The Independence are Charlotte’s best side – for now 

CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE

Charlotte Independence, who are 7-1-2 over their last 10 matches, sit second in USL League One's table, one point off the top spot.

With the Carolina Ascent’s season finished, the mantle of Charlotte’s best soccer team now rests on the shoulders of their brother team, the Charlotte Independence. 

Since getting knocked out of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and missing a chance to play Charlotte FC in a competitive match for the first time, the Jacks have gone 7-1-2 and are a point out of first place in the USL One standings.

That makes them the most successful team currently playing. This is not an argument about how teams would match up against each other, but rather about how they are performing in their respective leagues. The Ascent have set the bar high, and are still queens of the hill, having won the Players’ Shield for the best regular season record in the USL Super League. The Jacks and CLTFC can only hope to match that achievement, something more achievable for the Independence than the Crown at this point.

CLTFC sits ninth in the MLS East after a gut-wrenching loss at Philadelphia on Saturday. Their second team, Crown Legacy, is 11th in MLS Next Pro.

Hard to beat

Before gritting out a 1-0 win against Greenville Triumph on Sunday at American Legion Memorial Stadium, Charlotte (24 points) flew cross-country to play a night game at league leaders Spokane Velocity (25 points).

The Jacks scored first and held on to take a valuable point home to North Carolina.

Christian Chaney, who scored against Spokane, was named to the USL One Team of the Week along with Fabrice Ngah, who scored the winner against the Triumph on a nifty give-and-go with Jon Bakero. Eight different Charlotte players have been named to the Team of the Week 20 times through week 15. Mike Jeffries has been named Coach of the Week three times, including this past week.

Jeffries’ squad has become what every team wants to be: hard to beat. The Jacks are undefeated at home in six matches with four wins and two draws, and have been road warriors as well, with three wins, two losses, and a draw. Twice the Independence came back from two-goal deficits to win on the road in Texas and New York. Both losses were by a single goal. 

From April 20-May 16, they put together a five-game winning streak that included a revenge win over USL Championship side North Carolina FC, who had knocked them out of the Open Cup, in the USL’s inter-division Jägermeister Cup. 

Adios Alvarez

In that stretch, the Independence averaged three goals per game. Since then, they’ve lost two of their best midfielders. Alfredo Midence, who had four assists in his seven games for the Jacks, was recalled to the USL Championship by Lexington SC on May 24, and two weeks later, Luis Alvarez was sold to the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

The undisclosed transfer fee was reported as the highest-ever paid in a move from a USL League One club to a USL Championship club.

How big was the loss of Alvarez? He was named to the USL One Team of the Week in six of the first 12 weeks. Since joining the club as a 19-year-old before the 2023 season, he helped the club reach its first league championship final and was a finalist for USL Young Player of the Year last season after scoring nine goals and assisting on five in 34 appearances.

Before leaving for Florida, the Honduran midfielder bagged five goals in 13 appearances across all competitions and was among the leaders in chances created.

Despite the personnel changes, the Jacks stayed resolute, winning twice and drawing one for seven points in a week.

“I think it's a group of guys that believe in each other, believe in themselves,” Jeffries said after Sunday’s win. “We've kind of found a different way to play without Luis and Alfredo, and adjusted fairly well. I think as time goes on, we'll hopefully be able to push games a little bit further. But as a really competitive team, we found ways to make plays and games that get us through.”

Endurance and depth were also factors with three games in nine days. Jeffries described his team as “Resilient, really resilient.” 

“This was a hard week, no question, to travel (on) a long bus trip (to Georgia), come back basically a day later, fly out completely cross country, play a really hard, good game both times, and then come back a little bit in the tank. It was also a good opportunity for guys to get minutes who maybe haven't gotten as much over the course, and it was nice. I think guys stepped up and proved that they can help contribute to our group.”

The Jacks are equal with two other teams for most goals scored with 20, and second in shots with 157. Defensively, they are second in the league with 4 clean sheets and smack in the middle with goals conceded (13). Christian Chaney and Souaibou Marou have five goals apiece, just one behind the league leaders.

The Independence are 7-2-3 in League One play with the next two matches on the road, a league game against Texoma FC on June 21 and a Jägermeister Cup tilt against Loudoun United on June 28. They return home to play Union Omaha on July 12 in a match that will be played at the Matthews Sportsplex, as American Legion Memorial Stadium will host the USA-Spain rugby match.

Comments