Since joining the MLS in 2022, Charlotte FC’s form has been somewhat up and down. Having finished 9th in the Eastern Conference, with first round playoff exits, in each of their first two seasons, new head coach Dean Smith seems to have things moving in the right direction. ‘The Crown’ finished the regular season in fifth place in the East this time around, and will be hoping to mount a serious challenge for the MLS Cup. What can we expect from their postseason campaign?
What are the chances of winning the MLS Cup?
Can Charlotte FC produce a genuine shock by winning the MLS Cup so early in the franchise’s history? The latest odds are strongly backing Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, followed by LA Galaxy and Los Angeles FC. Last season’s champions, Columbus Crew, are also among the favourites.
Charlotte is near the bottom of the list, meaning that they’re an underdog that would provide a big potential win for anyone who successfully bet on a cup win. The top sportsbooks like DraftKings and Bet365 have a variety of MLS odds for postseason games — you can read here what the promotions in North Carolina are for licensed sportsbooks. With bonus bets and safety net offers, there are a variety of ways to get started with something extra. So, how did Charlotte get to the playoff stage?
The regular season
2024’s MLS season began for Charlotte on February 24th with a 1-0 win against New York City. After a long season filled with highs and lows, the franchise clinched a playoff spot with 4-3 win against Chicago Fire. This game gave Charlotte a record of 12-11-9 for the season at that point, and guaranteed the Eastern Conference playoff berth with some breathing space.
This crucial win was part of a strong finish to the regular season, with Karol Świderski scoring twice to take his tally to five goals in the eight games he’d played over the season by that stage. The Polish striker, who finished as the team’s top scorer in their previous two MLS campaigns, would eventually finish with 6 goals in 10 games, leaving fans to wonder whether an even higher finish would’ve been achievable had he not have been loaned out to Hellas Verona in the middle of the season. Patrick Agyemang finished as top scorer this time around, with 10 goals.
The playoffs
Having qualified for the postseason, Charlotte is set to play Orlando City SC in the first round of the playoffs. The first game will be held in Orlando on October 28th, followed by a game in Charlotte on November 1st. If the team is successful, this round is followed by the Conference semifinals and finals before the MLS Cup game is held on December 7th.
Other first round games include Inter Miami against the winner of the wild card match between CF Montréal and Atlanta United. With Argentine superstar Messi enjoying a strong finish to the regular season and recently scoring an 11-minute hat-trick in the 6-2 win over New England Revolution, this is one of the teams to watch.
Another big playoff game will involve LA Galaxy taking on Colorado Rapids. The other wild card game is between Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers, with Los Angeles FC awaiting the winner of the match in the first round. With soccer being the most popular sport in the world, these games are sure to attract a huge amount of attention.
The regular season was a success for Charlotte, but we need to wait to see if the team carries the winning mentality into the postseason. No matter what happens in the playoffs, we’ve seen enough to suggest that Charlotte is moving in the right direction since joining the MLS.