Dean Smith Wants to Put Things "Right" Against New York City FC

Caleb Adams

After Charlotte FC suffered a 3-0 defeat against Minnesota United, Dean Smith and his team analyzed the shortcomings of their performance that Sunday evening.

Despite trailing just before halftime, Charlotte remained competitive in the match. However, their hopes were dashed during a critical five-minute period when they conceded consecutive goals, extinguishing any chance of a comeback.

“Our emotional control has to be better,” said Smith. “If you concede the second goal, you have to make sure that we stay in the game. That's something that we've been real good at, and it's something that we lost sight of a thing last week.”

Charlotte began the match against The Loons with vigor, crafting three significant opportunities to seize an early advantage, yet they failed to convert them into goals. However, as the game progressed, they encountered difficulties in generating further attacking opportunities. Smith attributes this issue to a lack of cohesion in the final third.

“In terms of our creativity, we had some big chances that we haven't taken. Last week was moments that we didn't take as well. There’s some great opportunities to create some big moments, and technically I think we just failed on that.”

Attention swiftly shifts to New York City FC as Charlotte concludes their season series early in the campaign. The Crown have the chance to extend their unbeaten streak to six matches against NYC, but the Pigeons have been in flying form as of late. Nevertheless, the team is determined to rebound and rectify their recent loss, especially after surrendering their home unbeaten record.

“My sense from the players is that they're hurting from last week,” explained Smith. “They were quite proud of their unbeaten run at the Bank of America Stadium."

“They were disappointed with the result and the score line last week, so I think first and foremost, I want to put that right.”