The players of Charlotte FC hilariously reminded manager Dean Smith after the game that he owed them a bottle of wine for maintaining a clean sheet.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Charlotte FC was all smiles in the locker room after defeating New York City FC 1-0 on Saturday night thanks to an eight-minute winner from Adilson Malanda. After the game, new manager Dean Smith, who has played for Aston Villa, Norwich City, Brentford, and Leicester City, cracked jokes with the media and revealed a cheeky pledge he made to his defenders.

WHAT DEAN SMITH SAID

While discussing the outcome of the match and expressing his satisfaction with his defence for maintaining a clean sheet, the Englishman revealed that he had promised his defence a bottle of wine if they could keep the opposition scoreless.

He made a funny comment about “they reminded me” when addressing the media.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Last season, Charlotte FC barely made the playoffs despite having a lacklustre performance all year long. They’re a reimagined team in 2024 after splitting with manager Christian Lattanzio and finally adding two Designated Players in the offseason, Karol Swiderski and Kamil Jozwiak.

Now that Smith is in charge and there are two available DP spots, anything seems conceivable for the Eastern Conference team. But first things first, they must decide on the type of wine they will be toasting to on Saturday night.

WHAT NEXT FOR DEAN SMITH AND CHARLOTTE FC?

In the second week of the MLS season, the head coach of CLT FC and his team will play the Vancouver Whitecaps. They will be going to the Canadian side next Saturday, where they hope to make it six points from two games.