Charlotte Independence

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This article is about the professional club in USL League One. For the semi-professional club in the USL League Two, see Charlotte Independence Soccer Club.

Charlotte Independence
Charlotte Independence.svg
Nickname(s)The Jacks
FoundedSeptember 17, 2014; 7 years ago (2014-09-17)
StadiumAmerican Legion Memorial Stadium
Charlotte, North Carolina
Capacity10,500
OwnerQueen City Soccer Club, LLC
PresidentJim McPhilliamy
Head coachMike Jeffries
LeagueUSL League One
2021 (USLC)2nd, Atlantic Division
3rd, Eastern Conference
Playoffs: Conference Semifinals
WebsiteClub website
Away colors

Charlotte Independence is an American soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina that plays in the USL League One, the third tier of the American soccer pyramid.

The Independence currently play their home games at American Legion Memorial Stadium in the Elizabeth neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina. Previously, the Independence have played at Ramblewood Soccer Complex and Sportsplex at Matthews.

The teams color’s are navy, blue, and parchment. The independence wear blue kits at home, and grey on the road.

History[]

The Charlotte Independence were founded in 2014. They acquired the USL Pro franchise rights for Charlotte from the Charlotte Eagles, who moved into the amateur Premier Development League (PDL).[1][2][3]

The Independence took their name from Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. Their crest features the year 1775 (the year in which it was purported to have been signed) and a horse-mounted Captain James Jack, who is said to have carried the Declaration to Philadelphia.[4] Supporters were asked to choose one of twelve designs; all 12 featured the year and Jack. The team is nicknamed "The Jacks," in Jack's honor.

Former Dallas Burn head coach Mike Jeffries was hired as the Independence head coach on December 5, 2014.[5]

The Independence lost their first game to the Charleston Battery 3–2 on March 28, 2015 at Transamerica Field. Jack Thompson scored the team's first ever goal in the 13th minute.[6]

After recording their best season in 2021, finishing second in the Atlantic Division, the club decided to drop down to the third tier USL League One for 2022, with the goal of better serving its youth players, as well as the fact that a new expansion franchise in the city Charlotte FC was joining Major League Soccer that season, with whom several Independence players had signed for.[7][8]

Stadium[]

On February 25, 2015, the team announced they would play most of their 2015 season in a temporary soccer stadium being assembled at Ramblewood Soccer Complex, near the I-77/I-485 interchange in the southwest corner of the city. [9] [10] After splitting its first five home games between the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's Transamerica Field and Winthrop University's Eagle Field, the Independence won their Ramblewood debut on June 20, 2015. [11] [12]

On February 1, 2017, the team announced they would play in a permanent 2,300 seat soccer stadium at the Sportsplex at Matthews in Matthews, North Carolina. [13]

In 2016, the club began working with Mecklenburg County on a refurbishment of American Legion Memorial Stadium. The club subsequently signed a 10-year lease with the county for Memorial Stadium to become its new home, beginning in 2021.[14]

Sponsorship[]

Seasons Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2015–2016 Adidas OrthoCarolina
2017–present Novant Health

Year-by-year[]

Year Division League Win Loss Tie Regular Season Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Avg. Attendance
2015 3 USL 10 8 10 7th, Eastern Did not qualify 5th Round 1,800
2016 3 USL 14 8 8 5th, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals 3rd Round 1,375
2017 2 USL 13 10 9 5th, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals 3rd Round 1,615
2018 2 USL 10 12 12 11th, Eastern Did not qualify 2nd Round 1,659
2019 2 USLC 9 14 11 13th, Eastern Did not qualify 2nd Round 1,750
2020 2 USLC 8 4 4 6th, Eastern
1st, Group G 		Conference Quarterfinals Cancelled N/A
2 USLC 18 9 5 2nd, Atlantic Division Conference Semifinals Cancelled 1,892

Players and staff[]

Current roster[]

As of August 19, 2021[15]
No. Pos. Player Nation
1 GK Austin Pack  United States
2 DF Kevin Riascos  Colombia
3 DF Hugh Roberts  United States
4 MF Jake Areman  United States
5 DF Shalom Dutey  Togo
6 MF Junior Etou  Congo
7 DF Joel Johnson  Liberia
9 FW Irvin Parra  United States
10 MF Valentin Sabella  Argentina
11 FW Tresor Mbuyu  DR Congo
14 DF Thomas de Villardi  France
17 DF Clay Dimick  United States
19 MF Enzo Martínez  Uruguay
21 MF Noah Paravicini  United States
29 FW Dane Kelly  Jamaica
32 MF Gabriel Obertan  France
35 MF Blake Pope ([A])  United States
56 MF Sylvain Marveaux  France
65 GK  United States
88 DF Christian Dean  United States
  1. ^
    USL Academy Contract
    2.

Front office[]

  • Jim McPhilliamy – CEO & Managing Partner
  • Tim Schuldt - President & COO
  • CJ Bradley - Director of Communications & Broadcasting
  • Mike Jeffries – General Manager

Coaching staff[]

  • Mike Jeffries – Head Coach
  • Brian Haynes – Assistant Coach
  • Dave Dixon – Assistant Coach
  • Nate Walzer – Goalkeeping Coach

Head coaches[]

  • Includes USL Regular Season, USL Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup. Excludes friendlies.
Coach Nationality Start End Games Win Loss Draw Win %
Mike Jeffries  United States December 5, 2014 December 6, 2018 135 52 44 39 038.52
Jim McGuinness  Ireland December 7, 2018 June 12, 2019 15 1 8 6 006.67
Mike Jeffries[16]  United States June 12, 2019 present 19 8 6 5 042.11

Mike Jeffries has been the Independence’s head coach for all but 15 games of the teams existence. His first stint was from 2014–2018 as head coach. Coach Jeffries was promoted to general manager in 2018. In 2019, he resumed his duties as head coach while remaining the general manager.

Ownership[]

In 2018, retired Nucor steel company chairman Dan DiMicco became the majority owner.[17] Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, DiMicco sent out a series of "deeply offensive" tweets blaming the subsequent protests on "Antifa", George Soros and the Chinese Communist Party. DiMicco went on to spread a series of racist conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and false claims of election fraud. Supporters of the club responded strongly to these statements, with the official supporters' group condemning DiMicco, and the Independent Supporters Council urged the league to "take action" against him.[18]

At the same time, the club struggled to pay its staff members, even as it collected more than $350,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans.[19] Staff members were paid late if at all.

On March 29, 2021, the club announced that several owners, including DiMicco, were "in the process" of selling their ownership stakes[20] but are "in no rush" to do so.[19][21] When the Independence opened their new stadium in July 2021, supporters hung a #DiMiccoOut banner from the parking structure overlooking the field.[22]

Club culture[]

The club's original independent supporters' group, "Jack's Militia", was founded in 2012 to promote soccer in Charlotte. When the Charlotte Independence were announced, Jack's Militia became the new team's official supporters group.[23] Jack's Militia criticized the club for a muted response to the George Floyd protests in 2020, and condemned majority team owner Dan DiMicco for his statements.[24][25] In 2021, the Independence introduced an official members' rewards program called "Jack's Brigade". Despite the similar name, the club insisted that it was not intended to replace the supporters group, but to provided benefits to season ticket holders. [26]

A second self-described independent, grassroots supporters group, "The Mecklenburg Reserves," was formed in July 2021. The Mecklenburg Reserves occupy section 114 along side of the Independence Ultras.

The Independence compete for the Southern Derby against their rival, the Charleston Battery. The derby takes place over each team’s final home game, and is decided on a points system. If the two games end in a tie, it is then awarded to the team who leads in aggregate goals. The independence won their first Southern Derby in 2021.

The teams games are broadcast on ESPN+.

Achievements[]

  • USL Championship
    • Conference Quarterfinals: 2016, 2017, 2020
  • Southern Derby
    • Winner: 2021

Affiliations[]

In April 2019, Carolina Rapids Soccer Club, Discoveries Soccer Club, and Lake Norman Soccer Club merged to create the Charlotte Independence Soccer Club, making it one of the largest youth soccer clubs in the country. The club provides programs for Youth and Adult Recreation, TopSoccer, Boys and Girls Competitive, Boys and Girls ECNL, Boys U.S Development Academy, USL2 and WPSL, for its 12,000 members. The youth affiliation with the pro club designates itself as one of the few youth soccer clubs in the area, region and nation to offer a direct pro pathway for its players. CISC operates as 4 Regional locations throughout the Carolinas, North, South, East and West. Serving North Carolina communities such as Belmont, Cabarrus, Cornelius, Davidson, Denver, Gastonia, Huntersville, Matthews, Mooresville, North Meck, South Charlotte, Statesville, and Steele Creek, as well as Fort Mill, Rock Hill and York County in South Carolina.[27]

References[]

  1. ^ "Queen City Soccer Club to replace Charlotte Eagles in USL PRO in 2015". Ben Bromley. Black and Red United. January 24, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  2. ^ David Scott (September 16, 2014). "Charlotte's USL franchise to change hands Wednesday". Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on September 17, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  3. ^ "USL PRO Welcomes Independence". United Soccer Leagues (USL). September 17, 2014. Archived from the original on September 17, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  4. ^ "Charlotte now has soccer Independence". David Scott. Charlotte Observer. September 17, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  5. ^ "Independence Name Jeffries As Coach". United Soccer Leagues (USL). December 5, 2014. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  6. ^ "Charlotte Left To Rue First Half Errors". Charlotte Independence. March 27, 2015. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  7. ^ Andrejev, Alex (December 2, 2021). "As Charlotte prepares for MLS, Independence moves to lower USL division". The Charlotte Observer.
  8. ^ "Charlotte Independence to Compete in USL League One Starting in 2022". USL League One. December 2, 2022.
  9. ^ "2015 Season-Ticket Pricing & Benefits Announced". February 23, 2015. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  10. ^ "Renderings depict temporary Charlotte Independence soccer stadium". Charlotte Observer. February 17, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  11. ^ "Temporary soccer stadium not yet ready for Charlotte Independence". Charlotte Observer. June 8, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  12. ^ "Charlotte Independence rides momentum past Charleston Battery in 2–1 win". Charlotte Observer. June 20, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  13. ^ "INDEPENDENCE MOVING TO MATTHEWS". February 1, 2017.
  14. ^ Mecklenburg commissioners OK $32M stadium upgrades package
  15. ^ "2021 Roster". Charlotte Independence. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  16. ^ "Charlotte Independence Part Ways With Head Coach". Charlotte Independence. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  17. ^ Goodman, Mark Asher (February 26, 2021). "The Owner That Strangled his Own Club, Part 1". Pittsburgh Soccer Now. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  18. ^ @@ISCSupporters (March 19, 2021). "Hate has no place in soccer and will not be tolerated. The ISC issues a statement of condemnation of Charlotte Independence owner Dan DiMicco and urges the USL to take action. #HateHasNoPlace #StopAsianHate" (Tweet). Retrieved November 17, 2021 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ a b Mahoney, Ashley (November 10, 2021). "Charlotte's minor league soccer mess". Axios Charlotte. Axios. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  20. ^ Carlisle, Jeff (March 29, 2021). "Controversial owner to sell stake in USL's Charlotte Independence". ESPN. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  21. ^ Mahoney, Ashley (March 30, 2021). "Independence weigh future options with majority stake up for sale". The Charlotte Post. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  22. ^ Charlotte Post [@QC_FC] (July 8, 2021). "A #DiMiccoOut sign is hanging from the parking garage at tonight's match. #CLTvNY" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ Davis, Christopher (March 22, 2017). "A New Identity for Jack's Militia in 2017". Soccer 'n' Sweet Tea. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  24. ^ @JacksMilitia (June 1, 2020). "(image)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ^ @JacksMilitia (July 6, 2020). "(image)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  26. ^ Mahoney, Ashley (March 5, 2021). "Charlotte Independence introduce member's club for 2021 campaign". The Charlotte Post. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  27. ^ "Charlotte youth soccer clubs merge under single roof". www.thecharlottepost.com. Retrieved February 21, 2020.

External links[]

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