CHARLOTTE, N.C. - In their first season in League One, the Charlotte Independence extended their playoff streak to three consecutive seasons – the only men’s professional side in North Carolina to make a postseason appearance since 2019 – after sneaking into the 2022 USL League One Playoffs over Northern Colorado on total wins.

The Jacks raced out to a 4-2-2 start to the season before hitting a wall in the form of four consecutive lopsided losses in which the first-year League One side was outscored 15 to 1. While Charlotte’s four-match skid was topped off with a 7-1 loss to Chattanooga – the largest loss in the club’s eight-year history – the Jacks turned things around in a big way by downing Madison 6-2 in the following match to record its second-largest victory. The Independence went on to maintain a midtable position for the remainder of the season, solidifying their postseason berth by winning four of their last six matches. The sixth-seeded Jacks were narrowly knocked out of postseason play by eventual champions South Georgia via a 2-1 result in Statesboro. 

The Independence are set to retain 79% of their goalscoring production from a season ago, largely in the form of the returning tandem of Tresor Mbuyu and Khori Bennett who headline what looks to be one of the most potent attacking units in the league in 2023. Charlotte will also welcome back a pair of former Jacks from the club’s USL Championship days in Liberia international defender Joel Johnson and the Championship’s all-time leading scorer Dane Kelly. Goalkeeping and defending may be a concern for the Jacks in 2023 following the departures of Charlotte FC loanees Adrían Zendejas and Koa Santos, but a solid core of returning midfielders – 2022 All-League selections Omar Ciss and Gabriel Obertan and veteran Miguel Ibarra – should be able to assist a relatively young backline. 

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