The 74,000 seats at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta can be overwhelming at times. Once brimming with excitement of a contending Atlanta United side, many sections have sat vacant as the club struggles at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
On Saturday though, a few patches were particularly loud. High up in the bowl, over 2,000 Charlotte FC supporters packed in, cheering The Crown to a 3–2 victory over Atlanta, with goals from Wilfried Zaha, Idan Toklomati and Pep Biel.
While not a local rivalry, the battles between Charlotte and Atlanta have been brewing since the former entered the league in 2022. They’re two southern teams, both with aspirations to contend for MLS Cup in behemoth NFL stadiums.
“This game excites me always, because it’s like being back in England, where the away fans travel in their numbers,” Charlotte head coach Dean Smith told reporters after the match, a third straight win for his team. “It’s really nice to have them there, and we know what they have to do to get to this game.”
The win marked Charlotte’s 11th of the season, and brought them to seventh in the Eastern Conference. It also continued their rise and a strong week, having secured each win in a span of just eight days. No doubt, a nice boost for the club after going 12 games with just two victories.
“I think we’re doing a really good job,” captain Ashley Westwood said. “We’re setting in foundations for this football club. We’ve not shot from the stars straight away. You have to build a football club. Since I’ve been here, we’ve reached the playoffs, so hopefully we want to do that again. We want to go one better.”
