| 2018 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Jim McPhilliamy | ||
| Head coach | Mike Jeffries | ||
| Stadium | Sportsplex at Matthews | ||
| U.S. Open Cup | Second round | ||
| Highest home attendance | 3,312 (June 26 vs. Charleston) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 982 (August 8 vs. Bethlehem) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 1,756 | ||
The 2018 Charlotte Independence season was the club's fourth season of existence, and their fourth in the United Soccer League, the second tier of American soccer.
The Independence finished the 2017 season with a record of 13–9–10, finished 5th in the Eastern Conference, and 11th overall. In the 2017 USL Playoffs, Charlotte were bested in the first round by the Rochester Rhinos. Elsewhere, the Independence reached the third round of the 2017 U.S. Open Cup, losing 1–4 to NASL outfit, North Carolina FC.
| No. | Position | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Brandon Miller |  United States |
| 3 | DF | Bilal Duckett | United States |
| 4 | MF | Jake Areman | United States |
| 6 | MF | Greg Jordan | United States |
| 7 | MF | Yann Ekra |  France |
| 8 | DF | Kay Voser |  Switzerland |
| 9 | FW | Éamon Zayed |  Libya |
| 10 | MF | Jorge Herrera |  Colombia |
| 11 | MF | Mutaya Mwape |  Zambia |
| 12 | GK | Kainoa Likewise | United States |
| 13 | MF | Kevan George |  Trinidad and Tobago |
| 14 | DF | Lee Jung-soo |  South Korea |
| 15 | DF | Calvin Doum |  Cameroon |
| 16 | DF | Bertrand Owundi (on loan from Minnesota United FC) | Cameroon |
| 17 | FW | Cordell Cato | Trinidad and Tobago |
| 18 | GK | Ben Beaury | United States |
| 20 | MF | Ricardo Perez ( [A] ) |  Mexico |
| 22 | DF | Joel Johnson |  Liberia |
| 23 | MF | Alex Martínez |  Uruguay |
| 25 | DF | Henry Kalungi |  Uganda |
| 27 | MF | Je-Vaughn Watson |  Jamaica |
| 29 | FW | Caleb Calvert ( [A] ) | United States |
| 31 | DF | Sam Vines ( [A] ) | United States |
| 33 | DF | Donnie Smith | United States |
Win Draw Loss Upcoming fixture
| February 14Preseason | Atlanta United FC | – | Charlotte Independence | Marietta, Georgia |
| EST (UTC–5) | Stadium: Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground | |||
| Note: Closed door; match not publicized. | ||||
| February 17Preseason | Charlotte Independence | 5–3 | Columbus Crew SC | Charleston, South Carolina |
| EST (UTC–5) | Duckett  Martínez (pen.)Trialist Steedman Trialist | |||
| Note: Closed door | ||||
| February 25Preseason | Charlotte Independence | 0–1 | North Carolina FC | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 13:00 EST (UTC–5) | Miller | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews |
| March 3Preseason | Atlanta United 2 | 2–4 | Charlotte Independence | Marietta, Georgia |
| EST (UTC–5) | Trialist Herrera (o.g.)Doum | Stadium: Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground |
| March 10Preseason | Charlotte Independence | 2–1 | Old Dominion Monarchs | Matthews, North Carolina |
| EST (UTC–5) | Kronschwitz | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews |
| September 5Midseason | Charlotte Independence | 0–3 | Santos Laguna | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 19:30 EST (UTC–5) | Report | Martínez 60' Rivas Cetré | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | North Carolina FC | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 60 | 50 | +10 | 47 |
| 10 | Ottawa Fury | 34 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 31 | 43 | −12 | 45 |
| 11 | Charlotte Independence | 34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 44 | 57 | −13 | 42 |
| 12 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 41 |
| 13 | Penn FC | 34 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 38 | 47 | −9 | 37 |
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 37 | 49 | −12 | 37 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 23 | 19 | +4 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 30 | −16 |
Last updated: 25 September 2018.
Source: Matches
Win Draw Loss Upcoming fixture
| March 171 | Charlotte Independence | 4–1 | Ottawa Fury FC | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 19:00 EST (UTC–5) | Cato 41', 58' George  45'Herrera 67', 80' (pen.)Porter 83' (o.g.) | Report | Sito 64' Oliveira 90+3' | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Attendance: 1,438 Referee: Jonathan Bilinski |
| March 242 | Charlotte Independence | 2–0 | Toronto FC II | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Herrera 18' Calvert 42'Johnson 70' | Report | Spencer 22' | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Attendance: 1,026 Referee: Javier Santos |
| March 313 | Charlotte Independence | 2–2 | Atlanta United 2 | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Martínez 32' Herrera 37', 85'George 61' | Report | Jung-soo 28' (o.g.) Kunga 82' | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Attendance: 1,375 Referee: Daniel Gutierrez |
| April 74 | Nashville SC | 2–0 | Charlotte Independence | Nashville, Tennessee |
| 8:30PM EDT | Winn 24' Mensah 90+1' | Report | Duckett 12' Johnson 89' | Stadium: First Tennessee Park Attendance: 7,487 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
| April 145 | Charlotte Independence | 0–2 | North Carolina FC | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Martínez 7' Smith 85' | Report | Ríos 50' Doue 59'Fortune 61'Lomis 86' | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Attendance: 2,264 Referee: Matthew Franz |
| April 286 | Charlotte Independence | 0–0 | Indy Eleven | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews |
| May 57 | Charleston Battery | 2–0 | Charlotte Independence | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 7:00 EDT | Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium |
| May 128 | Charlotte Independence | 4–1 | FC Cincinnati | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 7:30 EDT | Cato 38' Ekra 45+2'Voser 57'Zayed 87' | Report | König 52' | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Attendance: 2,314 Referee: Kevin Broadley |
| May 199 | Charlotte Independence | 2–1 | Toronto FC II | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 7:30 EDT | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Attendance: 987 | |||
| Note: Originally scheduled to be played at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario. [1] | ||||
| May 2610 | Richmond Kickers | 1–3 | Charlotte Independence | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:00 EDT | Stadium: City Stadium |
| June 211 | Ottawa Fury FC | 0–1 | Charlotte Independence | Ottawa, Ontario |
| 7:00 EDT | Reid 55' Edward 90' | Report | Ekra 83' | Stadium: TD Place Stadium Attendance: 5,693 Referee: Carol Anne Chenard |
| June 912 | New York Red Bulls II | 4–2 | Charlotte Independence | Montclair, New Jersey |
| 7:00 EDT | Stadium: MSU Soccer Park |
| May 2613 | Atlanta United 2 | 1–1 | Charlotte Independence | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:00 EDT | Stadium: City Stadium |
| June 1614 | Charlotte Independence | 1–1 | Charleston Battery | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 7:30 EDT | Mwape 79' | Report | 25' Higashi | Stadium: Matthews Sportsplex Attendance: 3,312 Referee: Rubiel Vazquez |
| June 2315 | Richmond Kickers | 1–1 | Charlotte Independence | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Shriver 6' | Report | Cato 20' George 63' | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,364 Referee: Javier Santos Escobar |
| Note: Leigh Cowlishaw's final match as manager. | ||||
| June 2716 | Charlotte Independence | 2–2 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 7:30 EDT (UTC−4) | Herrera 57' (Cato) Cato 64' (Herrera)Johnson 86'  89'Smith  90+2' | Report | Gorskie 44' Mkandawire 66'Lachowecki 78'Oduro 90' | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Attendance: 1,399 Referee: Marcos de Oliveira |
| June 3017 | Bethlehem Steel FC | 4–1 | Charlotte Independence | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania |
| 5:00 PM EDT | Nanco 10' Moar 46'Skundrich 72'Herbers 80'Mbaizo 90+2' | Report | 11' Kalungi 69' Watson 83' Areman 90+3' Herrera | Stadium: Goodman Stadium Attendance: 2,346 Referee: Matthew Franz |
| July 718 | Indy Eleven | 2–1 | Charlotte Independence | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Speas 62' Mitchell 70' | Report | Duckett 49' 77' Herrera 50', 55'Areman 90+2'Martínez 90+3' | Stadium: Lucas Oil Stadium Attendance: 9,858 Referee: Lukasz Szpala |
| July 1119 | Charlotte Independence | 1–0 | Nashville SC | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 7:30PM EDT | Johnson 15' George 42'Calvert 90+4' | Report | 46' Akinyode 74' Winn 90+5' Pickens 90+5' Woodberry | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Attendance: 1,247 Referee: Kevin Broadley |
| July 1820 | FC Cincinnati | 2–0 | Charlotte Independence | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| 7:30 EDT | Keinan 7' Lasso 20'Ledesma 67'Welshman 87' | Report | Duckett 28' Zayed 65'Voser 87' | Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 25,251 Referee: Jon Freemon |
| July 2121 | Louisville City FC | 4–1 | Charlotte Independence | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 7:30PM | McCabe 21' Ilić 72' (pen.)Lancaster 81'Davis IV 87' | Report | George 71' Herrera 90' | Stadium: Louisville Slugger Field Attendance: 8,006 Referee: Lorant Varga |
| July 2822 | Charlotte Independence | 1–1 | Penn FC | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 7:30 EDT | Areman 47' Herrera 56'Zayed 64'Duckett 90+1' | Report | 62' Metzger 72' Dennis 90+5' Rezende | Stadium: Matthews Sportsplex Attendance: 2,159 Referee: Jonathan Bilinski |
| August 823 | Charlotte Independence | 0–3 | Bethlehem Steel FC | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 7:30 EDT | George 35' | Report | 7' Chambers 65' Real 74' Holness 89' 90' Skundrich | Stadium: Matthews Sportsplex Attendance: 982 Referee: Amin Hadzic |
| August 1824 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 0–0 | Charlotte Independence | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| 7:00 EDT | Report | Jordan 10', 58' | Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 2,765 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
| August 2225 | Charlotte Independence | 0–3 | Louisville City | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 7:30 PM EDT | Mwape 90' | Report | Lancaster 13' (pen.), 29', 42' Spencer 65' | Stadium: Matthews Sportsplex Attendance: 2,189 Referee: Rubiel Vazquez |
| August 2526 | North Carolina FC | 6–2 | Charlotte Independence | Cary, North Carolina |
| 19:00 EDT | Steinberger 26', 51' 52' Fernandes 36'Miller 36'49'da Luz 69'Ríos 72', 78' | Report | George 24' 32' Owundi 72'Areman 85' | Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 4,195 Referee: Daniel Gutierrez |
| September 127 | Charlotte Independence | 1–0 | Nashville SC | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 6:30PM CDT | Watson 25' George 53', 86' Jung-soo 81' | Report | Winn 45' Moloto 53'Woodberry 67' | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews |
| September 828 | Charlotte Independence | 2–1 | Richmond Kickers | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 19:00 EDT | Zayed 5' Areman 58' | Report | Gonzalez 72' Nascimento 83' | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Attendance: 1,175 Referee: Greg Dopka |
| September 1929 | Charleston Battery | 1–1 | Charlotte Independence | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 7:00 P.M. | Rittmeyer 9' Woodbine 80'Mansaray 90+1' | Report | Herrera 69' (pen) Martínez 89' | Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium Referee: Joseph Dickerson |
| September 2230 | Charlotte Independence | 1–1 | New York Red Bulls II | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 7:00 PM | Jordan 15' Johnson 33' | Report | Aguinaga 54' Cásseres 62'Abang 70'Ndam 90+2' | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Attendance: 1,608 Referee: Eric Tattersall |
| September 2931 | Charlotte Independence | 2–2 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Herrera 19' Johnson 46'Watson 77'Zayed 86'Duckett 90+2' | Report | Parkes 4', 44' Zemanski 90+3', 90+4' | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Attendance: 1,878 Referee: Mark Allatin |
| October 332 | Penn FC | 2–2 | Charlotte Independence | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
| 6:30 PM EDT | Venter 36' Mkosana 44'Calvano 74'Baffoe 90' | Report | Zayed 17', 28' Johnson 87'Kiffe 90' | Stadium: FNB Field Attendance: 2,013 Referee: Guido Gonzales, Jr. |
| October 633 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–2 | Charlotte Independence | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| 19:30 EDT (UTC−4) | Gorskie 75' Taylor 80' (Guenzatti)Vega 90+7' | Report | Voser 26' (Zayed), 84' Gebhard 32' (Cato)Miller 82' | Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 7,709 Referee: Luis Guardia |
| October 1334 | Charlotte Independence | 1–3 | North Carolina FC | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 19:00 EDT | Herrera 6', 7' | Report | Ríos 5', 87' Smith 30'Igbekoyi 73'Miller 90+3' | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Attendance: 1,486 Referee: RefereeRamy Touchan |
| May 16Second round | Charlotte Independence  | 1–3 |  Ocean City Nor'easters | Matthews, North Carolina |
| 7:30 EDT | Herrera 58' Martínez 84' | Report | Gurrieri 4', 6' Ndah 23'Mompremier 44', 67' | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Attendance: 300 Referee: Eric Usher |
The Eastern Conference is one of two conferences in USL Championship soccer.
The 2018 North Carolina FC season was the club's 12th season of existence. Until the 2017 season, the club was previously known as the Carolina RailHawks. The 2018 season was the clubs first in the USL, having left the NASL at the end of the 2017 season. For the first time since 2009 and its fourth in club history, North Carolina won the Southern Derby, a fan-based U.S. professional soccer cup competition between North Carolina, Charleston Battery, and Charlotte Independence. North Carolina finished the regular season in 9th place with 47 points, missing out on the playoffs by 2 points to Nashville.
The 2017 Charleston Battery season was the club's 25th year of existence, their 14th season in the second tier of the United States Soccer Pyramid, and their first in the second tier since 2009. It was their seventh season in the United Soccer League as part of the Eastern Conference.
The 2017 Charlotte Independence season was the club's third season of existence, and their third in the United Soccer League, the second tier of American soccer.
The 2018 Ottawa Fury FC season was the club's 5th season at the professional level and its 2nd in the United Soccer League.
The 2018 Toronto FC II season was the fourth season in the club's history. The team finished 16th in the Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs. After the season, Toronto FC II voluntarily moved from the second division United Soccer League to the third division USL League One.
The 2018 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC season was the club's nineteenth season of existence, and their eighth consecutive season in the United Soccer League, the second tier of American soccer. Pittsburgh also competed in the U.S. Open Cup. The season covered the period from October 15, 2017, to the beginning of the 2019 USL season.
The 2018 season was Bethlehem Steel FC's third season of competitive soccer in the United Soccer League and second season competing in the second division of American soccer. Bethlehem competed in the league's Eastern Conference.
The 2018 season was Penn FC's 15th season of competitive soccer, its second in the second division of American soccer, and its eighth and final season in the United Soccer League, now known as the USL Championship. This was the first season the club operated under the "Penn FC" name, having re-branded from the Harrisburg City Islanders in November 2017.
The 2018 Tampa Bay Rowdies season was the club's ninth season of existence, and their second in the United Soccer League. Including the previous Tampa Bay Rowdies, it was the 25th season of a franchise in the Tampa Bay metro area with the Rowdies moniker. Including the now-defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny, this was the 31st season of professional soccer in the Tampa Bay region.
The 2018 Atlanta United 2 season was the club's first year of existence, their first season in the United Soccer League, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid.
The 2018 Richmond Kickers season was the club's 26th season of existence. It was also the club's 11th season playing in the second tier of American soccer, and their seventh straight season in the United Soccer League, since renamed the USL Championship.
The 2018 Nashville SC season was the club's inaugural season both as an organization and as a member in the United Soccer League (USL). Nashville SC played in the Eastern Conference of the USL.
The 2018 New York Red Bulls II season was the club's fourth season of existence, and their third in United Soccer League, the second-tier of the American soccer pyramid. The Red Bulls II played in the Eastern Division of USL.
The 2018 Charleston Battery season was the club's 26th year of existence, their 15th season in the second tier of the United States Soccer Pyramid. It was their eighth season in the United Soccer League as part of the Eastern Conference.
The 2019 North Carolina FC season was the club's 13th season of existence. The 2018 season was the club's first in the USL, having left the NASL at the end of the 2017 season. For the fourth time in history and the first time since 2009, North Carolina won the 2018 Southern Derby, a fan-based U.S. professional soccer cup competition between North Carolina, Charleston Battery, and Charlotte Independence. North Carolina finished the regular season in 9th place with 47 points, missing out on the playoffs by 2 points to Nashville. The 2019 season was the first under new coach Dave Sarachan who replaced Colin Clarke.
The 2019 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC season was the club's twentieth season of existence, their second consecutive season in the second tier of American soccer, and their ninth season in the league now named the USL Championship. The season covers the period from October 21, 2018 to the beginning of the 2020 USL Championship season. Bob Lilley returns for his second season as Riverhounds manager.
The 2019 Charlotte Independence season was the club's fifth season of existence, and their fifth in the USL Championship, the second tier of American soccer.
The 2019 Charleston Battery season was the club's 27th year of existence, their 16th season in the second tier of the United States Soccer Pyramid. It was their ninth season in the United Soccer League Championship as part of the Eastern Conference.
The 2019 Nashville SC season was the club's second and final season both as an organization and as a member in the USL Championship. In 2018 and 2019, Nashville SC played in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second-highest level of professional soccer in the US.
