Two weeks ago, Charlotte FC made local history playing its first home opener at Bank of America Stadium, breaking a Major League Soccer attendance record in the process. This weekend, the team made local history again — winning its first-ever match, in front of fans in Charlotte.
There were about 30,000 fans in the stands when Charlotte FC beat the New England Revolution 3-1.
“The way they did it — they changed around their lineup,” The Charlotte Observer’s Langston Wertz Jr. told WFAE’s Gwendolyn Glenn on this week’s Time Out for Sports. “They went with four mid-fielders, and I don’t think New England ever adjusted to that; they were expecting a different formation. And they got an early goal.”
There's no better feeling 😆 pic.twitter.com/aBlkKYk9US
— Charlotte FC (@CharlotteFC) March 20, 2022
On the basketball court, meanwhile, March Madness is in full swing — and teams from the Carolinas are making waves. The North Carolina Tar Heels upset national champions Baylor 93-86 and Duke bested Michigan State 85-76 — right after Michigan State knocked out Davidson 74-73.
“A funny thing happened to the Tar Heels on Saturday,” Wertz said. “They ran out to a 25-point second-half lead and lost it all in the last 10 minutes and ended up going into overtime. It was the type of game that could have been a program-defining loss for new coach Hubert Davis, but it turned into a program-defining win. He was cool under pressure, and there was a lot of pressure — and you could tell the kids believed in him.”
That’s just the men, though. In the women’s tournament, Charlotte lost to Indiana 85-51, No. 3 NC State was facing Kansas State on Monday, while UNC was gearing up to square off against Arizona.
And No. 1 South Carolina is still going strong after a 49-33 win over Miami.
“South Carolina, you know — you can cue the Darth Vader music,” Wertz said. “I told you months ago they’re going to win the national championship.”
You can listen to the full Time Out for Sports conversation above. Here’s a quick rundown of what else Glenn and Wertz covered this week.
- There’s some analysis of the Carolina Panthers not getting Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson, even though they wanted to sign him.
- The Charlotte Hornets were on a four-game winning streak going into Monday’s bout against New Orleans.
- William Bryon, a 24-year-old Charlotte native, won his first NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
