South Charlotte Today

Most teams would be content with a 1-1 draw against the fourth-place New York Red Bulls, but Charlotte FC Head Coach Dean Smith was far from pleased, particularly with his team’s overall performance.

“I thought our standards weren't anywhere near where they should be, and I told the players that afterwards,” said Smith.

Smith has been outspoken about the urgency that surrounds the team in this crucial final stretch of the season. His aim is not merely to secure a playoff berth but to climb as high as possible in the Eastern Conference standings. Smith has made it clear to his players that the goal is to remain unbeaten for the rest of the season.

“I'm not here to be liked, especially at this top part of the season. I'm here to win football games and get into the playoffs as high as we can, and then compete in the playoffs against teams we've competed against well this season.”

One of the key areas where Smith expects improvement is in the attack. Although there were promising opportunities to exploit a recovering Red Bulls defense, Smith pointed out that there simply weren’t enough players supporting the forward movement.

“I didn't think we supported the ball going forward as quickly as we should have done on Saturday... You look at the good chances that we had in the second half, where we got in and around the penalty box, and we only had two or three players running into the box.”

With that match behind them, the team's focus quickly shifts to a high-stakes encounter with Atlanta United. This is the first time these rivals have met this late in the season. Atlanta is fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive, while Charlotte is pushing hard for a top-four finish, so pressure is palpable.

This upcoming match marks the sixth time these two sides have faced off. Though rivalry between these cities has been longstanding, soccer rivalry is relatively new. However, after three seasons, it has grown into a genuine contest filled with emotional and memorable moments for both teams.

“It’s genuinely developed into a real rivalry where you can get energy from their fans and from ours. You can feel it a lot more through your bones,” said midfielder Bandt Bronico, a Charlotte native. “It gives you that extra motivation over Atlanta, and you want to win that game for supporters.”

A win this weekend would allow Charlotte to sweep Atlanta; their previous away leg in series ended in thrilling 3-2 victory for Crown. Over 2,000 Charlotte fans traveled to that match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and witnessed one of most electrifying games of season. Smith acknowledged fans as crucial factor in securing that win as well as recent draw against Red Bulls and emphasized their importance for upcoming game.

"I know how much of a win it was. We took two-and-a-half thousand there to Atlanta,” said Smith. “It was great day but we've got to be good and need our supporters help us."

“I thought our supporters were reason why we ended up walking away with point on Saturday [against Red Bulls], rather than defeat. So we'll need them again; it will be better performance from us against Atlanta; it needs to be."