Charlotte FC is on the road this weekend and will play the first match of the group stage of this year’s Leagues Cup tournament.
The month-long tournament features clubs from Major League Soccer and Mexico’s Liga MX. All clubs participating stop league play to complete matches in the tournament.
Charlotte joined the MLS in 2022 and is still searching for the club’s first competition title. At a press conference, Head Coach Dean Smith said the tournament is a great chance to make club history.
"This club is 2.5 years old. So you know, if we went to win a trophy, (it would) be the first trophy that these clubs won," Smith said. "As I said to the players, in the years that come, they'll be revered for doing that — being one of the first teams that can go and win a trophy."
Charlotte will take on a fellow MLD club, Philadelphia Union on Saturday night at 8 p.m.
Following Saturday night's match, Charlotte will return to Bank of America stadium to take on Liga MX club Cruz Azul on Wednesday to conclude group stage play.
There will be no draws in the group stage. Any match that ends in a tie will go straight to a penalty shootout. The winner of the shootout will take home an extra point.
