Charlotte FC begins soccer era in the Queen City, drawing nearly 74,500 fans

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Soccer finally arrived in the Queen City on Saturday and despite the loss, it came in an electrifying fashion.

More than two years after it was announced that Charlotte would get its own Major League Soccer team, Charlotte FC played its first home game at Bank of America Stadium in front of a record crowd for an MLS team.

Charlotte FC welcomed 74,479 fans, easily breaking the 73,019 MLS record set by Atlanta United in 2018.

The excitement and energy for the team were unparalleled with fans beginning to tailgate at 1 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. match against the LA Galaxy.

“Everybody in this city supports teams outside of Charlotte and we all finally have a team to join together and support together,” one fan told WBTV.

Unfortunately, after the game remained tied at zero for 77 minutes, Charlotte FC lost 1-0 to the Galaxy. Los Angeles outshot Charlotte 21-5.

Fans and supporters pre-gamed for the match all over Uptown Charlotte, and even owner David Tepper found his way to greet fans. Shortly before the match, Tepper made a lap around the entire BoFA field to help pump up fans.

In one of the best moments before the match, the mic went out during the National Anthem, leading to the record-breaking crowd collectively helping the singer finish the song.

The match is the second of the season for Charlotte FC. The team lost to DC United in its first-ever game last week on the road.

During the second half of the match, 20 rows of Section 520 at Bank of America Stadium were cleared out as an “abundance of caution” after a cellular antenna slipped from its mount. There were no injuries and fans in those rows were relocated.

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