Charlotte's hometown hero, Jaylin Lindsey, gets his own tifo

By Sam Vanolinda

Jaylin Lindsey prepares to cross the ball (Photo credit Cisco's Art)

The supporters section at Bank of America Stadium honored Charlotte native Jaylin Lindsey in last night's 1-1 draw versus Orlando FC.

The tifo was a large portrait of Lindsey doing his signature celebration, wearing the purple away jersey. The picture comes from his goal against Seattle Sounders earlier this season.

On a rainy and windy night, as the long arms of Hurricane Idalia swept through the city, the Charlotte fans who could make the match remained as loud and passionate as they always are. The tifo, created by The Royal Family, who the QC Royals led for this design, was a reflection of the colossal support that this city has shown for the team: win, lose, or draw, snow, rain, or shine.

The Charlotte FC community has embraced Lindsey, who joined the team after coming up through the Sporting Kansas City Academy. The right-back has played 43 games for the club since its inception, with seven assists and one goal.

Lindsey signed a new contract with the team in 2022, extending himself through the 2024 season with an option for 2025. New franchises go through a lot of personnel changes in their first couple of years, but Lindsey has remained constant and become a fan favorite.

Lindsey on X.com (formally Twitter) called the tifo last night a “Dream come true.” Despite being “Disappointed not to get all 3 points,” in a game where Charlotte dominated but lost two points via a lapse of concentration by goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.

Lindsey had more to say about the tifo and celebration that caused it:

“I got the idea from Jesse Lingard. He used to do it with Man United when he scored; it’s also cool because it maps out a J L on the inside of the fingers.” Lindsey said, "The J L for Jesse works for me as well; it was kind of my inspiration behind the celebration because it mimics my name as well.”

Lindsey echoed his statements online about how honored he was when he got to see the tifo in all its glory last night.

“I looked up and did a double take, I was like, is that me? Then I saw the celebration with the hands, and I was like, it’s for sure me.”

Lindsey added, “Obviously, it’s an honor to have a tifo like that, especially from the fans that made that, put the time and effort in, it goes to show that they have a lot of love for me, and that’s inspiring for me to go out each game and put in a little more effort…seeing that tifo gives me that confidence boost when the fans are behind me and support me.”