show the team is more capable of handling adversity.
They broke their record for road points this season.
Counter-Argument: Charlotte FC regular season was not a success
They had opportunities to jump into fourth or even third at times and came up short.
The aim is to win trophies, and their position in the table makes that an uphill battle.
They have scored more goals but have been conceding more too.
