By QC_Javi
I’ve been living in the Queen City for over 20 years, searching for a local sport that brings me as much joy as it once did in my hometown of Guadalajara, Jalisco. I’ve learned about American sports and supported teams like the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA and the Carolina Panthers of the NFL. Going to games, buying merchandise, and even creating entertaining content to collaborate with them at some point. Full of good moments in my time here, none could compare to my Chivas de Guadalajara. A love and passion that didn’t fill my heart until Charlotte FC arrived in 2020.
Today I’m here to tell you the story of how the “Black and Blue” team made me fall in love with soccer all over again—through a brand full of life, traditions that make the team truly unique, and a personal experience I’ll never forget. Let’s look back at the team’s first season and see what left the biggest mark on Charlotte’s soccer dream.
Let’s start with the most essential element of a sports organization, which, in my opinion, is the brand. The image represented by a logo that connects the fans to the team. A crest on a black background featuring a four-pointed crown. It bears the name “Charlotte Football Club” and the message “Minted 2022,” signifying the year they would play their first regular season in the MLS.
With that crest and the colors blue, white, and black, they’ve been able to release merchandise that has turned the entire city into fans. These colors are familiar to many, as they’re exactly the same ones that identify “Las Panteras.” Among my favorite items are the main home jersey, a pair of adidas Ultra Boost shoes, caps, and even a selection of scarves with designs that changed month after month. Even before the first match, you could see people wearing the team’s merchandise everywhere, proud that we finally had a soccer team.
Once the team had established its identity, the organization focused on hosting fan engagement events that helped everyone connect with the team on a personal level. One of these was the event at “El Underground,” where we welcomed the team’s first head coach, the Spaniard Miguel Angel Martinez. At the event, he spoke about his expectations for the first season—not just his own, but what he expected from the team—and positioned us as a team that was going to win. He also mentioned that in our first year, we would make the playoffs as an expansion team. That moved the crowd and gave them hope for what the season would bring. Unfortunately, after some conflicts within the organization, Miguel stepped down as head coach midway through the season.
Another significant initiative by Charlotte FC that has brought the community closer to the team is the network of community soccer fields they have established across the state—in minority communities, schools, and cultural centers. Together with its official sponsor, Ally, the organization undertook the task of building 22 small soccer fields where coaches will hold clinics for children who want to play soccer.
I had the chance to attend several of these events, where MLS Commissioner Don Garber and even Charlotte FC owner David Tepper were on hand to kick off the fields where the kids will play. The goal will always be to promote soccer, and this was one of the best ways they could do it.
Traditions are a must for any Major League team, and with Charlotte FC, some were established right from the very first game.
One of these traditions is singing the national anthem before the game begins. During the first match against the LA Galaxy, due to a technical glitch with the audio system, the fans took it upon themselves to sing along and fill in for the singer, who did his best to perform without sound. With more than 74,000 people in the stadium, we all sang in perfect harmony in a way that was recorded for history. That day, we not only broke the MLS attendance record, but we continued to do so in the following matches. We created a tradition that the media still talks about to this day.
Moving on from one of the world’s favorite traditions, I’d like to tell you about one that not many people are fans of: the famous “beer showers.” Before the first game, fans in the stands were discussing how we were going to celebrate every time the team scored a goal. For many teams, this is already a way to celebrate, and it remained to be seen if we’d adopt it in Charlotte. To the surprise of many, the first goal came a few games later against the “New England Revolution,” scored by forward Carol Swirdeski, and almost immediately, beers were flying all over the stadium. It’s an uncontrollable thrill to see your team score goals and watch as, almost instinctively, people’s hands send their drinks flying. I’ll say it again: not everyone is a fan of that tradition. But that’s how it’s celebrated in the stadium—that’s just how it is.
Now let’s talk a little bit about my personal experience with everything that’s happened with Charlotte FC since the day it was announced that we were going to have a soccer team in Charlotte. Obviously, we’ve already talked about how I was hoping for a team I could connect with in the city, but as a content creator, things happened that I could never have imagined; From the very beginning, I was involved in the team’s announcements, and when they announced the official name, I ran a contest to give away some limited-edition silver coins commemorating the team’s emblem and name. When they unveiled the home jersey, I had the opportunity to run a campaign where I got to see it before the public, and for the first game, I covered the event as an experience correspondent for the sponsor, Ally.
From there, I’ve been able to create content about the fan experience on my YouTube vlog, which covers everything from the pre-game party to the game itself and the post-game festivities. No matter what happens—even if we lose—the fan clubs always end up celebrating at the stadium’s north gate.
Thanks to the content I’ve created, I’ve also had the opportunity to travel on my own to away games against highly experienced teams in the league—and even against them, Charlotte FC competed and played soccer worthy of success on the field. Matches against Miami FC, LAFC, and Columbus Crew are just a few examples that I was also able to document in my vlog for a community that, for reasons beyond their control, couldn’t make the trips. It’s very rewarding to visit different stadiums where we’re the underdogs and leave with our heads held high because of the team’s effort—whether we won or lost. I always received comments from opposing fans thanking us for our dedication and resilience in representing such a young team.
I’ll wrap up by talking about my experience and thanking the community that has engaged with my content from day one and now sees me as one of the outlets providing the team with news and entertainment. It’s really nice to be able to attend the games and have people recognize me and ask to take a photo with me while I’m recording the vlog, or even when I’m just sitting in my seat during the game. There are lots of kids who get excited when they see me with the camera in my hand and ask to be in the video of the week. That really moves me because it shows me that the work I do is worthwhile and that the fans are watching it. The community that has formed in the city thanks to Charlotte FC has become my family, and the joy you feel on game day is unmatched.
The 2023 season is fast approaching, and we’re no longer an expansion team. We have a record to break in the playoffs, but one thing we do know is that the fans and the traditions are just getting started. I’m still creating the content that brings me so much joy, and I’ll continue to support Charlotte FC, because we’ve got “Black and Blue Blood” here in Charlotte.