Charlotte FC fans react to players after a team win against the New England Revolution at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday, March 19, 2022 in Charlotte, NC. Charlotte FC defeated the Revolution, 3-1, for their first win of the season.
mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
A lot of eyes will be on Bank of America Stadium on the last Saturday in February.
Major League Soccer dropped its composite schedule on Tuesday, officially revealing that Charlotte FC will open its season at home on Feb. 25. The team will face the New England Revolution and sell tickets in all levels of the stadium, hoping to replicate the magic found in the 2022 home opener in front of an MLS-record crowd.
The 2023 soccer season lasts well beyond opening weekend, however: It stretches 34 matches — 17 of which are home — and spans eight months. So there’s a lot to parse through.
Here are some of the big highlights from the team’s 2023 schedule you should know.
▪ Charlotte FC plays Atlanta on national television. Charlotte FC’s home opener will get a lot of attention and deservedly so. But its second home match is undoubtedly circled on the team’s schedule, too.
Charlotte FC hosts Atlanta United at noon on March 11 in Bank of America Stadium. The two are not only rivals — by virtue of proximity and the fact that Atlanta, too, is a young Southeast expansion team that has helped fuel Major League Soccer’s rise — but they’re also home to two of the league’s most rabid fanbases. Atlanta boasted the best average attendance in 2022, and Charlotte FC boasted the second-best. The two will play this contest on national television on Fox.
▪ A brutal end of May. If Charlotte FC goes through a midseason slump, it’ll likely come at the end of May. In the four matches between May 20 and June 3, the Queen City side will play three games on the road and three teams that made the 2022 playoffs: Nashville, LA Galaxy and Philadelphia. This stretch is important, yes — but 2022 taught Charlotte fans that a great September can wash away a lot of sins from May and June.
▪ Long break at the end of July. Charlotte FC won’t play an MLS schedule between July 15 and August 20 — but the team will still be active. For the first time, all clubs from MLS and Liga MX (Mexico) will compete in an annual, monthlong, World Cup-style tournament called Leagues Cup. The event is an official CONCACAF competition and will feature 77 games hosted at MLS stadiums throughout the U.S. and Canada. Groupings will be announced in January, and further information can be found on the event’s website.
▪ How to watch every game on Apple TV. How will you be able to watch all of Charlotte FC’s contests? Apple has an answer for that. The 2023 season will see the debut of MLS Season Pass, a subscription service from Apple and Major League Soccer that will stream (with no blackouts) every match of the MLS regular season, MLS Cup Playoffs and Leagues Cup. The pass will launch on Feb. 1.
Two programming notes: (1) If you are a season-ticket holder for any MLS team, you are provided an MLS Season Pass subscription for 2023. (2) Some matches, including some of the biggest playoff matchups, will also be available at no additional cost to Apple TV+ subscribers, and a number of matches will be available for free on the Apple TV app.
Charlotte FC 2023 schedule
|
GAME |
DATE |
OPPONENT |
HOME/AWAY |
TIME (ET) |
APPLE |
FOX SPORTS |
|
1 |
Saturday, Feb 25, 2023 |
New England |
Home |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
2 |
Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 |
St. Louis |
Away |
8:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
3 |
Saturday, Mar 11, 2023 |
Atlanta |
Home |
12:00 PM |
Apple |
FOX/D |
|
4 |
Saturday, Mar 18, 2023 |
Orlando |
Away |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
5 |
Saturday, Mar 25, 2023 |
New York Red Bulls |
Home |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
6 |
Saturday, Apr 01, 2023 |
Toronto |
Away |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
7 |
Saturday, Apr 08, 2023 |
Real Salt Lake |
Away |
9:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
8 |
Saturday, Apr 15, 2023 |
Colorado |
Home |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
9 |
Saturday, Apr 22, 2023 |
Columbus |
Home |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
10 |
Saturday, Apr 29, 2023 |
DC |
Away |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
11 |
Saturday, May 06, 2023 |
New York |
Home |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
12 |
Saturday, May 13, 2023 |
Atlanta |
Away |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
13 |
Wednesday, May 17, 2023 |
Chicago |
Home |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
14 |
Saturday, May 20, 2023 |
Nashville |
Home |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
15 |
Saturday, May 27, 2023 |
LA Galaxy |
Away |
10:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
16 |
Wednesday, May 31, 2023 |
Philadelphia |
Away |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
17 |
Saturday, Jun 03, 2023 |
Columbus |
Away |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
18 |
Saturday, Jun 10, 2023 |
Seattle |
Home |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
19 |
Wednesday, Jun 21, 2023 |
New York Red Bulls |
Away |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
20 |
Saturday, Jun 24, 2023 |
Montreal |
Home |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
21 |
Wednesday, Jul 05, 2023 |
New York |
Away |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
22 |
Saturday, Jul 08, 2023 |
Cincinnati |
Home |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
23 |
Saturday, Jul 15, 2023 |
Montreal |
Away |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
| Leagues Cup Break | ||||||
|
24 |
Sunday, Aug 20, 2023 |
Miami |
Away |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
25 |
Saturday, Aug 26, 2023 |
LAFC |
Home |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
26 |
Wednesday, Aug 30, 2023 |
Orlando |
Home |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
27 |
Saturday, Sep 02, 2023 |
Nashville |
Away |
8:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
28 |
Saturday, Sep 16, 2023 |
DC |
Home |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
29 |
Wednesday, Sep 20, 2023 |
Philadelphia |
Home |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
30 |
Saturday, Sep 23, 2023 |
Cincinnati |
Away |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
31 |
Saturday, Sep 30, 2023 |
New England |
Away |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
32 |
Wednesday, Oct 04, 2023 |
Toronto |
Home |
7:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
33 |
Saturday, Oct 07, 2023 |
Chicago |
Away |
8:30 PM |
Apple |
|
|
34 |
Saturday, Oct 21, 2023 |
Miami |
Home |
TBD (Decision Day) |
Apple |
Alex Zietlow writes about NASCAR, Charlotte FC and the ways in which sports intersect with life in the Charlotte area for The Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the APSE, which awarded him with Top-10 finishes in the Beat Writing and Short Feature categories in its 2021 writing contest. He previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill from 2019-22.