Dean Smith: "Walsall Would Have Beaten Either Side"

Leagues Cup pitch conditions under fire as Charlotte FC coach, Dean Smith, criticizes match quality in their 1-0 defeat to Philadelphia Union.

Jul 31, 2024

So, the Leagues Cup 2024, which sees all 47 clubs from Major League Soccer (MLS) and LIGA MX compete in a World Cup-style format, is underway having started last Friday, July 26 and will finish with the final on Sunday, August 25.

You can catch up with all the results, ongoing schedule, and highlights here, and current group standings here.

Charlotte FC’s manager, Dean Smith, is taking a bit of flak for his post-game comments after his team lost 1-0 to Philadelphia Union for saying League One Walsall (one of his old clubs) would’ve beaten either side on the night:

"I don't think it was one to watch back. It would have scorched my eyes. I didn't fancy watching that back. If we had won the game, I would have said the same thing. After 20 minutes, I turned around to the bench and said, 'This is not a good game.'"
He also complained about the playing surface in Philadelphia:
"A completed pass was a collector's item on that pitch. The number of passes that went out of play from both our team and theirs was incredible, really.“

While there are some in the twittersphere taking his Walsall comments as a stick to beat MLS with generally, he isn’t being disparaging towards the overall standard of football in the league - it was just a shocker of a game.

Being English myself, it’s very easy to decode British passive-aggressiveness masquerading as politeness, and that isn’t what he’s implying.

He’s bemoaning the state of the pitch, which considering the complaints leveled at Copa America, might need addressing more broadly.

Or maybe a woeful excuse to cover his own inadequacies?