Charlotte FC opens Leagues Cup with 3-0 win over Pumas

WFAE | By Woody Cain

Published August 5, 2026 at 9:26 AM EDT

Charlotte FC opened its Leagues Cup campaign Tuesday night with a 3-0 victory over Mexico's Pumas at Bank of America Stadium.

Tyger Smalls scored Charlotte's final goal after Brandt Bronico and Archie Goodwin also found the net for The Crown.

Smalls said the club is determined to make a deeper run in the tournament after early exits in previous years.

“This year we really want to go on a run in the Leagues Cup,” Smalls said. “The last two years we've lost the first game, so the next two games haven't meant much. It's good to get a win and start with that, and now we have good momentum going into the next two games.”

Charlotte FC returns to action Friday night at Bank of America Stadium against Atlas FC in its second Leagues Cup match.

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Woody Cain

Woody is a Charlotte native who came to WFAE from the world of NASCAR where he was host of NASCAR Today for MRN Radio as well as a pit reporter, turn announcer and host of the NASCAR Live pre race show for Cup Series races. Before that, he was a news anchor at WBT radio in Charlotte, a traffic reporter, editor of The Charlotte Observer’s University City Magazine, News/Sports Director at WEGO-AM in Concord and a Swiss Army knife in local cable television. His first job after graduating from Appalachian State University was news reporter at The Daily Independent in Kannapolis. Along the way he’s covered everything from murder trials and a national political convention to high school sports and minor league baseball.

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