Charlotte Independence host rival Greenville Triumph

STEVE GOLDBERG | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Charlotte Independence's 3-3 draw against Texoma on Saturday was the Jacks' fourth straight but with 28 points is fourth in USL League One.

The Charlotte Independence haven’t lost in their last four games. But most disappointing to coach Mike Jeffries is that they haven’t won, either. 

“We haven't been able to close out games,” Jefferies said after a 3-3 draw with Texoma on Saturday. “[It] is very frustrating, just because we had 2-1 with a penalty (which was saved), and then in the space of a minute, the game goes from us having a comfortable lead at halftime to us having to protect the game down a man, and that's discipline mentality. That's pretty frustrating, for sure. We've had moments where we've had a lead and just have to be able to manage the game a little bit better.”

The Jacks have been better, opening the season with three wins and a draw in their first four matches, and winning five in a row during a spring stretch that included a 2-1 win against North Carolina FC, a USL Championship side, in their first Jägermeister Cup match, the USL’s inter-divisional tournament. They drew against Lexington SC and Loudon United SC, splitting penalty kick tiebreakers in those games.

“We played very well in all the games against the Championship sides,” Jeffries said. “We end up missing out, losing the penalty shootout to Loudon.

“It's one of those things that you either say, “Look, we're a League One team, and we're just going to use it to play and get experience,” or you go for it, and you hope you make it, because otherwise you put a lot of energy into it, and when you don't make it, it's pretty frustrating. But we also took a lot of confidence from the games we played against Championship teams. Two ties in regulation, and the win is pretty good.”

Heading into Saturday’s home match against Greenville Triumph at American Legion Memorial Stadium (7 p.m. kickoff), the Jacks are fourth in USL One. The league is extremely competitive, with the top six teams within six points of each other going into the weekend. 

Chattanooga Red Wolves (9-2-6) lead with 33 points after three straight wins. Spokane Velocity (9-3-5) follows with 32, Naples (8-5-5) with 29, and Charlotte (7-4-7) with 28. One Knoxville (7-2-6) and AV Alta (7-4-6) have 27 points apiece. That the number of matches played ranges from 15 to 18 shows an even greater balance at the table’s top half.

With 12 games left, the Jacks are in position for a home advantage in the eight-team playoffs, but nothing is guaranteed with that many points in play.

Bakero dishing dimes

With three assists in the 3-3 draw with Texoma, Jacks midfielder Jon Bakero equaled the single-game assist record in USL One. It marked the sixth triple-assist game in League One history and the first since July 2023. 

That, along with another assist against Knoxville a few days earlier, earned the 2017 MAC Hermann Trophy winner at Wake Forest the USL League One Player of the Week honors.

"It's been good," Bakero said. "I've been really finding my feet and I'm feeling really comfortable in the system that we're playing, and the confidence the coach has given me feels good. I'm happy to help the team with assists, with whatever I can, but it doesn't really matter if we can't get the win."

The three assists doubled Bakero’s total for the season and he now leads the league with six total. 

Juan Moreno and Fabrice Ngah, the recipients on two of Bakero’s passes, joined him on the first eleven of the USL One Team of the Week with Bachir Ndiaye on the bench. Souaibou Marou, who scored the first goal, might have made it as well, save for the red card he earned at the end of the first half.

Marou, Charlotte’s leading scorer this season with seven goals, which is tied for third most in USL One, will sit out Saturday’s game. Christian Chaney, who has six goals, will most likely start up front for the Jacks.

Ngah is the league’s top scoring defender with five goals.

Hickory wins NPSL championship

Second-year club Hickory FC capped its second Southeast Conference title with the NPSL National Championship. They downed 2024 champion El Farolito 3-2 Aug. 2 at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. 

A semi-professional league, the NPSL is the fourth tier of the U.S. pyramid. NPSL players include collegians, aspiring professionals, and former professionals, to compete while maintaining amateur eligibility for college athletes.

NPSL Golden Ball winner Antonio Pineda put Hickory in front in the 30th minute. El Farolito equalized on a penalty kick just before halftime.

HICKORY FC

Hickory FC won the NPSL National Championship with a 3-2 win against El Farolito in San Francisco.

Geoffroy Letienne’s header from a Pineda put Hickory back up in the 55th minute. Tomas Pollacchi made it 3-1 on a breakaway in stoppage time, which proved to be enough to survive a late El Farolito strike. 
In front of 1,000 fans, the final marked the largest crowd in El Farolito history, but Hickory wasn’t impressed. Their 3-2 semifinal win against Ristozi FC, was played in front of 6,247 at Moretz Stadium at Lenoir-Rhyne.

“You see a lot of tears here — and that’s because they worked so hard this year,” Hickory head coach Carlos Rubio said. “They deserve every bit of it. It speaks to the community, the ownership group, everyone who puts in the effort to get us where we are. It was a dream two years ago, and today it’s a reality.”

Said El Farolito head coach Santiago Lopez: “They’re a fantastic team. Before the match, I knew it was going to be a very tough and close game. But they had a great game plan, and we just weren’t able to take advantage of our opportunities. I know they’re going to grow, and hopefully they can make a good run in the Open Cup.”

Participating in next year’s U.S. Open Cup is an added reward for Hickory.

“Super excited, super excited,” said Rubio. “I think it’s a dream to be part of the oldest competition that has a little history. We worked hard — that was one of our targets this year — so I’m super excited to bring that level of soccer into our community.”

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