Charlotte Independence have a championship Saturday

CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE

Charlotte Independence goalkeeper Matt Levy, who earned the USL One Goalkeeper of the Year award, will lead the Jacks' defense into the league final against Forward Madison Sunday at Matthews Sportsplex.

The Charlotte Independence are targeting a fourth national professional soccer title for the Queen City. 

After beating Forward Madison Sunday in the semifinals, the Jacks will face first-year side Athletic Club Boise Saturday at the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex stadium in Matthews at 7:30 p.m, Boise beat Chattanooga Red Wolves in extra time in the other semifinal. 

A USL One title would add the Jacks to the ranks of the 1981 ASL champion Carolina Lightnin’ and the Charlotte Eagles, who won USL titles in 2000 (USL D3 Pro League) and 2005 (USL Second Division). The Independence acquired the Eagles’ professional charter when it began play in 2015.

While the ASL was a second-tier league in the U.S. soccer structure – the NASL was the top-tier first division at the time – both of the Eagles’ titles were on a third-tier level, the same as USL One. The Eagles also made the USL Pro final in 2013, losing to future MLS side Orlando City. The Independence faced North Carolina FC in the 2023 USL One final, losing on penalty kicks in Cary. 

Jon Bakero, a leading candidate for the league MVP award, scored the first goal nine minutes in on a close-range putback after Souaibou Marou’s shot was parried but not collected by Madison goalkeeper J.T. Harms. 
Forward Madison equalized just two minutes later on a counterattack as Charlotte was pushing for another goal.

Sega Coulibaly’s header in the 40th minute proved to be the winner. The ball was served to the back post from the right by Jon Bakero, of course, who set a new record for assists with 18 in the regular season. It was the centerback’s first goal for the Jacks.

Goalkeeper Matt Levy was credited with six saves on the night, several of them spectacular. 

On a mission

Charlotte FC midfielder Brandt Bronico, who played 33 games for the Independence in 2021 on loan from the Crown, says he’s spoken with Jacks captain Clay Dimick and coach Mike Jeffries. 

“They've had a very, very impressive season,” Bronico said. “They’ve set a lot of records. It’s kind of theirs to lose. They’ve done everything that they needed to do to put themselves in the best position possible to go and win it all. They’ve already won the regular season, so now it’s just, can they continue.” 

Levy believes they can. 

“I think it's just like an internal thing and something that we’ve been just focused on, the minute details. And yes, coach brings that culture to the team, but it's within us to continue that and keep it throughout the practice, and we have. I think this week was the most competitive practice we've had all year, and that says a lot.”

After starting the first 26 matches last season, Levy was benched for the next six, a casualty of a four-game losing streak where the Jacks gave up 10 goals. Though he didn’t use the word, it was clear this season has been a redemption for himself and the team.

In 2025, the Jacks finished eighth in the table with 10 wins, 13 losses and six draws while scoring 45 goals and conceding 50. Their highest finish was fourth in 2023, where they overachieved to the championship final.

“Through what we went through last year as a team, and me personally, getting dropped from the starting 11 in the last two months of the season, to come back and have coach trust me through this whole process is an unbelievable feeling,” Levy said. “I feel like I came and proved a point, knowing that I’m a top keeper in this league.” 

The league thought so too, as Levy was named League One Goalkeeper of the Year on Monday. That acknowledgement capped a season where he earned nine Save of the Week honors and five Team of the Week selections during the regular season. Among his standout stats, Levy saved four penalty kicks.

“We talked at the beginning of the year that his role was to help us win points, and Matt has won us a ton of points this year,” Jeffries said. “I couldn’t tell you how many saves have kept us ahead or kept the opponent from getting ahead. He’s made big plays at big times, and it has been a difference-maker in us getting results.”

Said Dimick after the semifinal: “He’s head and shoulders above the league in terms of Goalkeeper of the Year award. When you have that behind you, it gives you confidence that he’s going to save it if a ball gets through.”

With success comes honors. Five Jacks were named to the USL One All-League team. Bakero, Levy, Marou, and Javen Romero were all selected for the first team, and Joey Skinner to the second. 

Jeffries was named Coach of the Year on Wednesday after leading Charlotte to the first Players’ Shield in club history. Charlotte finished the regular season with a 20-6-6 record, setting new league records for points (66) and wins (20) in a single season. They also made Charlotte a miserable trip for opposing teams, with a 14-1-1 record, the best home mark in league history.

“I am honored to receive this award,” said Jeffries. “I want to thank my staff. Dave Carton and Gabriel Obertan are indispensable and challenge me every day to find ways to make us better. In addition, props to our trainer, Lindsay Jones, for her tireless efforts in keeping guys on the field, and to our equipment managers, Zavier Desrosiers and Nick Jones, for ensuring the day-to-day operations run without any hitches.”

Keeping players on the field has been a challenge with standouts like Luis Alvarez and Enzo Martinez out for extended periods. Alvarez started the season in Player of the Year form, igniting the offense with his ability to break down defenses with his dribbling, goals, and assists until a nagging thigh injury derailed his season. Christopher Jaime, who brought some of the same guile and ingenuity to the team, has also missed games due to injury.

Both Bakero and Marou are finalists for the Player of the Year award, which will be announced before the final.

The matchup

Boise will be moving up to the Championship division next season. When these teams last met on September 16 in Idaho, Charlotte came from a goal down to level the score at 1-1. They withstood 25 shots, including 9 on target, and a crowd of 7,207 to claim a point. They defeated Boise 1-0 in Charlotte on May 6. 

Saturday will be a homecoming of sorts for two Boise players. South African Tumi Moshobane played for the Jacks last season, scoring one goal in 17 appearances. Philip Mayaka from Kenya ran the central midfield for Crown Legacy in the MLS Next Pro team’s first two seasons (2023-24).
 

Comments