Soccer heats up ahead of season opener in Charlotte

Driving the news: Charlotte FC surpassed 60,000 tickets for its inaugural home match on March 5 vs. LA Galaxy and 20,000 season tickets, Kelly confirmed to media on Jan. 31.

Why it matters: The 2014 game that Kelly attended drew 69,364 people. It was a summertime tournament, what would eventually be known as the International Champions Cup, featuring two historic European names: Liverpool from England and AC Milan of Italy. The ICC benefited Charlotte in terms of economic impact, but attendance fluctuated through the most recent match in 2019.

• MLS commissioner Don Garber told me when David Tepper was awarded a franchise in December 2019, the league had been, “quietly testing the market” with these matches, including the Gold Cup tournament and international friendlies.

The big picture: Charlotte’s goal is a sold-out crowd of more than 74,867 on March 5, and 30,000 season ticket holders.

• A sell-out crowd would break Atlanta United’s 72,548 league attendance record for a regular season match.
• “Our targets haven’t changed,” Kelly said. “We’re still pretty bullish…”
• $15 upper-level tickets are still available.

Between the lines: Charlotte has had minor league soccer for years, but it didn’t matter how good those teams were. They struggled to attract fans, with the exception of the Carolina Lightnin’ in the 1980s. Now, the city has an MLS franchise, the highest level of soccer in the U.S., and Charlotte is trying to write a different narrative.

Our thought bubble: While I spent July through November running on local streets and greenways training for the Charlotte Marathon, I saw more Charlotte FC gear than any other team, and this was before they released their inaugural kit (aka uniform) in December. I’ve covered every level of the game in this city, and this team has a chance to do something special.

What’s next: Charlotte is training in Florida for the team’s second leg of preseason — the first took place at Bank of America Stadium. They’ll host a free, open training session on Feb. 10 at noon before heading to Charleston for the Carolina Challenge Cup. Kelly said they will release their community kit in mid-February. Whether or not they’ll wear it in Charleston is TBD.

Here’s Charlotte’s Carolina Challenge Cup schedule:

• Feb. 12 vs. Charleston Battery at 7pm.
• Feb. 15 vs. Columbus Crew at 5pm.
• Feb. 19 vs. Inter Miami at 8pm.

Charlotte’s season kicks off on Feb. 26 at D.C. United.