Why 'Volare' could become Charlotte FC's new anthem
Everything you need to know before Saturday's opener: How fans will honor Anton Walkes, new TV arrangements, preview of game vs. New England, tailgating plans, supporters group merger
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The night before tragedy struck, players bonded over the Italian song ‘Volare.’ Now, they plan to keep singing.
Charlotte FC sporting director Zoran Krneta is winded but smiling after a preseason sprint with the team. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
One sun-dusted afternoon during the preseason in Florida, when the Charlotte FC squad lined up to do sprints at the end of a practice, they were joined not only by the coaching staff but sporting director Zoran Krneta.
The 6-foot-3 or so Serbian-born 50-something was reliving his glory days as a youth basketball player. He was all huffs, puffs and smiles until he nearly heat-butted midfielder Derrick Jones, who was already making the turn to sprint back.
“I said, ‘See, this is why I shouldn’t be running,’” Krneta says. “’I might injure some of the players.’”
The group’s sense of joy was almost palpable that day, a team filled with anticipation heading into its second Major League Soccer season, with high hopes, a roster already well-shaped and a coach firmly in place in Christian Lattanzio, unlike a year ago.
That same energy carried over at a team dinner the following day. As part of a new initiation tradition, whenever a new player or staffer joins the team, they coax him into singing a song at a team meal. That night, Charlotte FC’s new mental performance coach Andrea Cannavacciuolo chose “Volare,” a 1958 Italian song by singer-songwriter Domenico Modugno (that is officially titled “Nel Blu, Dipinto Di Blu”). Dean Martin covered the song, interspersing English lyrics, the same year, and the Spanish band Gipsy Kings released an up-tempo rumba version in 1989.
Before long, Krneta recalls, the entire team was singing along, including Anton Walkes.
Charlotte FC’s new mental performance coach, Andrea Cannavacciuolo (left), speaks with coach Christian Lattanzio at practice this week. Cannavacciuolo, who is from Italy, chose the song “Volare” to sing at a team dinner the night before defender Anton Walkes’ fatal boating accident last month. (Photo by Kevin Young/The 5 and 2 Project)
“We put (the song) on around 9:00, after dinner almost finished,” Krneta said. “The entire group sang.”
The Italian word “volare” means to fly. The song’s lyrics from the original Italian version, when translated into English, mean:
I think a dream like this will never come back.
I painted my hands and face blue.
Then suddenly I was kidnapped by the wind
And I began to fly in the infinite sky. …
In the blue painted blue
Happy to be up there
And I flew, I flew happily higher than the sun and even higher
While the world slowly disappeared far down there
Sweet music was playing just for me
The next afternoon, on an off day from practice, Walkes was critically injured in a boating accident and rushed to a Miami-area hospital. In a matter of 12 hours, at 3:25 a.m., he died of his injuries. Krneta had to summon Charlotte FC players together at 6 a.m. to tell them the news.
“I have been in compulsory army service when I was 18, 19 years old, and I’ve seen people tragically die, but I was the same as everybody else,” Krneta said. “We were not prepared for that. …
“When we summoned all the players and I had to tell them that one of their colleagues, friends, brother died, it was probably the most difficult time in my life. And for all of us. But sometimes these moments make us stronger.”
Krneta said in the weeks since he’s seen a new determination in players as well as stronger bonds between them. And that moment from the preseason, when the team was singing together, has taken on new meaning.
“I think it’s incredible that we actually got to sing this song that so beautifully reflects what happened and where Anton has gone,” Krneta said.
He shared the story of that night with a group of Charlotte FC fans at a recent chant practice. The fans were so touched they decided to scrap a song they planned to start singing at the end of each game this season. Now, they want to sing “Volare.”
“I love it,” Krneta said. “This is why I say our fans are special. We have the most amazing fans in the world. I cannot wait to hear the song because I believe that the players will join this, maybe even the staff. The song means a lot.”
Listen to the full conversation with Charlotte FC sporting director Zoran Krneta in the latest episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast (available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other major podcast platforms). He discusses his background in Serbia and London, the challenges of building a team from scratch, his perceptions of Charlotte and the team’s prospects for 2023:
Honoring Anton Walkes
The smiling face of Anton Walkes will be on the minds of many among the 60,000 plus expected Saturday at Bank of America Stadium. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
The club will honor the memory of Anton Walkes throughout the season but here are some things to look for (and help with) Saturday night. First of all, be in your seats for a moment of silence for Walkes before the game, as well as the unveiling of the “tifo” — the tapestry of artwork the fan groups unfurl in the East Goal immediately following the national anthem. While its creators go to great lengths to keep its subject matter a surprise each week, the feeling here is this one is going to tingle some spines.
Also, when the game clock hits 5:00 in the first half (five minutes into the game) fans are asked to stand and clap for 60 seconds in honor of Walkes, who wore jersey No. 5. Charlotte fans are planning to repeat this again on March 11 when Atlanta United comes to town. Walkes started his MLS career in Atlanta and spent three seasons there before Charlotte claimed him in the expansion draft.
Hector Cortes, better known as “Sombrero Man,” is also asking fans to follow his lead and that of other “capos” (chant directors who stand on the podiums in front of fans behind the East Goal) and whenever they shout out “Anton!” fans should follow with “Walkes!”
5 new things to watch for from Charlotte FC fans, including a post-goal chant, a new supporters group and African drums
Don’t worry, all the great traditions established last year will be back, like the pre-game “Poznan” to honor Polish duo Karol Swiderski and Kamil Jozwiak, where fans turn away from the field and jump up and down to the song “Pepas” by Puerto Rican singer Farruko. Fans will still sing the national anthem a cappella, as they have since the inaugural home game last year when the mic went out on the national anthem singer. But here are five news things to look for from supporters groups this season:
Supporters groups wanted to add a new chant after each goal Charlotte FC scores this season, and the result is called “Charlotte’s On Fire.” Fans plan to wave their scarves along with the chant after every goal.
“It'll probably take a few games for it to catch on, no different than Peppas last year,” Charlotte FC’s chief fan officer Shawn McIntosh said. “But I think it's going to be really cool. They were going for creating another one of those Peppas moments where it sounds great, you know it when you hear it, and then visually it's pretty astounding.”
We’ve covered the back story to the new song “Volare” that supporters plan to sing after games. But if you’d like to learn the song, the supporters groups chant committee has shared links on Spotify and Apple Music so fans can learn the lyrics and tune.
If recordings aren’t enough to do the trick, fan groups are also hosting chant practices every Wednesday night this season at Camp North End. They’ve decided to simplify scheduling by holding chant practices as well as tifo-making sessions on the same night at the same location — Camp North End.
For more information, follow The Royal Family Drumline & Chants on Twitter @CLTFCSGchants and The Royal Family Tifos on Twitter @CLTFCSGTifo.
Crown Town Syndicate: Two supporters groups from last season, Mint Street Mafia and Uptown Ultras, joined forces this year to create Crown Town Syndicate (@CTSyndicate on Twitter.) Says president Mike Tagliareni: “We found ourselves partying together week after week, doing more joint events, shared common interests and goals, and wanted to pool our resources together to strengthen that partnership for season two and bring more value to our members.”
A classic dondo talking drum. (Photo courtesy of the Charlotte FC African Supporters Union.)
African dondo talking drums: The drumline that keeps a beat nonstop throughout Charlotte FC games will feature two new drummers this year from the African Supporters Union, who will play the Classic Dondo Talking Drum. It’s a drum created in Ghana that’s held under one arm. The player can change the sound by squeezing nylon ropes on the side of the drum. It’s just another way fans are bringing a multicultural feel to the stadium.
Deciphering MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
How you watch Charlotte FC — and all of Major League Soccer, if that’s your jam — has taken a seismic shift this year, given the new (mostly) exclusive arrangement between MLS and Apple TV. Yes, it means if you want to guarantee that you will see every broadcast of a Charlotte FC game this year, you will need a paid subscription to MLS Season Pass. If you are a Charlotte FC season ticket holder, lucky you, you get a free subscription.
Each MLS team will have one game broadcast simulcast on national TV this season, and for Charlotte FC, it’s the March 11 game against Atlanta at noon, which will be on FOX. All other games will be played at 7:30 p.m., as the network is making an effort to sync up start times by having every team start games at 7:30 local time. That’s bad news for families with young children, who prefer day games and early bedtimes — though it also means players won’t have to compete in the heat of Carolina summer afternoons.
Also, for the first four weeks of the season, about half of the MLS games will be in front of the Apple TV paywall, including Charlotte FC’s opener against New England. You’ll be able to stream that game on Apple TV for free.
To sign up for the full season, though, here’s some guidance: Download the Apple TV app, which is free to your Apple device, whether it’s an iPhone, iPad or Apple laptop, or through your Roku box or Firestick on your smart TV. To avoid glitches, be sure to update your device to the latest software.
Once you have the app, follow prompts to sign up for MLS Season Pass, which gives you access, without any blackouts, to every game for every MLS team. You’ll also receive other pre- and post-game shows and featured content. Plus, as a perk, if you miss a game, you won’t have to DVR it. Apple TV will make them available all season (and beyond) on the app.
The cost for subscriptions is $12.99 per month or $79 for the season for those who are already Apple TV+ subscribers or $14.99 per month or $99 for the season to those who aren’t Apple TV+ subscribers. You can subscribe here.
To the delight of many Charlotte FC fans, Apple TV announced last month that it had added Charlotte FC broadcasters Eric Krakauer and Lloyd Sam to its MLS broadcast team. Time will tell how many of Charlotte’s games they get to do, but Krakauer and Sam were paired up to call Charlotte’s season opener Saturday against New England, which is as it should be.
Can’t-miss local content
There was a ton of great content around Charlotte FC this week as the season-opener approaches, and we’re here to make sure you don’t miss any of it! A few videos caught our attention:
A “Beyond the Crown” feature on new Argentinian striker Enzo Copetti, produced by the Charlotte FC media team. In the clip, Copetti reveals how devastating it was when his wife lost a pregnancy last year and he divulged that he nearly quit soccer. He and his wife Araceli are now expecting a baby girl they will call Mia Guadalupe:
A feature by WSOC Sports Director Phil Orban who sat down with Andrea Cannavacciuolo, the mental performance coach Charlotte FC just happened to hire weeks before needing one in a whole new way, following Walkes’ death.
For a more light-hearted angle, you can catch WCNC sports reporter Ashley Stroehlein serving new English midfielder Ashley Westwood a taste of Charlotte’s variety of tea: sweet iced team from Bojangles.
Up Next: Charlotte FC (13-18-3 in 2022) vs. New England Revolution (10-12-12)
When/Where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte.
How to watch: Free on Apple TV.
Notable:
Charlotte FC opens its sophomore MLS season in hopes of playing in front of 70,000 fans for the second straight home opener. Charlotte FC set an MLS record when 74,479 watched a 1-0 loss to L.A. Galaxy last year. The team had eclipsed 60,000 tickets sold midday Thursday and is selling upper deck tickets for $15.
The supporters’ tailgating lot at 703 McNinch St. opens at 3 p.m., where Bojangles will provide free food. A Mint Street festival starts at 4 p.m. The first 10,000 fans into the gates, which open at 5:30 p.m., will receive a limited edition poster.
Local meteorologists have said while there’s rain in the forecast, it’s expected to be at its heaviest midday Saturday and only a drizzle by kickoff. Fans can expect a full slate of pregame festivities, including a drone show, a tifo unveiling, a new intro video for the team, as well as a moment of silence to honor the late Walkes.
As for soccer — oh yeah! — this game will feature the debuts of new Argentinian striker Enzo Copetti and English midfielder Ashley Westwood. And don’t be surprised to see Lattanzio insert newcomer Bill Tuiloma into a starting role at center back, even though he’s been with the team only about a week. He’s been a quick study in practices and brings the experience of 112 games with Portland at a position where Charlotte FC needs a steadying influence.
Charlotte FC will start the season without goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, who underwent offseason back surgery. Pablo Sisniega has received all of the action in Charlotte’s last two exhibition games and is expected to get the start on Saturday.
Vinicius Mello is unavailable off the bench as the U-22 striker is being monitored after taking a knock to the chest.
New England went from winning the Supporters’ Shield with the best regular-season record in MLS in 2021 to 10th place in the Eastern Division last year behind No. 9 Charlotte, missing the playoffs. Carlos Gil is still the man to keep an eye on up front, and goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic is among the best in the league.
Speaking of playoffs, Major League Soccer this week announced a new playoff format that will give nine teams in each division a post-season appearance, up from seven last year. The No. 8 and No. 9 teams in each division will play in what’s essentially a single-elimination play-in game, and the winner will face the No. 1 team. In addition, the first round of the playoffs (after the play-in game) will be a best-of-three series. “I think it’s a great move by Major League Soccer, and I think it’s the right way forward,” Charlotte FC sporting director Zoran Krneta told us on The Charlotte Ledger Podcast (check it out).
Carroll Walton is a longtime baseball writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution now cutting her teeth on soccer and the Charlotte FC just as fans in Charlotte do. She would love to hear from you. E-mail her with questions, suggestions, story ideas and comments!
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