Charlotte FC Podcast

We are fortunate to have Ross Smith, a current Apple TV MLS Season Pass Match Analyst, who you hear along with Tony Husband each week during the MLS Season. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Ross, as we talk about his football playing days, being an announcer for the Portland Timbers, and a little thing called No Tippy Tappy.

This episode's conversation is with Kyle Sheldon, CEO/Founder of Name and Number. He has built quite a career in sports marketing, having stints at DC United, NASCAR here in Charlotte, the Seattle Sounders, and the Chicago Fire. Kyle has stepped onto the pitch with his own soccer-specific marketing and creative agency called Name and Number is enjoying success early on with a client list that includes MLS and Leagues Cup, Dortmunt, San Diego Wave FC, USL, Kwik Goal, Seattle Sounders, and more. l think you will enjoy learning more about Kyle what he has started in a soccer/football sphere that is about to explode in the States like never before.

On this episode, I have a conversation with Karely Avila, Sr Communications Coordinator for Charlotte FC. We talk about the many hats she wears for the club’s communications team as well as her journey: from her parent's move from Mexico to how she ended up in Charlotte and lessons she learned along the way. Enjoy getting to know Karely Avila.

Today on the show we talk with Aaron Osborne from Coke Consolidated about their work with Charlotte FC to fit and match two brand objectives to help the overall community and their respective companies. Aaron's work started out on the sporting side working in Minor League Baseball in Asheville and with the Charlotte Checkers Hockey team. He now is the cog that connects Coke to so many things happening in sports beyond just pouring rights at a stadium or venue.

On this episode we are joined by the Charlotte FC Fan Experience Coordinator, Nezzie Miranda. We talk about here journey to Charlotte from Santa Cruz, California, what she does for the club, and more.

Today on the show I talk with Major League Soccer's Sr. Director of Emerging Ventures, Mihir Kumar, to learn about his job, the start of MLS Innovation Lab and the intersection of technology and soccer, his journey to working for Major League Soccer, and more.

Today on the show I talk with Charlotte FC Defender Bill Tuiloma. Bill has had an amazing football journey starting with leaving his mom and dad in New Zealand at age 18 for the opportunity to play professionally in France. Bill shared some of his adventures, how he approaches his craft, his friendships on the club, and more…just a note: we recorded this episode a week before the opener while the club was in Coachella and there was some audio transmission disruptions. Enjoy Bill Tuiloma!

On this episode we talk with Woody Wilder, Director of Communications. Woody has over 10 years in the Communications business working in both the NFL and MLS. Woody shares how he has learned the business, some fun stories along the way and more to come with Charlotte FC in year 3.

Matt Swift joins the show today to talk more about how he has become a leader of the Mint City Collective supporters group as well as hosting the Mint City Soccer Show + his journey to Charlotte and soccer's influence on his life.

On this episode, Nic talks with Nick Scardina, one of the four 2023 SuperDraft picks who was signed to a CLTFC contract and is battling to be a part of Dean Smith's 1st team. Nick talks about his mindset as a professional, the changes from the college game where he was a standout at Univ. of Washington, his coaches, and challenges with changing positions, and the excitement of being a part of this organization.

Nic talks with the Refereeing Hall of Famer Alex Prus about his career and his current role as Director of Match Officials for PRO2 Referees. Alex oversees about 80 referees for the NWSL, MLS Next Pro, and USL, from their selection to development to training to mentorship after having a stellar career as an MLS and FIFA referee along with playing for the Polish National Team.

We talk today with Bob Ventimiglia, "Chairman of the Board" for i80 Sports (HQ in NJ) about his shows about the NFL, Fantasy,  & MLS which focus on the betting side of games as well as the Wild Card match with New York Red Bulls.

Bob is know for over-opinionated rants and intermittent head-shaving, but he has worked full time as a professional trumpet player and music teacher in the NY/NJ area for the last twelve years as well as being a Red Bull supporter.

In this episode Nic talks with Tyler Knight ("TK") about being the Head Athletic Trainer and Rehab Coordinator at Charlotte FC, his journey, and more.

Tyler is approaching a decade in Major League Soccer and is the Head Athletic Trainer and Rehab Coordinator at Charlotte FC. Before arriving in Charlotte, he worked with the USMNT in their build-up to the 2022 World Cup, with Real Salt Lake in the 7 years preceding that, and is a University of Oregon and University of Alabama alum. In 2021, Tyler was a member of the Athletic Training Staff of the Year awarded by Major League Soccer. He currently serves as the Secretary for the Professional Soccer Athletic Trainers’ Society, where he previously functioned as the Vice President. In an ongoing effort to create a lasting impact in the Athletic Training and Sports Medicine profession, he also sits on the MLS Education Committee. Tyler is adamant the most important impact we can have in life is in the lives of those around us. Outside of work, he is a Christian, husband to his wonderful wife Hope, dog dad to their little man Tibby, godfather, brother, son, and dedicated friend.

We go deep with the Spanish Radio Play-by-play announcer for Charlotte FC to learn more about how he got started, how he prepares for matches, his elevator ride with John Madden, sharing success, and helping the community. Jaime even sings for us!

Listen to Jaime call the matches along with Antonio Ramos on La Raza 106.1 in Charlotte.

Sports Journalist covering Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, and Olympic Sports as Sports Director for Progreso Hispano News

In this episode, Nic talks with Jorge Gonzales about his growing sports media company, TopBin90. We learn more about how it started, his approach to covering soccer, his childhood, and his mentors, as well as the future of TopBin90.

Khaled Ali joins me today on the podcast to explain eMLS, his journey as a gamer and soccer/football fan, and his approach to playing and learning Esports, and the similarities with the Charlotte FC squad.

Today we take an inside look at how the Tifos are made for Charlotte FC. We talk with the operations manager, creative organizer, and other supporters who are a part of making Tifos for Charlotte FC matches!

Sam Jones joins the show today to share his thoughts on Atlanta United and the upcoming Charlotte FC match as well as his career as a writer for MLS Soccer dot com, The Striker, and his podcast, 5 Stripe Final.

On today’s episode we are joined by Daniel Bramlette. He along with John Hayes host The Charlotte Soccer Show. These guys are wildly successful in their day-jobs as producers for ESPN’s SEC Network and the Athletic respectively. I talk with Daniel about why they started their podcast, what they want to do with it, his work as a producer, and more fun stuff about Danny.

It's not every day one gets to sit down and talk with world-class soccer/football referees. We were fortunate enough to have a chat with PRO Referees Director of Senior Match Officials, Alan Kelly, and the Chief Refereeing Officer, Joe Fletcher to learn more about how the organization PRO (Professional Referees Organization) works, their roles now, and an inside look at the refereeing process from training to match day and beyond.

This week on the Charlotte FC Podcast, Eli and Nic take a look back at what we have learned from the second 4 matches of the season and where the club is going for match 9 against the Columbus Crew.

Look for this type of episode to interrupt our regular interviews with the fascinating people around Charlotte FC and MLS every 5th week!

Here are some of the fun segments we created for these episodes:

View from the Spires - a collective view of how the club is playing overall during the past 4 matches.

The Gallantry - where we give out badges to individuals for their play during these matches.

Voices from the Kingdom - fan/supporters share their knowledge and opinions on various questions

The Royal Archives - Some stats and info from previous seasons and meetings with opponents

Regal Proclamations - Our thoughts on the upcoming match and predictions

Today we have Meg Van Dyk, she is the Sr. Communication Manager for Real Salt Lake, who Charlotte FC takes on today in Utah. We talk with Meg about her role with the club as well as their academy, the NWSL Utah Royals, her pathway, how the club is playing on the pitch as well what lies ahead for them and her career.

Today on the show we have Mike Lacett, a newcomer to the Queen City, joining the Charlotte Sports Live team as a Sports Anchor and reporter in the summer of last year. Previously he has had stints in Grand Rapids, Toledo, Louisville, Charleston, Syracuse, and Palm Springs over the past 20 years covering possibly every sport and level there is.  Today on the podcast we talk with Mike to learn more about his career, his story, and covering Charlotte FC.

This week on the Charlotte FC Podcast, Eli and Nic take a look back at what we have learned from the first 4 matches of the season and where the club is going for match 5 against the New York Red Bulls.

Look for this type of episode to interrupt our regular interviews with the fascinating people around Charlotte FC and MLS every 5th week!

Here are some of the fun segments we created for these episodes:

View from the Spires - a collective view of how the club is playing overall during the past 4 matches.

The Gallantry - where we give out badges to individuals for their play during these matches.

Voices from the Kingdom - fan/supporters share their knowledge and opinions on various questions

The Royal Archives - Some stats and info from previous seasons and meetings with opponents

Regal Proclamations - Our thoughts on the upcoming match and predictions

A talk with Carroll Walton about her career as a writer and her approach to writing about Charlotte FC. 

Carroll is a sportswriter covering the Charlotte FC for The Charlotte Ledger. Freelancer, and Mom of three rambunctious boys.  A native Charlottean, Carroll also is a freelance writer for Charlotte Smarty Pants, Charlotte Magazine, and Baseball Hall of Fame Magazine. For 17 years she wrote for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution covering the Atlanta Braves in MLB as well as Baseball America, and she also co-wrote with Chipper Jones, a NY Times Bestseller memoir, titled Ballplayer.

Read or listen to Fútbol Friday (free): a weekly newsletter, distributed on Fridays, that gets you up to speed on Charlotte FC, Charlotte’s new Major League Soccer team. Whether you’re a casual fan, a diehard supporter or know nothing about soccer, Carroll will make you better informed about the players and the dynamics.