New Charlotte FC jersey salutes city's soccer history
Former coach Rodney Marsh traces Charlotte's first pro soccer championship season, as Charlotte FC prepares to honor '81 team; Plus: Smith sounds off on Agyemang departure, advancing New York and more
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Walking down memory lane with Carolina Lightnin’ coach Rodney Marsh, who led Charlotte’s first professional soccer team to a national championship
Coach Rodney Marsh (center) at tryouts for Carolina Lightnin’ at West Mecklenburg High School in the early 1980s. (Photo courtesy of Carolina Lightnin’)
The Charlotte Football Club and the Carolina Lightnin’ are trailblazing soccer franchises separated by 40 years and several shades of blue. Both are forever intertwined in the fabric of this city’s soccer history. So it’s, ahem, fitting that they’re coming together in the design of a new jersey.
Charlotte FC is one of 10 MLS clubs chosen by Adidas to feature a third “archive” kit for the remainder of the season. The design will be revealed Wednesday morning, and Charlotte FC will wear it that night against DC United. As hints of baby blue and yellow in new Charlotte FC apparel suggest, the retro jersey honors the Lightnin’ team that won the American Soccer League championship in 1981. It was Charlotte’s first title for a professional sports team outside of minor league hockey.
The man who helped put the golden in the Carolina Lightnin’ colors and the mullet over their jersey collar is former English soccer star and current radio personality Rodney Marsh. Marsh and other members of the Lightnin’ will be honored Wednesday night.
Marsh, who lives in Tampa and hosts “Grumpy Pundits” soccer talk show on Sirius XM, serves as a walking and talking reminder of how much history can repeat.
◼️ Before there was Charlotte FC’s British invasion with Ashley Westwood, Nathan Byrne and Dean Smith, there was Marsh.
He first came to the U.S. in a private plane with pop star Elton John, who was looking to buy a Los Angeles franchise in the new National American Soccer League. Marsh ultimately signed with the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the NASL, which had attracted international legends like Pelé and Johan Cruyff to play for the New York Cosmos.
Shortly after Marsh retired as a player and was coaching for the New York United of the new second-tier American Soccer League, Marsh got a call from Charlotte businessman Bob Benson. Benson knew a good promoter when he saw one. As Marsh arrived in Charlotte in the fall of 1980, Miller Lite had just released a nationwide commercial featuring Marsh, who had starred for Fulham, Queens Park and Manchester City before coming to America:
Not only was Marsh tasked with holding open tryouts and fielding a soccer team — he was building a fanbase.
“I was opening supermarkets, I was kissing babies, I was doing clinics, I was doing everything,” Marsh said in a phone call from Tampa earlier this week.
He was the one who kicked a ball into a Volvo sunroof in a trial run of a promotion that would win a fan a car.
“The owner of the dealership went crazy,” Marsh said. “He thought it was easy.”
The Carolina Lightnin’ gave away multiple cars, even a small airplane — which the fan sold back for $35,000 cash — and hosted the Beach Boys in a postgame concert.
◼️ Before there was Karol Swiderski or Brandt Bronico, there was Tony Suarez.
The star of Charlotte’s first soccer team turned out to be the best promotion of all. Tony Suarez — a local boy, no less, who had played at Myers Park High School, Appalachian State and Belmont Abbey — showed up to try out, and Marsh was not impressed.
“He would score the most magnificent goal and then miss from four yards,” Marsh said. “It was just like a loose cannon, and I couldn’t afford that in my first year. Well, I thought I couldn’t.”
Marsh tried to cut Suarez, but the 25-year-old told Marsh he would do anything to be a part of the team, even if just to practice.
“He said, ‘I’ll even drive the bus,’” Marsh said.
The new team bus driver became the last man on the roster. Suarez wasn’t even on the bench for games. But he was making an impression.
“He was tremendously fit,” Marsh said, “and really, really quick.”
Marsh subbing in defender Kevin Murphy in a key moment of the 1981 ASL championship game. (Photo courtesy of Carolina Lightnin’.)
Shortly into the season, a handful of players got sick and two more were injured. So Suarez dressed for the game. Then during the game, after the striker got injured, Marsh turned to Suarez.
“His eyes went like saucers,” Marsh said. “I tell you what. He came on the field. The crowd went ballistic, and he was magnificent, absolutely magnificent.”
Suarez scored nine goals in his first 12 games. His production, not to mention his good looks and flowing locks, made him a local star. He finished fourth in the league in scoring, with 15 goals, and was named MVP of the All-Star game and rookie of the year.
Mostly, importantly he led Charlotte to the cusp of the championship.
◼️ Before there was an MLS record-setting home opener of 72,479 at Bank of America Stadium for an expansion Charlotte FC, there was the 1981 ASL championship game.
The Lightnin’ advanced to play the New York United in a final that was supposed to be in New York, hosted by the team with the better record. But league owners voted to move the game to Charlotte, where more than 9,000 fans had showed up to the regular season game against New York vs. several hundred when the two played in New York.
The Lightnin’ staff had two weeks to prepare Memorial Stadium, which they referred to as the horseshoe, secure sponsors and media deals. They were expecting 5,000 to 10,000 fans.
“It was raining, and we were about to kick off, and there were suddenly thousands of people coming down the road,” Marsh said. “We only had four turnstiles open. Everybody panicked, and they had to open all the turnstiles. People were jumping over. It was mayhem. It was one of those things you never forget in your life, where everything came together.”
I remember. I was 11. Mostly, I remembered going to Carolina Lightnin’ games for something fun to do and a cool way to connect with my 19-year-old brother, Chip. My Lightnin’ memories are a blur of Suarez’s hair, metal bleachers, the night sky and pure excitement.
For specifics from the championship game, I had to research. The Lightnin’ beat New York 2-1 with a goal in stoppage time in front of 21,163 fans. Of course they did.
“There’s something about sports that is timeless and will never change,” Marsh said. “If you’re an expansion franchise and you come to a city and you win the whole thing in the first year, that never goes away.”
Memorial Stadium, now with American Legion as its title sponsor, for the ASL Championship game in September of 1981. (Photo courtesy of Carolina Lightnin’.)
◼️ Before there was the tragedy of Anton Walkes, there was the sad ending to the Suarez story.
When asked to describe his favorite all-time Suarez goal, Marsh points to a scoreless game in Cleveland, on Astroturf. A Lightnin’ defender, under pressure, booted a ball upfield, mostly out of panic.
“Tony must have been 20 yards behind the last defender, and they’re sprinting for the ball, and the defender is getting closer and closer,” Marsh said. “Just as they got to the edge of the box, he caught him, but the goalkeeper had come out. Just before the goalkeeper punches it, Tony heads it over the goalkeeper and gets knocked spark out [unconscious]. The goalkeeper punched him straight in the face, and the ball went in the goal. We won 1-0.”
Nothing seemed to come easy for Suarez, whose soccer career spiraled with multiple knee injuries in the years to follow. On into adulthood, he struggled with what family members now believe was clinical depression. In 2007, at the age of 51, he died by suicide. [The Charlotte Observer’s Scott Fowler wrote a poignant story tracing the life of Suarez in 2021.]
“It’s an absolute tragedy,” Marsh said. “As an amateur psychiatrist, I think part of it was sometimes people are thrust into the limelight and have no idea how to handle it. And Tony went from driving the bus and eating pizza to the biggest thing in Charlotte.”
Sometimes an abrupt turn in an otherwise storybook tale is how you know it’s real.
As many as a dozen or more players and staff gather in Charlotte for reunions every 10 years or so. This time, they’ll do it mingling with players and staff from Charlotte FC.
Marsh, for one, would love to see Charlotte repeat championship history the Lightnin’ started in 1981.
“If Dean can win a Major League Soccer championship, that would make him immortal in North Carolina, and South Carolina, by the way,” said Marsh, who has known Smith for years through their English soccer channels. “If they can win it, it will be magic.”
Smith disappointed in impending Agyemang departure; says it would have been better for star to stay in Charlotte
Agyemang returned to practice for Charlotte FC Wednesday, before his transfer to Derby County was finalized. (Photo by Carroll Walton)
The finer points of striker Patrick Agyemang’s transfer to Derby County were still being finalized as of Thursday afternoon when Smith had his regularly scheduled press conference with local media, so “would’s” and “should’s” were still part of the conversation. But Smith, in his usual candor, said he foresaw a departure like this during the summer window or at season’s end after Agyemang turned down Charlotte FC’s offers for a contract extension in January.
Similarly to the disappointed Charlotte FC fans, Smith was hoping for different news.
“I’ve had the conversation with Patrick, and my answer was, ‘I don't think he should [go],’” Smith said. “I want him to stay here, but it’s up to the player to make that decision, as long as he, the player, is making the decision and not his representative. I did remind Patrick that, ‘Remember, agents work for you, not the other way around.’”
The implication was Agyemang felt pressure to turn down Charlotte’s overtures.
“I thought that the club made fair offers,” Smith said. “And there were a number of offers in January. I spoke to Patrick about where I thought he should be and what he should do but his representatives had a totally different idea, which was out of the ballpark of this football club.”
As a first- and second-year player, he made the MLS minimum.
Agyemang returned to Charlotte early this week after playing with the U.S. Men’s National team in the Gold Cup. He took part in Charlotte FC’s practice Wednesday morning. But by Thursday, he was absent from practice as reports indicated he was undergoing medical evaluations before flying to London.
Charlotte is set to receive an $8 million transfer fee with another $2 million in bonuses, while Agyemang will reportedly get an immediate raise of more than $1 million dollars. Working for Agyemang will be the increase in salary and the exposure of playing in England, though Smith makes the argument that the cachet of the English Championship, where he has coached multiple teams, is not necessarily a step up from Major League Soccer.
“This is a major league over here, and you go into this to a second league in the UK,” Smith said.
Also comes the pressure of playing for a team that faced relegation to England’s third-tier League One on the final game of the 2025 season. Smith also thinks staying stateside would have been better for the development of what many agree is Agyemang’s explosive, though raw, talent.
“There’s not really loads of time for development because they play Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday,” Smith said. “There’s 46 games a season. I think for him to remain one of the big players for the U.S. national team as well, probably to stay here would be better.”
Fan groups upset about injuries from celebratory beer showers; team says it ejected fans for throwing objects
Multiple members of Charlotte FC fan groups voiced displeasure with the club this week over the practice of “beer showers” during goal celebrations in the East Goal supporters section.
Members of both Mint City Collective and Southbound & Crown issued statements this week citing frustration over fans being struck by cups of beer, not just the contents of those cups, within the supporters’ section.
“There have been at least six injuries requiring medical attention,” the statement from Mint City Collective read, pointing to an incident last Saturday when a fan had to leave the Orlando game in an ambulance.
A club spokesman said, “Throwing objects is against the MLS code of conduct. At the game this past weekend, we did have [fan] ejections for throwing objects.”
The spokesman indicated that the club had increased messaging in the stadium and security within the supporters section in response to feedback from the supporters’ council.
Up Next: Charlotte FC (8-11-2) vs New York City FC (9-7-4)
When/Where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
How to watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Find information about how to subscribe for the season here.
How to listen: WFNZ 92.7 in English, WOLS 106.1 in Spanish.
Notable:
Charlotte snapped a three-game MLS losing streak with a 2-2 draw against Orlando last Saturday in the club’s first game at Bank of America Stadium in six weeks.
Charlotte game up the tying goal in the 80th minute which gave them seven points lost in the 75th minute or later this season, which trails only FC Dallas (eight points) in MLS, according to soccerstats.com.
Pep Biel scored and assisted the goals against Orlando to take over the team lead in goals with seven and add to his team-high total of nine assists.
Tim Ream returns from the U.S. Men’s national team and Andrew Privett (hip flexor) returned to practice so Charlotte FC’s backline won’t be nearly so thin Saturday, though Souleyman Doumbia is still out with a hamstring injury.
Carroll Walton is a longtime baseball writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution now in her fourth season covering Charlotte FC. She would love to hear from you. E-mail her with questions, suggestions, story ideas and comments!
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