Review
Pre-season
In December, the club and Mecklenburg County broke ground on renovations to American Legion Memorial Stadium that will upgrade the facility and create a home ground for the Independence through a ten-year lease, with the opening scheduled for Spring of 2021. [2] In January, the club announced that they were retaining seven players from the previous year's roster, [3] while also acknowledging that longtime club presence Alex Martínez would not be among the returnees. [4] Later signings in January included a Congolese midfielder with Ligue 2 experience at AS Béziers (Junior Etou), [5] the 2017 USLC Golden Boot winner Dane Kelly, [6] as well as two rookies (Oscar Ramsay and Casey Penland) from the team's Invitational Combine. [7]
Acquisitions continued apace in February as the club signed a veteran defender (Duke Lacroix), [8] a UNC Charlotte alum with Championship goalkeeping experience (Austin Pack), [9] and a former loanee winger (Derek Gebhard). [10] The club then announced the signing of two of the club's academy players, (Owen Barber) and (Joey Skinner), to professional contracts. [11] A player with U-15 USMNT experience, Rey Ortiz, was brought in from FC Cincinnati on a season-long loan. [12] The next addition was Guido Vadalá, a 23-year-old forward with first-team experience at Argentinian club Boca Juniors. [13]
On the minus side, the club announced the retirement of veteran Charlotte forward Jorge Herrera. [14]
March
Charlotte began their 2020 campaign with a 2–1 victory on the road versus Sporting Kansas City II. [15] In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league suspended play for 30 days beginning March 12. [16] On March 19, the suspension was further extended to May 10. [17]
June
On June 4, the league announced a tentative date of July 11 for a resumption of play. [18] Later, the league announced that upon resumption of play, teams would be separated into eight regional groups and play enough matches to complete a 16-game schedule. [19] On June 26, the league announced that Charlotte was to be placed into Group G with other regional clubs including Birmingham, Memphis, and North Carolina. [20]
July
Charlotte began their Return To Play action with a 2–2 draw away to Memphis, recovering twice from single goal deficits to bring the match level. [21] The draw was sandwiched by postponements to matches away in Miami [22] and home versus North Carolina. [23]
August
The Independence began the month with a 4–1 loss away to Birmingham. The team failed to score from open play, with their lone goal coming from a penalty conversion by Enzo Martínez. [24] That loss was followed up by successive 1-1 draws, the first on the 8th versus Charleston in the club's home opener, [25] followed by the second draw on the 12th of the month against Birmingham. [26] The team finished the three-game homestand with a 3–2 victory over Memphis, their first home win of the season. [27] The team then traveled to Miami for an out-of-group match that resulted in a 2–1 loss. [28] The Jacks completed the month with a two-game homestand. In the first match, the team secured a 1–0 win on the first professional goal scored by Rey Ortiz. [29] The team finished the month as they started it, with a 4–1 loss to Birmingham. The Jacks conceded four unanswered goals before Dane Kelly netted his fifth goal of the season in the 85th minute. [30]
September
The Independence began a busy month with a 2–0 win on the road versus Memphis. The win solidified the club's hold on second place in Group G, five points clear of third place. [31] The club followed up that performance with a 3–1 home win against North Carolina. The sum total of the Independence scoring consisted of a Dane Kelly hat trick. [32] The club then went on the road to score a 3–1 win over Group G leading Birmingham. The Jacks, aided a brace of goals from Dane Kelly, moved within one point of Birmingham in the standings. [33] Staying on the road, the Independence scored another victory, this time over North Carolina. Despite being down to 10 men at the time by way of a Dane Kelly straight red card, Aaron Maund headed home the only goal of the match in the 51st minute to secure the club's first away win against NCFC. [34]
The Jacks returned home four days later to face Miami FC. The point the club earned in the scoreless draw moved the Independence into a tie with Birmingham atop the Group G standings. [35] The Independence then suffered their first loss of the month, falling 3–1 at home versus Memphis. [36]
October
The Jacks secured the top spot in Group G thanks to a 1–0 road win versus North Carolina coupled with a Memphis victory over Birmingham on October 3. [37] The Independence were then eliminated from the postseason in their opening conference quarterfinal match hosting Charleston Battery. The Jacks finished regulation time in a 1–1 deadlock, then conceded a headed goal by Arthur Bosua in the 101st minute. [38]
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