10 things we've learned about Charlotte FC's 'gaffer'
Dean Smith doesn't like to be called 'coach' and nine other factoids, advancing Leagues Cup action starting in Philly, new Israeli winger coming and more
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Charlotte FC’s first-year head coach brings a sense of humor, a biting wit and a whole lot of soccer know-how
Smith has a plan — and a sharp wit — for Charlotte FC. (Photo by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project.)
As Charlotte FC takes a pause on its regularly scheduled MLS season to play in Leagues Cup, we want to take a pause, too. Not just to reflect on Charlotte sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with nine MLS games to go - on pace for its best season in three as a franchise - but to reflect on the man behind it.
Smith showed up to Charlotte with no pretense. He hung around common areas at Charlotte FC’s offices when he didn’t need to, he mapped out and executed a scavenger hunt and other off-field games to get to know players this preseason. He lingers after press conferences just to shoot the breeze. He still thinks he’s a man of the people.
For Smith, it must be both a gamble and a challenge to show up in a new country, without the benefit of the reputation you’ve built. The well-educated soccer fans understand his English football resume, but a whole lot of other people here don’t. After watching him in action these past seven months, I’m starting to think maybe Smith’s gamble was also based in confidence. Who needs a reputation when you believe you can do well — regardless of what’s happened before?
It’s been fun getting to know Smith so far. His press conferences are more direct, more revealing and more entertaining than what we’ve had in the past. But I think it’s also because we’re learning something and know there’s more to come. Meanwhile, here are 10 things we’ve noticed about Smith so far. In keeping with his character, they won’t all be serious:
He kids because he cares. At least that’s our assumption. The more British you are, the more likely you are to be the target of one of his zingers. He dubbed Ashley Westwood’s three-assist performance against Cincinnati a “nosebleed” because the midfielder doesn’t “normally get so high (or forward) on the pitch.” Of right back Nathan Byrne’s near miss in the same game, Smith said: “If he had scored the goal, then I think we could have just all packed up and gone home. I haven’t seen him score a goal in training yet.” Of his son Jamie Smith, the day he scored two goals in a game for the Greenville Triumph of USL1, he quipped he was going to have to hear all about it for a week.
He does NOT like to be called ‘coach.’ Not by his players, staff, media and my guess is, fans, too. Smith wants to be “Dean” or “gaffer.” If we’re going to subject him to terms like “soccer” and “field,” I think we can give him this one, so “gaffer” it is. For those who still need a little etymology on the word “gaffer” — meaning boss, supervisor or manager — it’s believed to date to the 16th century and be derived from the word “godfather.” It usually refers to a foreman or overseer of a group of workers on a construction site or in a factory.
He’s kind of a big deal in English soccer circles. Sure, Smith played for 16 years and coached for 19 in English professional soccer, including the last 13 as manager (head coach). He was credited with giving Jack Grealish his start with Aston Villa, which propelled him to a $127 million contract with Manchester City and a spot on the English National team. But even since moving into relative obscurity stateside, we learn that Smith sent messages to his former player, Ollie Watkins, shortly after he scored a game-winning goal for England in the EUROs. He had hoped to tee up this week with Pep Guardiola, world-renowned coach, while Man City was in Chapel Hill for an exhibition against Celtic, but Pep’s schedule and surgically-repaired back got in the way. “I told him I wanted to beat him in something,” Smith said.
He enjoys talking a little smack. Smith not only doesn’t fear a little tongue-in-cheek bulletin board material, he seems to seek it out. How else do you explain the twinkle in his eye when he served up the one-liner after Charlotte FC beat the top-ranked Cincinnati on the road earlier this month. “Yes, we are the queen city,” he said, proving his take on an ongoing debate between the two cities.
Smith with his captain and fellow Brit Ashley Westwood. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
He doesn’t care about preconceived notions. Smith winces when people ask him about the challenges of winning MLS games on the road, as if to say, “Why would it be any different than at home?” Even after flying to Vancouver, Canada, Smith didn’t want to make excuses for a 1-1 draw. In moments, his responses can play as obliviousness — “What is the All-Star game?” when asked about Adilson Malanda and Kristijan Kahlina being left off the MLS All-Star roster. But there’s also no pretense when it comes to facing tough opponents, and his team seems to feed off the vibe he puts out. In a recent three-game swing against the top three teams in the East, Charlotte came away with four points against Miami, Cincinnati and Columbus, and was miffed it didn’t get more.
He knows how to coach defense: It’s obvious if you’ve been watching this season, but important to include. Smith just took a team that gave up 52 goals to one on pace to allow 37 with largely the same players. And from what British pundits say, he’s actually supposed to be an offensive-minded coach.
He has answers. Ask Smith after a game about what happened on a goal Charlotte conceded, and he’ll immediately lay out what went wrong and why. Want him to explain why they had success? He’ll break down his game plan — without fear of a team using it against him later. There were times in the pre-Smith era when you wondered if Charlotte FC’s first two coaches knew answers to some of those questions, much less right away.
Fans aren’t the only ones falling for Smith. Did you see Swiderski embrace Smith when he was subbed out from his first game back in Austin? Our last memories of Swiderski leaving a Charlotte FC game were images of him contorting away from Christian Lattanzio’s outstretched hand. Swiderski and Smith hardly seemed to get to know each other during the preseason. But after keeping tabs on Charlotte FC from his loan with Hellas Verona in Italy, Swiderski now has the look of a player who has bought in to what Smith’s doing.
He will stick to a lineup. Unlike some eye-popping lineups we saw from time to time in recent years — which was admittedly fun to write about — Smith is pretty predictable with his starting 11. Consistency with who is playing and where they’re supposed to be has proven to be one of the assets on the team.
He’s not satisfied. Even when reporters go fishing for quotes praising the team’s accomplishments so far, Smith is often quick to say the team has left points out there. The losses bother him. He walks the line of being a “man manager” who players like, while also challenging them and not being afraid to make tough decisions. “He’s brought a stability, a calmness to the group,” Westwood says.
Quotable: Kahlina weighs in on Leagues Cup
One of the highlights of Charlotte’s first two seasons was advancing to the quarterfinals of last year’s Leagues Cup before losing to eventual champion Inter Miami. Charlotte FC opens its 2024 Leagues Cup group play Saturday night in Philadelphia in the second year since the tournament expanded to include every MLS and Liga MX (Mexican League) team.
Charlotte is in Group 4 with Philadelphia and Cruz Azul. The top two teams from each group advance. As midfielder Brandt Bronico said this week, it’s two games of group play, then on to “knockout soccer.” Single elimination begins with a Round of 32. The top three finishers in the tournament qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup in 2025.
Goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, who played a big role with some key shootout saves in last year’s Leagues Cup, had this to say about the upcoming tournament:
I would say honestly the MLS is the most important tournament for us. In the Leagues Cup the pressure a little bit goes down because MLS is the main thing. This is a tournament to give us a chance to show something, to compete with the Mexican teams, to go as far as we can. And we will put all the effort to go as far as we can because maybe we can get Concacaf Champions League through this tournament. We will take it serious, but it needs to be our preparation for the last nine games in MLS.
Notable: Second Israeli forward reportedly in the works, Abada starts in Paris, Swiderski rumors false
Toklomati deal in the works: Charlotte FC is in the process of signing Israeli forward Idan Toklomati from Maccabi Petah Tikva for a fee of around $3.5 million, as was first reported by Israeli news outlets and Tom Bogert of the podcast Soccerwise. Toklomati, who turns 20 on Aug. 9, will sign as an Under-22 initiative, meaning Charlotte FC still has flexibility to add another designated player during the summer window.
Toklomati is in Paris as an alternate for the Israeli Olympic team, where he is teammates with Charlotte FC winger Liel Abada. Toklomati is set to become the third player from the same Israeli academy playing in MLS, along with Abada and Tai Baribo of Philadelphia.
Abada starts for Israel: Abada started for Israel in the opening round of the Olympics in a 1-1 draw against Mali on Wednesday.
Israel, which qualified to compete in the Olympics for the first time in 48 years, is facing intense scrutiny because of the war in the Middle East. Players were booed during the playing of Israel’s national anthem before Wednesday’s game. Israel is the only team with 24-hour protection from elite French security and police units, according to reports.
Charlotte says no to Verona: Reports circulated this week that Italian club Hellas Verona is making a run at re-acquiring Polish striker Karol Swiderski. A source with knowledge of the situation dispelled reports that a deal was close, indicating that Charlotte FC is not interested in re-engaging with the Italian club at the moment. Charlotte FC was under the impression Verona would trigger Swiderski’s option if the club avoided relegation in Serie A, Italy’s top league. Instead, when Verona tried to come back with significantly lower offers to sign Swiderski, Charlotte FC balked.
Goalie wars: For the second consecutive year, Charlotte FC had a goalkeeper win the “Goalie Wars” skills competition at the MLS All-Star game. Last year it was Crown Legacy goalkeeper Isaac Walker. This year it was Crown Legacy goalkeeper Chituru Odunze coming out on top.
Up Next: Charlotte FC vs. Philadelphia Union
When/Where: 8 p.m. Saturday, Subaru Park, Chester, Pa. (near Philadelphia)
How to watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Find information about how to subscribe for the season here.
How to listen: WFNZ 92.7 in English, WOLS 106.1 in Spanish.
Notable:
Charlotte FC plays Philadelphia on Saturday and Cruz Azul of Liga MX on Wednesday for a chance to advance in Leagues Cup. Any draws will go straight to penalty kicks and the shootout winner will gain an extra point.
Charlotte FC went unbeaten in its past three road games, with a win in Cincinnati and draws in Columbus and Austin. Swiderski started and scored on a penalty in his first game back in a 2-2 draw in Austin.
Midfielder Djibril Diani is out with a groin injury. Smith mentioned Nikola Petkovic as a possible replacement in the midfield.
Charlotte FC is undefeated against Philadelphia this season (a 0-0 draw at home and a 2-0 win in Philadelphia), but the Union has since returned two key players to the lineup. Midfielder Daniel Gazdag, who had been playing for Hungary in the EUROs, just scored three goals against Nashville. Goalkeeper Andre Blake has allowed one goal in two wins since returning from injury.
The Union made national news July 17 against New England by debuting 14-year-old Cavan Sullivan off the bench. Sullivan surpassed Freddy Edu to become the youngest player to play in MLS. He was about two weeks younger than when Adu debuted for DC United in 2004.
Carroll Walton is a longtime baseball writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution now in her third season covering Charlotte FC. She would love to hear from you. E-mail her with questions, suggestions, story ideas and comments!
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