Dean Smith looks to continue winning with Charlotte FC after recording his 50th victory in charge of the Crowns in their last outing against D.C. United.
Smith succeeded Christian Lattanzio at Charlotte in December 2023 and went on to coach 112 games with the club, which improved year over year under his leadership.
Under Smith, Charlotte finished fifth, then fourth, in the Eastern Conference, and so far this season, they’re fourth in the division.
However, they failed to reach the first round of the playoffs during Smith’s stay at the club, a problem they hope to rectify before the end of the 2026 season.
Ashley Westwood and Alain Saint-Maximin scored in Smith’s 50th win for Charlotte, scoring in Charlotte’s 2-1 victory over Washington, D.C., at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Charlotte will face the Chicago Fire this weekend, and while Smith is excited about his personal accomplishments, he said his main focus remains the team’s ambitions.
“[I’m] It’s great,” Smith said. “I mean, 50 wins in 112 games. It’s a good record, but we just want to keep winning.
“It’s not about my record, it’s about the club. Every win you probably don’t enjoy as much as you should because you’re always thinking about the next game.
“So, hopefully we can make it to the end of the season and I enjoy this win for a special reason. I think we’re getting there. The building blocks are there.”
“Ideology, everyone knows what’s expected of them, so I think that’s the easy part. The hardest part is always recruiting good people and good players.”
Dedicated to you, Dean Smith
The best is yet to come pic.twitter.com/f2TI7usUcP
— Charlotte FC (@CharlotteFC) September 20, 2026
Chicago enters this weekend’s game just four points behind Charlotte as they look to get back to winning ways after losing 3-0 to Nashville SC.
Sam Suric opened the scoring in the 33rd minute and second-half goals from Christian Espinoza and Hani Mukhtar sealed a comfortable victory for the Eastern Conference leaders.
The Flames’ expected goals against (xG) total from nine shots was just 0.91, with just one on target, and Gregg Berhalter admitted after the game that his team was simply outplayed by better opponents.
“I don’t think this result was unfortunate for us. We just lost to a better team. It’s simple really,” Berhalter said.
“I think the biggest lesson tonight is Nashville is the benchmark for us. This is a team we want to reach and we want to be able to compete with.
“In the beginning, we were a little too conservative. We held on and then we conceded a goal. We got back into the game but then we conceded another goal.”
“The conclusion for us is that as a team we have to improve.”
The Flames’ task will become even more difficult against Charlotte, with Noah Allen, Chris Brady, Anzor Mekvabishvili, Puso Disegjane, Robert Lewandowski and Robin Lord all set to join their respective national teams during the extended international break.
Players to watch
Charlotte FC – Allan Saint-Maximin
Only Cavan Sullivan (30), Christopher Wilder (25) and Gilliam (23) have carried the ball more times in MLS than Saint-Maximin’s 22 since making his debut for Charlotte.
The former Newcastle United star also registered five assists and a goal for Charlotte during that time and will be looking to leave his mark on Smith’s side once again.
Maxi’s first goal was on a different level than the pitch pic.twitter.com/WLnEtfabyS
— Charlotte FC (@CharlotteFC) September 20, 2026
Chicago Fire – Maren Hale-Selassie
Haile Selassie has eight goals for Chicago this season, the most of any current Flames player.
Five of those goals have come in away games this season, with four of those goals coming in his last four away games.
Match prediction: Charlotte FC wins
The two teams met for the first time this season in August, with Chicago defeating Charlotte 2-1. It was the Flames’ third straight win in the series, after losing five straight games last season.
The Flames lost to Nashville for the second time this regular season on the road, tying Inter Miami with the fewest points allowed this season.
This ended Chicago’s 21-game scoring streak in the league and marked the first time Chicago had failed to score since March 7 against the Columbus Crew.
Charlotte, meanwhile, has posted two of the longest regular-season unbeaten streaks in club history dating back to July, including a 10-game unbeaten streak in 2025 and a current eight-game unbeaten streak.
Over the past two seasons, the Crowns averaged 2.24 points per game from July to October and 1.31 points per game from March to June.
OPTA winning probability
Charlotte FC – 44.9%
Tie – 23.4%
Chicago Fire – 31.7%