Charlotte FC flex depth with Leagues Cup rout vs. Pumas | OneFootball

By Ben Steiner

Less than a week after Charlotte FC hosted the 2026 MLS All-Star Game presented by Chime at Bank of America Stadium, the Queen City club kickstarted dreams of a Leagues Cup 2026 trophy run.

Up against LIGA MX side Pumas UNAM, the Crown prevailed 3-0 with an inspired performance that gave them hope of advancing deep into Leagues Cup, with eyes on lifting the club’s first-ever trophy. 

“It was a good performance, and I thought we started the game really well,” head coach Dean Smith said post-match.

“We rotated a little bit, but we wanted to make sure there was still quality within the team that was capable of putting in a performance, and I thought we got that today.”

Winning by committee

While MLS All-Stars Ashley Westwood and Tim Ream retained their spots in the starting lineup, depth stepped up for Smith’s squad. 

As much as Pep Biel and Idan Toklomati tend to lead Charlotte most weekends, goalscorers Brandt Bronico, Archie Goodwin and Tyger Smalls made the difference on Tuesday night.

Elsewhere, 19-year-old Rodolfo Aloko made his presence known down the left wing and caught the eye of his head coach.

“Rodolfo was a constant threat... We played a similar shape on Saturday,” added Smith. “There were some tweaks to it that we probably did do as well... It was important that we just worked on what we started with on Saturday with the system and just tweaked it slightly.”

Outside of the attacking outbursts, Djibril Diani offered a stout defensive showing, helping limit former MLS stars Pedro Vite (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) and Adelberto Carrasquilla (Houston Dynamo FC).

It was a convincing display that will have Charlotte fans believing in a deep Leagues Cup run.

“We spoke with our three midfielders about wanting to join in the play when the ball is on their side, wanting to get in the box, and wanting to anchor, and I thought they did that really well as a three today,” Smith said.

Pushing forward

With three points secured, Charlotte have plenty of hope of pushing for one of the four quarterfinal spots available to the 18 MLS teams in the tournament.

Now, the group will look to recover quickly ahead of a pivotal second match against Atlas FC on Friday (7:30 pm ET | Apple TV), before a Phase One finale against CF Pachuca on Aug. 11, which could determine their knockout round fate.

“[Home field advantage], that was the message to the players today,” added Smith.

“It’s very rare you enter a tournament and have three home games, and you get an opportunity to get through the quarterfinals. That was given, and we can be really good at home.”

WATCH: Charlotte FC put on a clinic vs. Pumas UNAM