Charlotte FC and Independence on soccer trophy hunt 

CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE

Charlotte Independence forward Souaibou Maroun leads USL League One's golden boot race with 10 goals in league games and 12 tallies overall.

The American summer of soccer continues at full speed in Charlotte this week with both Charlotte FC and Charlotte Independence in the hunt for their first trophies.

The Crown were chasing Leagues Cup honors on Tuesday against CF Pachuca at Bank of America Stadium while the Jacks host Hartford Athletic on Wednesday at the Sportsplex in Matthews.

Border war

With two wins in their first two matches against Liga MX sides, Charlotte FC headed into the match against Pachuca, who lost to Real Madrid 3-1 in Charlotte during the first round of the FIFA Club World Cup last year, with a strong chance to make the Leagues Cup quarterfinals. 

But despite creating good chances, the Crown couldn’t find the net, including a saved penalty kick by Archie Goodwin, which allowed a goal in added time to give the Mexican side a 1-0 win. 

The Leagues Cup features all 18 clubs of Liga MX and the top 18 of MLS, with each team playing three first-round matches. The top four clubs from each league will move on to the quarterfinals, and CLTFC was in a good position heading into the third game with full points (6) and a plus-5 goal differential.

With Cincinnati losing and Columbus winning on penalty kicks Tuesday, a win would have clinched a quarterfinal spot. While not technically eliminated, Austin, Chicago, and Dallas would all have to lose matches for Charlotte to have a chance. LAFC, with a win and draw, could move ahead with a positive result and eight other MLS teams are sitting on one-win, one-loss records going into their third game. 

Bottom line: probably not going to happen this year.

USL bragging rights

While the Crown waits, the Independence are already in the quarterfinals of the USL Cup against Hartford. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Matthews.

The in-season tournament included all 25 clubs from the tier-two USL Championship division and 17 teams from the third-tier USL League One. Enjoying one of their best seasons ever, currently second in the table with 12 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses, the Independence navigated their rise in the group stage unbeaten with wins against Richmond (2-1) and Greenville (1-0), and penalty-kick wins over USL Championship powers Pittsburgh (1-1, 4-2 PKs), the 2025 USLC champions, and Charleston (2-2, 4-2 PKs). 

Hartford won their group with three wins and a loss in penalty kicks. They come to Charlotte with only one win in their last five games (1-2-2), the last being a 1-1 draw on Sunday against Indy Eleven. They are currently ninth in USLC after 18 matches (4-5-9).

Of the quarterfinalists, only Spokane Velocity joins Charlotte from USL One.

In their last time out, the Jacks beat Greenville Triumph 1-0, earning their first clean sheet in the past eight games. Coincidentally, that also came against the Triumph on June 24. 

That match came amid the club’s best-ever run. After a string of three losses in early April, one a 6-0 U.S. Open Cup defeat to Charlotte FC, the Independence went unbeaten in 14 straight matches (10 wins, 4 draws) in USL league and cup play. 

The Jacks are currently second in the USL One table, equaling their best-ever placement after 19 games, which occurred in 2023, and in 2017, when they were in the Championship division. They have 13 regular season games left before the playoffs.

That last win was the third in a row and saw the Jacks outshoot Greenville 23 to 10 (5-1 on target). They could have and should have scored more, but Jeffries gave perspective to the importance of a shutout. 

“It's really big for us,” he said. “I think we haven't had one in a while, and one of the things going down the stretch that we talk about is being able to win one-nothing games. That's important. As games get to the end of the year, games get tighter. It’s more (apt to be) decided by one play.”

There have been more than a few standout players for Charlotte this season. After missing six matches due to injury, Luis Alvarez is getting back to the form that has made him a frontrunner for League One MVP honors. Alvarez, who is back in Charlotte on a season-long loan from Championship side Tampa Bay after a record-setting transfer to the Florida club last year, has 10 goals and 6 assists across all competitions. 

The only person with more goals than Alvarez’s nine in League One play is teammate Souaibou Marou, who has 10 in his golden boot effort. He has 12 tallies and four assists in 25 games across all competitions. An exciting and fearless striker, the Cameroon international introduced himself in style last year, coming off the bench against Westchester SC to score a second-half hat trick, the first ever sub to do that in USL1. 

Goalkeeper Matt Levy has been the king of denial, coming up with more than a few game-saving and dramatic stops this season. 

Midfielder Christopher Jaime has been a perfect complement to Alvarez with his deceptive dribbling and pace.

“Jaime's a good two-way player,” said Jeffries. “He gets out of tight spaces surprisingly well. It's really interesting, and he's way quicker than anybody ever thinks. You know he is able to get a first step to get by guys.”
Independence captain Clay Dimick explained his belief in the Jacks’ success.

“I think like the thing that's in this group that wasn't in the group in previous years, and maybe last year in particular, is just the mentality and the willingness to be a group no matter what.” 
“From the guys who are playing every minute to the guys who aren't playing, everybody attacks the same at training. Everybody attacks the day the same. We just want to be better as a group, and I think you see it in games like this. 

Most, if not all, champion teams will tell you that the intensity and focus of their practices made their games seem easier, and Dimick echoes that.

“I'd say the overall thing is just our mentality to do the dirty work, no matter the circumstances, and that that happens in training every day,” he said.

Just win baby

While not in any cup competition, Crown Legacy are also having a remarkable season, camped atop the Eastern Conference table in MLS Next Pro. The second team of CLTFC has posted 12 wins and six draws against just three losses. 

The defense has been solid, second in the league with only 28 goals conceded and 7 clean sheets, but the offense has been next level, scoring 52 times. That’s combined for a dominant plus-24 goal difference, more than double that of the next best teams.

Seventeen different players have scored, led by Canadian Hugo Mbongue with 11goals in 15 matches. The next three leading goal-scorers are not always on call for the Legacy due to their success.
Rodolfo Aloko, now firmly ensconced with the first team, set the early pace with six goals in the first four games and eight total before his promotion. Nimfasha Berchimas, currently recovering from surgery on his foot after being injured recently on U.S. national team duty at the 2026 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Mexico, also has eight goals.

Rookie Nathan Richmond, who has seven goals and nine assists for the Legacy, has been training with the first team and made his MLS debut against Pumas in the Leagues Cup last week. He also came on against Atlas on Saturday.

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