Mint City Soccer Show

Charlotte FC parted ways with Christian Lattanzio Wednesday morning. So we felt it necessary to grab the mics, invite the one-and-only Vaughn Pollman on, and record a live episode about the news.

Matt Swift, David Gusler and Vaughn discuss why Lattanzio is out, give their thoughts on who should be the next head coach and take a bunch of your questions.

It's been over a week since Charlotte FC lost its playoff match against New York Red Bulls – and the guys are still mad about it. Matt Swift, David Gusler and Corey Inscoe talk about the 5-2 loss, share some surprising stats from the season as a whole and look toward next year and what we hope to see in Year 3 for CLTFC.

Happy 100 episodes to us!

Special guests Charlotte FC Chief Fan Officer Shawn McIntosh and Radio Play-by-Play Host Will Palaszczuk join Matt Swift, David Gustler, Corey Inscoe, Russell Varner and Vaughn Pollman for a very special 100th episode as we enter the final week of the regular season and reminisce about all that has happened over the past few years. Join us!

Four draws and a loss: Not exactly the form Charlotte FC was looking for as the Crown makes a push for the playoffs. In this episode (streamed live Tuesday night) Matt Swift and David Gusler talk about the recent form, give a realistic look at CLTFC's playoff chances, and discuss what changes need to be made for this team to improve next season.

After yet another draw with D.C. United over the weekend, Charlotte FC have a quick turnaround with Philadelphia Union coming to town Wednesday night. To preview the match, Matt Swift invited the amazing José Nuñez, who covers the Union, to join him on this week's episode.

Two matches, two late goals conceded, two draws. In this episode (broadcast live on YouTube), David Gusler and special guests Russell Varner and Vaughn Pollman take a look at Charlotte FC's draws against Nashville and Orlando City. Who is to blame for these late-game mistakes? How can the team avoid this in the future? And what do CLTFC's playoff chances legitimately look like?

Join us as we try to find the answers.

Charlotte FC came out of the Leagues Cup break with a huge home win over LAFC. Matt and David break down the much-needed victory, discuss Christian Lattanzio’s … very different lineup, and look ahead to a big midweek home match against Orlando City.

This week we have a special guest! Charlotte FC Sporting Director Zoran Krneta joined Matt Swift and David Gusler to take a deep dive into what it took to build Charlotte FC's roster over these first two seasons. We talk to him about how he built the initial team, the obstacles CLTFC overcame being a new team in MLS trying to recruit overseas and how he hopes to see the team build in going forward. It's a conversation you won't want to miss!

Finally, something good to talk about! Charlotte FC dominated Necaxa 4-1 to move on to the knockout stage of the Leagues Cup and looked as good as they have all season. Matt Swift and David Gusler break down the match, explain why the next game will be played in Texas, discuss the summer transfers so far and answer your listener questions.

This episode, we're going to spend most of our time talking about the big news in MLS this week – Charlotte FC's abysmal 2-0 loss to CF Montreal. Wait, there was other news?

Good friend of the show Vaughn Pollman joins the crew to talk about where Charlotte FC goes from here, and, of course, we discuss the impact of Lionel Messi joining MLS and Inter Miami.

Charlotte FC and Seattle Sounders played to a wild 3-3 draw at Bank of America Stadium Saturday night, with Crown goals from Jaylin Lindsey (set up by an unbelievable touch by Karol Swiderski), Ashley Westwood and Patrick Agyemang. Matt and David break down the match, look ahead to an off weekend and answer your questions.

Matt and David are back together to talk about ... another loss. Charlotte FC fell on the road to Columbus Crew 4-2, so the guys discuss what went wrong ahead of this weekend's home MLS match against Seattle Sounders. (Are the calls for #LattanzioOut getting louder?) Then we take a look at goal – who has been the better goalkeeper this year: George Marks or Kristijan Kahlina? And then, of course, we answer your listener questions.

A tale of two 1-0s. Charlotte FC beat LA Galaxy on the road Saturday, but lost in Philadelphia to a strong Union squad Wednesday. Matt Swift is back with Corey Inscoe to break down the two matches, discuss the positive (and not-so-positive) things we took away from the matches and, of course, answer your questions.

Since we last recorded, Charlotte FC beat Chicago Fire at home – that feels like a long time ago ... – then lost a heartbreaker to Nashville and fell apart against Birmingham Legion in U.S. Open Cup. How worried should we be at this point? David and Corey break down both matches, look ahead to LA Galaxy Saturday and answer your questions.

David and special guest Jeff Eklund revel in Charlotte FC's dominant 3-1 win over That City, which they watched as part of a large and rowdy group of traveling supporters that crashed Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Then they looked ahead to the mid-week match with Chicago Fire, leaning on Jeff's history as a Fire fan and his knowledge of Chicago food. Finally, of course they answered your listener questions and gave their predictions.

Charlotte FC beat Columbus Crew for its first home MLS win of the season, Crown Legacy won its fourth-straight match the following day and CLTFC earned a convincing win against South Georgia Tormenta in the U.S. Open Cup match Tuesday. And David wasn't there to see any of them. Coincidence? We break down the winning week and answer your questions about the backline depth (or lack thereof) after Bill Tuiloma's injury, whether Marks or Kahlina should get the start Saturday against D.C. United and some ... interesting ... recent roster moves.

What looked like a euphoric Charlotte FC comeback home win turned into a disappointing draw Saturday night, as Colorado Rapids equalized late to keep CLTFC winless at Bank of America Stadium this season. Matt, David and Corey debate the late-game tactics, specifically the substitutions and how the team switched to a defensive posture in the final 15 minutes. But it's not all doom and gloom. To keep things light, we asked listeners to send us some fun questions, and boy they delivered. Sometimes you just need to laugh.

Charlotte FC ended its three-game unbeaten streak with a disappointing 3-1 loss on the road at Real Salt Lake. Why? Let us count the ways. Matt and David break down the game, including the head-scratching substitutions, and answer all your questions. Then we turn a hopeful eye on this weekend's home match against Colorado Rapids. Let's share our feelings together. This is a safe place.

Another match, another draw. Charlotte FC traveled to windswept BMO Field and erased a two-goal deficit in the second half to draw Toronto FC 2-2. Ben Bender got back in the scoring column and Kamil Jóźwiak finally opened his MLS account. Matt and David discuss their takeaways from the match, look ahead to Real Salt Lake this weekend and answer your listener questions!

Finally! We get to record an episode after a Charlotte FC win – on the road no less! Charlotte FC beat Orlando City SC 2-1 Saturday to get its first win of the 2023 season. We discuss the lineup changes for this match, player performances that stood out and Matt's tweets. And, of course, we answer your burning fan questions.

What can we say about that match? Charlotte FC lost to Atlanta United 3-0 at Bank of America Stadium in one of the most deflating performances of the team's short history. So we're doing this episode a little differently: Y'all sent in a ton of questions, so we devoted the entire episode to answering them. We cover everything from who gets the blame for the goals, what's happening at left back, what's the most worrisome part of this slow start and why there were so many Atlanta fans in the crowd. Strap in and feel your feelings with us.

Bad mistakes. Charlotte FC's made a few. 

Matt and David are back from St. Louis after watching CLTFC lose 3-1 to the expansion side. We discuss the trip as a whole before trying to understand what happened on the field. Then we look ahead to That City coming to town Saturday and the Anton Walkes scarf and tribute. Finally – understandably – we got a lot of fan questions this week so we dig into those as we try to figure out how Charlotte FC moves forward from this slow start.

It wasn't the start we wanted. Charlotte FC lost the first game of the 2023 season 1-0 to New England Revolution in front of a home crowd of 69,000+. Matt and David discuss what went well and what didn't during the match – both on and off the field – and ask some questions about the starting lineup and substitutions. Then we look ahead to St. Louis this weekend and answer your fan questions.

This episode, we celebrate. We celebrate the kickoff of the 2023 Charlotte FC season this weekend at Bank of America Stadium. We celebrate the release of Lenny Boy Brewing's Mint City Pilsner. And we celebrate the people who make Charlotte FC's supporter culture the best in the league by inviting some of our good friends onto the show that we recorded live at Lenny Boy Brewing Friday night. (Yes, another live show at a bar. Ambiance at no additional charge.)

Charlotte FC news is coming fast and furious as we get closer to the start of the season. Matt and David break down the latest, including the worst-kept secret in Charlotte: Enzo Copetti joining the club. They also talk about Christian Fuchs' move to the coaching staff, Harrison Afful's dual role and the Ashley Westwood signing. And they answer a boatload of your reader questions.

We all knew the black and mint kit would only last a season. So how will Charlotte FC replace that wildly popular look? We got a clue this week through a leaked color scheme and David and Matt have very different feelings about it. They debate the look in the first half of this week's episode, then dive into the mailbag to answer your questions. 

Nice.

Now that we know who and when Charlotte FC will play in 2023, it's time to start marking our calendars and circling matchups we don't want to miss. Hosts David Gusler and Matt Swift are joined by the great Vaughn Pollman to discuss the schedule, the upcoming MLS SuperDraft and other CLTFC roster news. Finally, the guys talk a little World Cup and take your listener questions.

Wales. England. Iran. The United States. Four will enter, two will advance. Who will it be? Matt Swift is joined by two other Matts – Chantry and Livingston – and a Russell (Varner) to break down World Cup 2022 Group B and answer important questions like, "How many countries are in this country?"

We start our comprehensive World Cup preview with special guest Vaughn Pollman! He joins Matt Swift and David Gusler to discuss the controversy around Qatar hosting, big storylines heading into the tournament and they answer your burning World Cup questions!

Charlotte FC goalkeeper George Marks joins the Mint City Soccer Show to talk about his journey to the pro level, which keeper on the team is best at penalties and his takeaways from the Crowns' first season.

The first Charlotte FC season has come to an end with the Crown coming up just short of a playoff berth. David Gusler and Matt Swift invited special guest Matt Chantry on the show this week to recap the final two matches of the season, discuss the end-of-season roster decisions already made – and those to come – and also share all of the behind-the-scenes work Mint City Collective and the other supporters' groups did to make game day in Bank of America Stadium so magical.

Daniel. Rios. What a night. Matt and David discuss Rios' four-goal performance in Charlotte FC's historic win over Philadelphia Union on Fan Appreciation Night, then look ahead to Wednesday's rescheduled – and massive – home match against Columbus. And, as always, they answer your listener questions!

Charlotte FC does the flippity flop. Matt and David discuss the epic comeback win over Chicago Fire, evaluate playoff scenarios and take a look ahead to Philly.

Yeah, we're saying it. Charlotte FC's path to the playoffs isn't easy, but it's possible and it starts with a must-win trip to Chicago this weekend. Matt and special guest Russell Varner look back at the sweep of NYCFC, look ahead to Crown vs. Fire, describe how Matt became Chico's Instagram boyfriend at the CLTFC shoe event and answer your questions.

What in the world happened in Cincinnati? That's the central question this week as David rejoins Matt on the show to discuss Charlotte FC's 2-0 road loss and look ahead to the final stretch of games in this inaugural season. And we answer your questions in everyone's favorite segment!

Vaughn Pollman is back! He joins Matt Swift to answer all of your burning Charlotte FC questions, such as "Is there really still a chance Charlotte makes the playoffs?!?" The guys also discuss how CLTFC stacks up to other recent expansion teams, expectations for the rest of the year, team needs for next season and – now that they've coached the same number of matches – how MAR and Christian Lattanzio's records compare.

He's the soundtrack to all of your favorite Charlotte FC moments. Charlotte FC play-by-play master Eric Krakauer joined Matt and David at Salud to talk about how he got into this industry, how he landed in Charlotte (and how he got paired with Lloyd Sam), his favorite moments from the season and his reaction to Charlotte FC's upset road win over New York City FC. Then, we wrap it all up with reader questions.

It's a busy – and crucial – week for Charlotte FC. Matt and David discuss the 5-0 shellacking at LAFC and preview Wednesday's road test against New York City FC. And Producer Corey makes no apologies for the 1-minute cold open about cheesecake.

The boys are back, though a little late as Matt tries to fight off bronchitis (ain't nobody got time for that). Our fearless hosts break down Charlotte FC's loss to Chicago Fire, the loss of the club's OG player and answer the question: Are Charlotte's playoff hopes lost, too? Then we get to your fan questions, a segment that still has no name or hashtag.