Dean Smith era for Charlotte FC begins unlike any season before — with a win

The Dean Smith era in Charlotte is off to a good start.

Charlotte FC made club history Saturday night in Bank of America Stadium after clinching a 1-0 win over New York City FC, the first season-opening win in the club’s three-season existence. Saturday also saw the first Major League Soccer win for Smith, the coach with Premier League credentials tasked with uplifting a team widely expected to finish in the Eastern Conference cellar.

But to the players? This was less of a statement of what they could be — and more of a display of who they already are.

“We’ve been together for a year now, so we know what to expect,” captain Ashley Westwood told reporters post-match. The midfielder wasn’t shy about his motivations to prove national MLS pundits wrong in the preseason. “The manager has come in, and he’s set the standard straight away: what he wants, what he needs from everyone. And everyone has bought into it, and it’s a real happy change.”

The victory was in front of a rocking house. The club distributed 62,291 tickets, per the team.

But to Smith, there were a select few fans he needed to earn the approval of.

“I mean, I’ve got eight in my family here as well, so I had to win, otherwise I would’ve been in trouble,” the newly hired coach said. “But I said to the defenders before preseason started: Every clean sheet, I’ll by them a nice bottle of wine. So they reminded me of that straightaway after the game.”

The game’s lone goal came in the eighth minute. After knocking on the proverbial door on back-to-back trips in the attacking third — via dangerous crosses of Nathan Byrne — Charlotte FC finally broke it down thanks to a corner taken by Kerwin Vargas, whose right-footed floater found the head of Iuri Tavares. The attacker’s header nailed the bottom of the crossbar past the goalkeeper, then defender Adilson Malanda finished it off by heading it solidly into an empty net.

It was Malanda’s first goal of his MLS career.

There were chances thereafter, for both squads, but neither team broke through again. That included a few for Charlotte FC.

Enzo Copetti, the spunky Argentine striker, whiffed on a harder-than-it-seemed scoring opportunity late in the first half. In the 62nd minute, Charlotte was awarded a penalty kick after a handball in the box, but Vargas’ left-corner shot was stopped by NYFC goalkeeper Matt Freese. A breakaway — and a chance at redemption — was presented to Vargas a few minutes later, but that was blocked by Freese, too.

NYCFC had two equalizing opportunities that the team will remember. The first came in the 42nd minute, when NYCFC was awarded a free kick just outside the Charlotte FC box after Brecht Dejaegere was called for a handball. That came to nothing. And then there was the heart-stopper in the 76th minute — a loose ball that resulted in a shot opportunity by NYCFC’s Santiago Rodriguez at the top of the box that sailed high.

It’s safe to say the plucky Queen City side passed the eye test Saturday. The team was aggressive, pressing up in the attacking third. The defense was stout and clutch. The team didn’t drop the lead in the final minutes like it had several times last year. Charlotte FC lost the possession battle 57.3% to 42.7% — but largely because that didn’t appear to be the priority of this Smith team, a large departure from last year’s philosophy under Christian Lattanzio.

Despite this result going like no other season-opening one had in Charlotte FC history, the players decked in blue did as they always have done after Saturday’s final whistle. They gathered near the box facing their supporters section and waved their thanks, maintaining something old as they as they embark on something new.

“I was told before, obviously, that we hadn’t scored here on the first game, and we hadn’t won,” Smith said.

The coach then smiled.

“So that’s put to bed,” he said. “We can stop talking about that now.”