Independance Park - Charlotte, NC
One of the most beloved athletes in Charlotte and a man who cares about the city’s community and the future of a club that can shine for decades. Brandt Bronico is a veteran MLS midfielder for Charlotte FC. Brandt was kind enough to chat about the start of his career, passions and what it’s like to have the mentality to put in the hard work with anything you do in life.
Where did the passion for soccer start? “I grew up near High Point, NC. I played for a youth club called The Fusion and then went on to UNC Charlotte. It’s been about eight years now in Charlotte. I was in a family where your parents signed you up for four or five sports when you were six years old. One of those sports was soccer. The funny thing is, I liked soccer the least. When they said, “Hey, go out and kick the ball around”, I refused (laughs). I sat there and cried on the bench. I played basketball and baseball, but soccer wasn’t it. Then next year my parents asked me if I wanted to play soccer again and for some reason I said yes. That year, I started to really get into it and was getting pretty good, and by the age of 10, I knew I wanted to become a professional soccer player. My fifth-grade teacher has a video of me when he interviewed every kid in the class and asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, and I said a professional soccer player. Then he asked what if that doesn’t work out and I was like what do you mean?! I didn’t know what to say. When I first got into it, the one thing I loved is that it challenged me in ways other sports did not. Soccer was a different challenge. It was a sport where you needed to use your legs and feet. I need to constantly be moving — I could never stand still so this was a sport that could be a challenge for myself, and ultimately something that I could love and grow into and soccer was it for me.”
I couldn’t imagine what it has to be like to put in all of your chips to go after your dreams and what that mindset has to be to maintain a positive attitude. How did you maintain focus on and off the field to pursue this career? “The journey, no matter what you do, is challenging to achieve what you want to achieve. Soccer was challenging because I was really never rated highly by scouts. I didn’t grow into my body until about 16 years old. I was always the smaller one on the team, wasn’t the fastest, not the most talented but I always worked hard and gave it my best. As long as I did that, then I can always be proud of myself for that. I gave it my all, pursuing what I love, and if I do my best, I feel that things usually work out in ways you want them to. It was tough — I was cut from teams, and people doubted me and told me I wasn’t good enough. When you’re younger, you are more aware of what people are saying to you, so a lot of what they said stuck with me to a point where I started to believe it. I had to blur that out and focus on the mindset that I was doing this for myself. There was no second option. I always like to take action if I let those kind of things get to my head. So it motivated me to learn, work harder and grow as an athlete and person. It’s a long journey, but fortunately, it worked out. Not sure if I believe in luck. I believe in hard work, but maybe there was a little luck thrown in there as well. (laughs)”
So, Chicago. Tell us about how that all went down, being drafted to the MLS. “When you come out of college, there really is no set options. UNC Charlotte — it was a great culture. I had great teammates and coaching staff. It was a culture that had everything you needed to go pro, but you had to work for it. UNC Charlotte offered all of that and I was fortunate that I chose that school. I got invited to the MLS Combine, and that was great, but it wasn’t a guarantee that you’ll get drafted. I went through the Combine and then decided to go home and watch the draft with my parents. At that time, rounds one and two were on Friday, and they were televised — rounds three and four were on Sunday and were announced on the internet. It was me, my mom, my dad and my girlfriend at the time, now my wife, sitting there watching the draft. Picks went by, and my name was never called. We just sat there in silence. It was discouraging and a little scary. I was like hey, let’s not worry about it now, let’s wait until Sunday. I drove back home to Charlotte and went to the college to train and as I pulled into the parking deck, my phone started to blow up and Chicago drafted me! It was the 47th pick, the third pick in the third round. I was so happy. They called me and told me that I had a flight out of Charlotte on Tuesday. What some people don’t know is that you’re not guaranteed a contract after you get drafted. It’s rare for a third-round draft pick to get signed. I didn’t care about that; the only thing I cared about was getting the opportunity, and I got it — now it was the time to prove myself. Two and a half weeks go back, were in pre-season, still haven’t heard anything and the roster was starting to fill up and then one day they pulled me in and told me that they were signing me. It was a big relief… I got it. I got the opportunity and now the real work starts. The next step is to earn that next option of the contract. I just wanted that fair chance at making a team. I was in Chicago for four seasons. Fast forward — during the fourth year, they brought in a new GM and new coach, and they were cleaning the longer-tenured people out. I saw the writing on the wall. I was talking to my agent half way through the year and was like it’s not looking great and then COVID hit and it was just a crazy time. My agent told me that we will get through it and keep things on the radar. A few months later Charlotte announced they are starting an MLS team. Immediately when I heard that, I called Dave, my agent, and said I don’t care what it takes, I want to be there, we need to get back to Charlotte. To share those moments with family essentially where I grew up, I didn’t want to risk passing that up. 2020 goes by and Chicago didn’t want to pick my option up and wanted to trade me. That kind of opened up the possibility of the chance. We were also trying to plan our wedding during that time too in December. I didn’t have a contract, I had no idea what was next. December 15th was a re-entry draft so everything needs to be figured out and signed or any team can pick you up. There were rumors of Seattle, Columbus, I had no idea what was happening. Charlotte came back with an offer and we signed 30 minutes to an hour before that re-entry draft deadline. I was PUMPED. We get married, Charlotte FC announces they are signing me and it was just the best day life that I will never forget. I married my best friend, Charlotte announces the signing, it was crazy. It was just an incredible feeling and moment.”
You get signed, and with everything that happened with COVID, Charlotte announced they are pushing the start back another year. Was that hard to accept, or was it easy to stay in a positive mindset? “It wasn’t too bad, to be honest. I didn’t care because I wanted to be here and back in Charlotte and help build the club from the ground up. We decided that I would go on loan to the Independence. We had a really good team there and the level was high to keep play and staying fresh. It was the right step. Now I played for UNC Charlotte, Charlotte Independence and now Charlotte FC, that also means a lot.”
When the time did come, what was that moment like for you, and what were those emotions when you stepped on the pitch in front of 70,000+ fans? “There was a lot of emotion. Today is actually the anniversary of that match. It was just a full-circle moment. Everything I worked towards has gotten me to that moment and reaffirmed my belief that everything happens for a reason and everything happens at the right time. I was out there playing for the city, the supporters, for that badge on my chest. I take a lot of pride in that — so stepping on the pitch that first match was incredible.”
What is a proud moment that you can go back to that has shaped you into the person you are today? “It has to be when I was twelve or thirteen years old, and there was a soccer league of ODP teams; there were six teams, three on the west and three on the east. I went to that tryout, and I got cut; I didn’t make any one of those teams. I questioned if I was good enough and started to doubt myself. My Dad drove me home, and it was a quiet car ride home. Next year he asked me if I wanted to try out again and I said yes because I knew I could prove it to myself that Im good enough and that I’m one of the best players in the state. I made the C team, it wasn’t great, but I made a team, it was progress. I ended up on the first team with the best players in the state. I had that underdog mentality, played with a chip on my shoulder. That’s what I do the best, when the odds are stacked against me and when I know I need to earn my spot. That mentality has shaped who I am today.”
Are you a goal-driven person? “I’m very goal-driven, I write my goals down. I believe in the law of attraction and I believe that we become what our thoughts are. So always staying positive and focusing on one main goal at a time and that’s what really keeps me going. For soccer, one of my main collective goals is to have Charlotte FC finish in a top four spot in the Eastern Conference. An individual goal — I want to score five goals or more this year for the club.”
You are very involved in the community, whether that’s the supporters or influencers/brands in the city. I think that is such a great thing for folks to see and something you should be proud of doing. “I genuinely care about the city of Charlotte. I love the supporters and I love this club. I want to help this sport grow, the city grow. I always think about how I can immerse myself in the community to make the city a better place and make soccer a more prominent sport in the city.”
Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you take with you on a daily basis? “Knowing that things won’t happen over night. I’m not a patient person. When you put the work in and trusting the process and just giving the best you can give. Like I said before, when you do your best and give all you can, it will work out for you — you just need to be patient and know that the hard work will eventually pay off.”