What it takes to win trophies in MLS
By Sam Vanolinda
Every MLS team aims to win the MLS Cup each season; only one can realize that lofty goal.
That said, success isn't measured with one instrument. If you can't win it all, what you do want as a club is for your team to consistently contend and make deep playoff runs that make the fans proud.
In 2024, Charlotte FC made positive steps in the right direction, finishing fifth in the East and being painstakingly close to a second-round matchup against Atlanta.
What you don’t want as a team is regression; the number one goal for Charlotte FC is to continue this progress and improve.
In this article, we will examine the catalysts for a consistently contending team and how Charlotte FC can mirror those factors to continue its momentum in the years to come.
A Leader at the Helm
I recently went deep into what makes Dean Smith a great manager and how he has impressed me in his first year, so I won't repeat myself.
With that being said, the most basic building block for a consistent soccer team is the Head Coach.
With a respected and experienced coach in Smith leading the team, the first step towards consistent success has been achieved.
Let’s look at the recent champions: Greg Vanney from LA Galaxy is a former player with 10 years of coaching experience in MLS. Wilfried Nancy has been in the MLS since 2011 and had an extensive playing career, another highly respected manager.
Steve Cherundolo for LAFC had 370 appearances for Hannover 96 and has been coaching since 2014.
Smith’s experience matches or trumps the other coaches mentioned. He has all the caliber to lead the team consistently deep in the playoffs. What is currently missing from Smith's approach is that coaches like Vanney and Nancy are willing to adjust their playing style to exemplify the key traits of their best players.
Vanney allows Riqui Puig to focus exclusively on possession and dictating play with the ball at his feet. Puig is asked to do little, if any, defending, but he gets more touches on the ball than anyone in MLS. By allowing Puig to dictate play in this way, which is his nature, the whole team benefits, leading to outstanding results in 2024.
Nancy sets up his front three to be fluid. This allows Cucho Hernandez the freedom he needs to get on the ball and build up direct counter-attacks or help set up longer sustained possession. It also creates opportunities for him to make off-ball runs and be the target in the box. Because the Columbus Crew's attack is so free-flowing, Hernandez can pop up in different areas in the attack and win on the dribble, passing, or getting open to receive a pass and shooting. Nancy ball is an optimal environment for Hernandez, this raises the Colombian's level and the level of the entire team.
So far, Smith's tactical approach has not created an optimal environment for a key player's traits to stand out and raise Charlotte FC's level. Part of this is on the front office making the right signings, and the other part is on Smith making that environment for those signings.
“Cheat Code” players
Now we get into the nitty-gritty of building a winning MLS team.
"Cheat Code" players, as Tom Bogert coined them on Soccerwise, are high-performing on small contracts. SuperDraft picks, free agents, or players who have come through the youth academy are all examples of routes to finding these "Cheat Code" players.
You are a valuable asset to the roster if you consistently contribute to an MLS team on a youth player salary. This gives a team the financial flexibility to spend more on other needs while not worrying about a position on the field.
Andrew Privett and Patrick Agyemang come to mind on Charlotte FC—two SuperDraft picks who have become key players for the team.
Another example is John Tolkin from NYRB, who helped his team reach the final in 2024, the left-back was a key player all year long for that very successful side that grew up through the NYRB Academy.
The LA Galaxy was starting left-back John Nelson who was a free agent signing at the outset of the 2024 season. The Galaxy was also starting Edwin Cerrillo who was acquired in an intraleague trade from FC Dallas and became an integral part of the Galaxy's midfield down the stretch.
All three of these players are examples of how to build an MLS roster successfully using the variety of methods available and to set up a team with "Cheat Codes".
The development of youth players, free agency, intraleague trades, and gem SuperDraft picks can be a massive help for a team to be consistently successful. It’s always great to hit on your DPs, but if you can get value for cheap you are putting yourself ahead of the competition.
It’s up to Charlotte’s scouting department and youth academy to draft, sign, and develop players that will contribute with less financial drawback.
Designated Player contribution
This table shows you how much value Designated Players will give to your team if chosen correctly:
Team | MLS G+A From DPs (2022-24) | Trophies |
Colombus Crew | 129 | MLS Champion (2023), Leagues Cup (2024) |
Philadelphia | 128 | None |
LA Galaxy | 124 | MLS Champion (2024) |
FC Cincinnati | 120 | Supporters Shield (2023) |
Orlando City | 116 | US Open Cup (2022) |
Atlanta | 108 | None |
Portland | 101 | None |
LAFC | 99 | Supporters’ Shield (2022), MLS Champions (2022), US Open Cup (2024) |
Quality attacking Designated Players lead teams to silverware. Regarding Charlotte, DPs have struggled since their inaugural season. Karol Swiderski has been the most successful DP for the club, but the production from the Charlotte FC star players doesn't match up to the teams above who are competing for trophies.
We still have yet to see who Smith and the front office bring in to fill the attacking gap with Swiderski on his way out. Almiron is still an option, and with his Premier League quality, surely his numbers would be high.
Charlotte has the defense but needs the firepower on the attacking end to go deep into the playoffs.
It will be a massive next few weeks as we see who Charlotte ends up bringing in at their DP spots that need to be filled.
If you look at recent champions, more often than not they have star players that lead them to that victory, 2024 you have Gabriel Pec, Joseph Painstil, and Riqui Puig, 2023 Columbus had Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi, 2022 LAFC had Carlos Vela; in the past couple of years, it seems a good move to grab a big-time player.
Home success
Recent MLS Champions have been very successful at home, which shows you how important regular season seeding is when heading into the playoffs.
Luckily for Charlotte, they were a very solid home team in 2024, with a 9-5-3 record. In 2024 LA Galaxy was 13-3-1 at home, in 2023 Colombus was 12-4-1, in 2022 LAFC was 13-2-2, in 2021 NYCFC was 10-4-3.
In 2020 Colombus was 10-0-1, 2019 Seattle was 11-2-4. 2018 Atlanta was 11-2-4; it is safe to say that being a successful home team translates into trophies.
Obviously in other leagues that have relegation and that are decided by points every game matters, but even in MLS, which has a playoff system, every regular season game matters because of how much home-field advantage can guide you to the cup.
Charlotte needs to continue to make Bank Of America Stadium a fortress and to prioritize regular-season victories to secure a high seed. If they were at home against Orlando in the third game it likely could have been a different story.
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