There are six players left on Charlotte FC's senior roster from the pre-Dean Smith era. What do they all have in common?
- Brian Maurer
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Brian Maurer
As Dean Smith enters his third preseason at the helm of Charlotte FC, there are now only six players he has kept from the group he inherited in 2024: Brandt Bronico, Kristijan Kahlina, Kerwin Vargas, Nathan Byrne, Ashley Westwood, and Andrew Privett.
It is common for new coaches to come in and make changes as they bring in their own hires within the group (both players and coaches). Highlighting these six helps us understand the overlapping traits that Smith likely keys in on and why they have been offered contract extensions since Smith's era began.
Defensive work rate
All six of these players have shown a strong willingness to put in a shift defensively in various capacities. From Kahlina's shot-stopping to Vargas and Byrne's two-way play, all of them have a willingness to do the dirty work off the ball to help the team stay competitive year after year.
Kahlina won Goalkeeper of the Year in 2024 and has ranked top five in GK saves each of the last two seasons. Westwood has been noted for his ground coverage (especially in 2024) and ability to position himself defensively after supporting in the attack. These are things Bronico, Byrne, and Vargas have also become known for in Charlotte.
In 2024, Privett was ranked third among all MLS CBs with over 2000 minutes in American Soccer Analysis' interrupting goals added*.
Versatility
All five outfield players have shown versatility with their style of play, being able to take on different roles when called upon. Privett started as a midfielder when drafted, but found his way onto the field as a center back, and has slotted in at left center back as a right-footed player to do the job needed.
Byrne, over the years, has been willing to swap between left and right back depending on squad availability. Westwood and Bronico have both been willing to sit deeper when needed and also play in more advanced roles. While Vargas' two-way play and athleticism give Smith the options to play him higher on the wing or fall back in defensive support.
Durability and availability
All six of these players have shown an ability to stay healthy and be available through their time in Charlotte (knock on wood). Even with the extra defensive effort and running all of the outfield players are putting in, they have, for the most part, been options for Smith week after week.
While one aspect of this is luck, something Byrne pointed out to us in a recent press conference, another aspect is discipline to take care of their bodies. Westwood, Byrne, Bronico, and Kahlina are all in their 30s but still showing an ability to push for 90 minutes throughout the course of a season. That's not just luck, and clearly that discipline is an important value to Smith.
Coachability and trust
Several of these players have lost their jobs periodically during Smith's tenure, and they have all responded by earning their minutes back. Vargas, Bronico, Kahlina, and Privett are all good examples of this.
This shows that Smith has a good working relationship and knows how to work with this group and get more out of them, and their willingness to respond to his methods shows trust in both directions.
Westwood and Byrne haven't been notably benched during Smith's tenure, but they have been asked to play a multitude of roles and work with several different groups of players, showing Smith trusts them to support the group as a whole, no matter the game state.
*Interrupting is an ASA advanced metric that looks at aspects of the game like stopping breaks and defensive zone actions.