State of the Crown: Analyzing Charlotte FC's first third of 2026

By Brian Maurer

Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/TopBin90

Charlotte FC is just about a third of the way through the 2026 season and is currently sitting in 7th place in the Eastern Conference. After a solid start to the year with strong home form, the club derailed a bit during their recent road trip.

Being eliminated by their Southern Rivals in the US Open Cup hasn't helped the mood among the fanbase, as the club looks to right the ship before the World Cup break.

Here is an analysis of Charlotte FC's first third of the season, looking at both their attacking and defensive phases of play:

Results:

• At St. Louis City - D 1-1

• At LA Galaxy - L 3-0

• Vs Austin FC - W 3-1

• Vs Inter Miami - D 0-0

• Vs Red Bull New York - W 6-1

• Vs Philadelphia Union - W 2-1

• Vs Nashville SC - L 1-2

• Vs Charlotte Independence* - W 6-0

• At NYCFC - W 1-2

• At Orlando City - L 4-1

• At Nashville SC - L 4-2

• Vs Atlanta United* - L 0-2

• At New England Revolution - L 1-0

*US Open Cup

Attacking Phase

Charlotte FC continues to be in the bottom half in total possession at 48% (17th in MLS) but is eighth in total passes in the final third according to Opta. So far, their attacking third possession hasn't led to a gain in production as they are T-13th in goals scored and have only generated 119 shots (24th in MLS).

The lack of shooting volume has forced Charlotte to be one of the most efficient goal-scoring teams in order to maintain its place in the table, as it is sixth in shot conversion percentage (15.13%). This shooting conversion is in part because the team is getting good quality looks as they are ninth in big chances (31) according to FotMob. Chart 1 below highlights Charlotte's limited amount of total shots, but also shows that with the limited amount of looks, they are generating a respectable amount of xG. This puts Charlotte on the border of a low-volume/high-quality quadrant in terms of their attacking output.

Chart 1

The improvements the Crown has made on set pieces are obvious, as they have six goals from dead-ball play (T-3rd in MLS), but are struggling to generate goals from direct attacks (13 direct attacks, zero goals), which should be a strong suit for Charlotte given how often they play accurate long balls (4th in MLS).

Defensive Phase

Off-the-ball Charlotte FC continues to be one of the least pressing teams in MLS, currently allowing the second-most passes per defensive action (18). This emphasis on rest defense has reduced the percentage of shots and goals allowed from inside their own box, a metric Head Coach Dean Smith regularly highlights.

The Crown has the third-lowest shot % from inside their box (59.01%) and second-lowest goal % inside their box (52.63%) allowed. Chart 2 below highlights the number of shots Charlotte allows while also showing that they are allowing closer to an MLS average in xGA, putting them in a high-volume/lower-quality defensive quadrant in terms of shots faced.

Chart 2

They have the second-fewest high turnovers in MLS, leading to them creating the fewest shots from high turnovers. Their emphasis on compact defending is a key factor in why the team doesn't win the ball high, and likely weighs into some of the direct attacks being lower.

While the club has reduced the amount of shots and goals from inside their own box, they are allowing a bunch of attacking volume (6th-most shots allowed in MLS). Charlotte will need to get some of those numbers down to count on their defensive solidity more consistently.

Set-piece goals have been a huge boost early

Charlotte FC has emphasized improving its set-piece production this season, and so far, the results are clear. They have already passed their goal production in 2024 through 11 games (5 goals vs 6 in 2026) and are close to hitting 2025's numbers (8 in 2025 vs 6).

The amount of Charlotte's attacking volume (xG) they look to gain this year, compared to the last two seasons, is on track for around a 50% improvement. Showing a trend that set-pieces should be an area the Crown can continue to bank on for goals for the rest of the season.

Summary

Charlotte FC continues to show trends similar to the past couple of seasons under Smith, aiming to stay compact defensively and reduce high-quality chances for their opposition. They are still banking on efficiency and quality chances in the attack, even if they create fewer chances overall.

One of the big changes has been their improvements on set-pieces, as this seems to be a new area they can now count on for goals.

The issue continues to be whether they can increase their overall attacking volume while reducing their opponents' overall volume. A way to monitor whether there is improvement on this is if the Crown can increase their amount of possession in dangerous areas, particularly with touches in the opposition's box (currently ranked 16th in MLS).

*Stats from Opta and FotMob