MLS coach calls for schedule change ahead of home opener: “For me, that’s not acceptable”

Charlotte FC host Austin on Saturday, the first opportunity of 2026 for Dean Smith’s side to take to the field in front of a home crowd. The first two MLS fixtures have seen Charlotte travel to St. Louis City and LA Galaxy, taking just one point and very few positives from those games.

Throughout Smith’s time with the team, Charlotte have thrived in front of the raucous home crowd at Bank of America Stadium. The team ranked third in MLS for average home attendance last year, a testament to the impact that this young club has had since joining the league in 2022. Saturday’s homecoming should be a chance for the Crown to kick start their season.

Speaking ahead of the Austin game, Smith admitted that he was happy to be back home after a difficult start to the new season: “It’s a change of scenery for us, which is good. I mean, as good as our training ground is, it’s always nice to come back to the stadium and do a bit of training. Turf has been replaced as it normally is after every couple of years.”

“Lads have trained on it today, trained well and we will train on it tomorrow to get ready for the game. Historically, we have played very, very well at home with our fans behind us. And that is what we are after again this weekend.”

Smith calls for MLS schedule change

The Charlotte boss was in cheery mood throughout Thursday’s press conference, but admitted frustration at one particular element of the MLS calendar. Teams often find themselves playing a long stretch of games at home, or away, at points in the season, a factor that can give a false impression of the team’s performances.

“For me, the fixture list needs to be looked at. Two home, two home - or one home, one away. For me that’s just a fairer way for the whole league to flourish a bit more,” Smith explained. “I think we went nine games out of 11 away from home [at one point in 2025]. That’s a tough gig for anyone. I think a coach lost his job last season, and they’d played seven games away from home to start the season. For me, that’s not acceptable. But we have to plan with what we’ve got.”

Smith’s point is evidenced by a torrid run of midseason form that Charlotte experienced last year. During that run of nine away games in 11 fixtures, Charlotte picked up just two wins. They then followed that up with nine straight victories during a patch of largely-home fixtures. That streaky nature led to some questions about the team’s mentality, but the fixture list clearly played a part in the on-field results.

For now, Smith’s wish remains a distant dream. Saturday’s game against Austin begins a run of five consecutive home fixtures for Charlotte. The experienced coach knows only too well that strong performances in the next few games will be crucial for the team’s success in 2026, setting the tone for the rest of the season.

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