Dean Smith calls for "siege mentality" at Charlotte FC

Fill the Fortress. Protect the Keep.

During its four years of existence, two of them on the field, Charlotte FC has proven to be strong in the face of adversity. 

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the club to delay its inaugural season. MLS didn’t ask, it told. 

Miguel Angel Ramirez was appointed manager and immediately isolated himself from the players which caused unsalvageable locker room issues. 

Anton Walkes’ tragic death before the 2023 campaign made things extremely difficult for players, coaches and supporters alike. 

None of this has been easy. 

It might never be. 

New Charlotte FC manager Dean Smith called for a “siege mentality” when speaking with a packed house of media members during his introductory press conference. 

“Our job is to make sure we make every team that comes to play us at Bank of America Stadium dislike it. We want to make a siege mentality where it’s us against them.”

Protect the Keep is a battle cry Charlotte Soccer Show listeners will know all too well. This time, it’s for real. 

Dean Smith (left) is officially introduced Monday morning as Charlotte FC Head Coach. He was joined by David Tepper, Nicole Tepper, Zoran Krneta and Joe LaBue.

The Crown is a new club in a growing league and no one in MLS is going out of their way to help Charlotte become one of the biggest clubs in the country. 

A siege mentality is “a collective state of mind in which a group of people believe themselves constantly attacked, oppressed, or isolated in the face of the negative intentions of the rest of the world.”

Us Against the World is the type of philosophy that accomplished manager Dean Smith has brought to the Queen City. 

“If I sat here and said I haven’t come to win the MLS Cup then I shouldn't have been hired. The role is to be as ambitious as possible. My ambitions are to bring the MLS trophy here.”

The new gaffer is already playing on his front foot. 

“My driver has always been to prove people wrong. People will say it's going to be really tough for a club that’s only two years old to win MLS and that’s already my driver”.

Smith also preached togetherness at Monday’s press conference. 

“Once you get a culture that’s together and you get momentum it’s very very difficult to stop and that’s what we need to create here.”

The only player Smith mentioned by name was captain Ashley Westwood. The new manager will rely on Westwood to keep this changing squad together in the coming months. 

“I don’t know Ashley Westwood but I reached out to him because my teams have played against him just to get a feel from him about the roster and the league. He told me how tough MLS is.”

One specific group of people should be extremely excited about Smith’s appointment: young players. 

“If you’re good enough ,you’re old enough” Smith shared with the group of assembled media and supporter group presidents. 

Smith went on to talk about giving Norwich’s Jonathan Smith-Rowe his senior debut when he managed the Canaries. The 20-year old Rowe is tearing up the championship this season and showing unbelievable promise. 

Interested parties that quickly come to mind are Patrick Agyemang (23), Kerwin Vargas (21) and Vini Mello (21). 

“My job is to develop players. If I develop players then the team develops. If the team develops then we start winning soccer games.”

The era of Christian Lattanzio ranting about experienced players is over. 

Sporting Director Zoran Krneta was also at the podium and quickly switched the club’s narrative to accomplishing loftier goals. 

“We are not happy to be a playoff team, just a playoff team. We want to be a winning team. We want to be the team to host the MLS Cup one day in Charlotte and in the Carolinas.”

Krneta won’t hide from the fact that he got it wrong with both Miguel Angel Ramirez and Christian Lattanzio, but those experiences have taught him valuable lessons. 

Charlotte Soccer City is told Smith and Krneta have assistant coaches circled who have extensive MLS experience on their resumes. Stay tuned for more on that.

Atrium Health Performance Park is buzzing with energy heading into 2024 and Charlotte FC supporters are feeling that same emotion about Smith’s hire. 

Everyone is on the same page. 

Everyone is together. 

There is no doubt that the club got this right. 

Less than five years into the club’s existence Charlotte FC has become a proper football club by hiring Dean Smith.