October 22, 2025 • 14 mins
Ashley Westwood, team captain and midfielder for Charlotte FC, joins the show to discuss where he and the squad stand heading into the playoffs, the challenge that NYCFC will presented and the advantage that the Bank is for the team.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's cargas.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Get in the area with a shit saved off the
line almost a.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Handball took Leamoni a chance for the middle of a
burger shit. We have that man in studio right now.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
No, I'm not talking about Willie p Get out of here, Willie.
Time to make the broom for Ashley Westwoods, Charlotte FC captain.
He joins us now on Western Walker Sports Radio ninety
two seven w f n Z. He's here with not
only myself in West but a different form of Wes.
Can I ask you what's going on over there? With
a towel my man and man, this is you know,
you know, I'm styling. So they brought a little tally in.
(00:42):
You know sometimes people will put it under their hats
and stuff like that. So I just put it on
my head and put the headphone on top of My
man actually likes I saw as soon as I did it,
he started grinning.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
This is the drip? Is he speaking for you? Ashley?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
He put words in here. Yeah, I can't pull it off. Okay,
I don't know if I can. I get that a
lot with a lot of stuff I wear and do
around here from these guys. Well, you and I both
do our hair, man, like we both have. I mean, look,
I have been complimented on my hair. I need to
get it cut, but yours is impeccable. Yours is like
high and tight, really nicely done GQ style. So I
need to honestly live my life a little bit more
(01:16):
like you when it comes to the hair game. Man,
Oh well, I mean he comes in. He looks like
such a soccer star, right, I mean the nice today,
got a nice jacket with crispy white shirt on. The
hair is perfect. I mean, this guy looks like he's
ready to, you know, just be an international soccer style?
Are you always GQ ready? Just like my wife does
(01:37):
a good job. You do a good job. Your wife
does a good job. You look great. I don't dress myself.
Ashley Westwood in the tailor vaulta studio getting ready for
the playoffs. Here a couple of big games that we
have in store. But I did want to ask you
because Willie p the man who just gave us the
impeccable call, as he always does, he did tweet out
a practice today that you weren't out there because of backspasms.
(01:57):
How are you feeling You're feeling Okay.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
I'm great. Okay, yeah, I'm good. You'll be out there. Yeah,
I'll be there s Tuesday. Don't worry about that, but
we'll just I'm having a bit of work during the
week so to get the back right. But yeah, I
feel good. I'm sat up here right. Sunday night wasn't great,
but I'm on the meds and I'm on the men.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
So you're feeling I mean, we're not worried at all
about you missing this game though. That's just just to
be clear about that.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Yep, the way I'm progressing now, ye will be there Tuesday.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Well, and this is a team that has a nice
finish to the season with that victory that you guys
had on Saturday. It's been an incredible season. A roller
coaster season, but an incredible season. How do you guys
feel like as a team? You as the captain, you
can speak for him. How do you guys feel as
a team going into the postseason.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
We're full of confidence. I mean, the way we've finished
the season is what we what I thought this team
could do. Anyway, I think we've obviously we wanted we
wanted top four. We said that from the start of
the season. We said that from after the playoffs last
year when we got beat by Orlando top four with
the minimum, but I still think we could have even
gone on and done better. It's that's that's what I
(03:03):
think of this team. I think we're established ourselves as
now as one of the best teams in the East,
and I think the East is the toughest league to
be in. So yeah, we're in a good spot and
lads are full of confidence. Training grounds buzzing, and let's
get the city buzzing as well. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Actually, so to Walker's comment, just to piggyback off of
that one, you guys start the season on a high,
then you go through a crazy load to where people
are thinking the season has lost it's done. So take
me inside that locker room, man amongst the team, what
was the proverbial switch that turned on that changed the
season for you guys?
Speaker 1 (03:39):
We to be fair, we always knew that run was
going to be tough, them all them away games. It's
not easy to win a to win away from home
in the MLS, so we knew it was going to
be tough. But listen, it was. It was disappointing from
from our standards. We were we were disappointed. Well, it
sounds strange saying this. We were playing well, it wasn't
like that we were getting well beat. It was mistakes
(04:00):
here and there, which we're human beings, let them things happen.
But listen, things things got heated, things were said, that's
that's part of a good a good locker room. Wolf's
come in and is good at that. I'll say things.
We've got a group now who speaks up and takes
accountability for our actions, and that's what you need. And
I think that's what pulled us from and got us,
(04:21):
got us back to where we deserve to be.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
So what's your favorite thing from a character standpoint about
this team as you in a postseason play.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Just the resilience we've shown, resilience all through the year,
the knocks we've taken, and listen, we we don't get
the credit we deserve. I'm going to say, if we
don't get the credit we deserve from the MLS, I
think we're we're an incredible team with If you look
at our team on paper, I think we're stronger than
anyone out there. Obviously some teams have got some superstars,
(04:51):
which that's what the MLS is. But We've created a
group of twenty twenty five guys who could compete every
week in the in the lesson. That's what's that's what
set us on our pathway to finish in top four.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Is it the lack of quote unquote superstars as to
why you feel the MLS doesn't give you enough respect?
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Maybe it is that we know we know in that
in that changing room, in that locker room, we've got Listen,
we've we've beaten the best, we've beaten the top of
this league. And no, we're we're happy to go about
our business. We won't we won't let it affect us.
We know, we know how good we are. We've got
that confidence when we've got that little bit of arrogance.
We've shown that against Philly who won the league comfortably.
(05:32):
But I think we're I think we're a better team.
And then and that's that's what all the lads should
believe in.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Ashley Westwood, Charlotte FC captain, joining us here in the
Chandler vaulta studio on Western Walker Sports Radio ninety two
seven WFNZ. You said things were said in the locker room.
Don't need to divulge into all of the content of
what was said. But here you are as the captain,
like this is you being a leader? I don't know
were you voted on by teammates to be the captain
of the teeth.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
I think it was a decision made even before when
I first got here. It was christin Latanzio who who
made me captain. But no, he was just carried on
through the managers, the managed new managers coming. Dean Smith
is he's a key part of it as well. He's
during that run, he keeps very grounded, even when you're
winning games, he stays the same. So that got us
(06:21):
through the difficult period. But yeah, no, things, we've got
we've got some good leaders in that locker room. Now
you've got you mentioned Will Tim USA national captain Nathan
Burns a leader in there, and I think he was
a loss as well during during that stretch. So we've
we've got we've got leaders in there. Calli is another
one who will who will say things. So but you
need that. We're we're grown men, we're athletes. We want
(06:42):
to win and things do get things does get heeded.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Well, I mean you mentioned it, you were just named captain.
Is that something you welcomed? Because that's a large responsibility.
Like now, when things are being said in the locker room,
they're going to be looking at some of the leaders
and here you are as that captain. Did you welcome
that responsibility immediately? Where you think? And I got this
now like I just wanted to come play. I just
wanted to come play for the club. Like what are
(07:05):
your thoughts? As soon as you get that honor, it
is an honor. Nonetheless, Yeah, I've.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Done it in England with many other clubs that I've
been at, but not the official captain I've been. I've
stepped in as captain, I've but I'm not known for
a shower around the place. I'm not allowed around the place.
The way I lead is on the training field every day.
I turn up every day I'm there on a Saturday.
You can rely on me. So yeah, I even at
(07:31):
the age of thirty thirty two, I had to grow
into it. But I will say things like anyone should
say things, and I give the lads a platform to
do that, to use their voice. The more voices you
have out there on a Saturday, the better chance the
team has to win games. So I encourage things to
be said and as long as it's not taken too far,
(07:52):
all right.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
So moving forward to your match up with New York,
I mean, what do you feel like that this team
the challenges that they bring to you?
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Guys. Yeah, they're they're very good. They're they're one of
the better teams. The way they the way they play
the ball. But listen, anyone, anyone who comes to the
bank knows they're in for a game. So we've got
to use that to advantage that. That was what Top
four was all about. We were We've just recently played
them at their place, so we want to we want
(08:19):
to turn things around. We when we last played then
we were disappointing. So we know what we didn't do right.
We know what they did right, and it's time to
put that right on on Tuesday. And like I said,
if we just need the it's not ideal. I was
disappointed at anyone finding the games out on Tuesday. I
wanted a weekend game. But hopefully there are amazing crowd
(08:40):
can turn up and turn up in the numbers and
we'll give a good show.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
All right.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Relative to other sports, though, what do you feel like
the challenges that MLS that the MLS playoffs bring.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
The format is the three game is listen anyway, it's
it's known. Anyone can be anyone, and that was that's
what its last year. We we thought we were better
than Orlando. But at the end of the day, you
have two games. They've got two games at home, which
is new for me in England it's one home run away.
So that's the that's the that's the most difficult part.
(09:13):
And then when you get through that, you've got to
play the best of the other league. So it's this.
This Cup's hard to win. It's a real hard, hard,
hard game, hard competition to win. There's so many games
you're traveling, but no we to finish top four. It
gives you the best chance. That's that's im proven in
(09:33):
the in the past. So this is it. Now. We've
we've we've done what we needed to do. But we've
got to we've got to now turn this turn this
playoff run into a successful one. We don't we don't
want to fall short. Game.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Crowd captain Ashley Westwood joining us here in Chandler Vault
Studio on Western Walker Sports Radio ninety two seven WFNZ.
We're getting ready for Charlotte FC series against the NYC,
in which you'll get your couple games hopefully. I mean,
maybe we can just take care of business in the
first two. But you are going to play at Boway
and then you're gonna play a Yankee Stadium. What's it
like playing on a baseball field different? It's uh, it's
(10:05):
very different.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
And listen, that's why they use their home advantage like
we do ours. So we've got to go there. We've
I can't remember. I don't know what I think. I
don't think we played at that that stadium this year.
I think it was I think we played there two
years ago. Is that right?
Speaker 2 (10:23):
What you got over there?
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Flat?
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Well, because I think I think the game is going
to be at City Field, where they did play a
couple of years ago. Yankee Stadium is where they played
earlier this season. But I don't think for some reason,
maybe there's a concert or something going on at Yankee Stadium.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
So I got to hear at November first. We'll see.
I mean, well, you'll you'll have to figure that out
because you'll have to be there for the game. I
will say, Well, but anyways, just playing NYC, getting ready
for that series to in its totality, you guys aren't
going to have wilfrid Zaha for the first game because
of the red card. And here we are speaking to
your leadership once more. What is it like not having
(10:58):
him out there on the pitch with you.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
It's a huge loss. I mean Wilf's ability as everyone's
seen that. He's he's an incredible player, and I mean
he took he took a lot of criticism when he
first got here. But I've I've been there, I've done it.
He was he's come in. People expect you to to
turn up straight away and score score a load of goals,
but that's not the case. You have to fly back
(11:20):
into to England to do your visa. His wife gave birth,
and it's it's not easy. It's not easy to settle down.
But once you've seen him settle down, Wilf has has
gone on to I knew what Wilf was. I've played
against him many times and I even used to kick
him when I was at Burnley, so we joke. We
joke about it now. But no, he's he's going to
be a huge loss. But we've got We've got players
(11:43):
who can who hopefully can replace him. It's their time
now to step up and and step up is now
and we need him, so that's there's no bigger time.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
So you said that, teams they know when they come
into the Bank it's going to be tough on a man.
Tell me from your perspective, what makes Bank of America
such a special place to play games.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
The minute you come out for a warm up, you
can feel the energy from the supporter section. I mean,
they're with us, wind, rain, shine, They're always there. They
turn up in the numbers. They even turn up away
from home. When we go away from home we get
two thousand, which is incredible. But no, when you when
you turn up at the Bank, you hear the energy
(12:23):
from the fans, and then that gives us a lift.
It gives us a belief. And we say it in
England they're the twelfth Man, and they certainly are in Charlotte.
It's it's a tough place to come and play. We
play with a lot of energy. We play. We'll turn it,
we'll turn it in behind, we'll kick it in behind,
and we'll we play different to most teams, but that's
(12:44):
that's the energy we want to bring. And when the
fans turn up, we usually turn up so we're going
to need them all right.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Turn up, there you go, Ashley Westwood, captain of Charlotte FC,
joining us inside the channel of VAULTA Studios. We can't
get you out of here without asking a Willie p question, though?
Do you just to have a ring tone? Anytime somebody
texts you? Do you have the Do you have that
high pitch sound going on to the background? How often
do you get to listen to Willie Peas calls?
Speaker 1 (13:09):
I don't. I've I've give him some stick before, but
I turn it down when he's talking.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
It's not Willie. Man. You can't turn down Willy. You
got to turn it all the way up and get
the true Mickey Mouse experience from one Willie.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
He's gonna pull me now on Friday when I see him,
he probably is. He was.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
He was upset last time I mentioned that. I'm sure
he was. Man, Willie P. You gotta. I mean, you
just have to embrace it. You have to embrace the
high pitch, you have to embrace the gold calls, you
have to embrace, embrace all of it.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
He's famous in England, though, is he really? He's famous
in England?
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Well?
Speaker 1 (13:40):
How famous are He's been on a few Instagram reels
that I've seen. Is he just the Mickey Mouse?
Speaker 2 (13:47):
I was gonna say, is it okay to call him
Charlotte FC's mascot Minty?
Speaker 1 (13:52):
A sermon is special?
Speaker 2 (13:54):
I think so too. We saw Sir Minty the other day.
By the way, he's just roaming the halls around here.
I love the crown, I love the smile. So Menty great,
But it does feel like Willie p is also maybe
the sidekick mascot to Sermenty.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
It could be the voice, It could be the voice
of so many.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Imagine that voice coming out of Sir Minty's body, all
of it, the entire thing. I would love every single
second of it.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Well, in all serious is do you guys like the
support that he gives the club and everything like that,
how enthusiastic he is and everything, because it comes from
a very genuine place for him.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
A nuts, Yeah, that's what makes it so. It fits
him with our support of the energy we play with.
So yeah, we we love having him around. We see
him at the training ground a lot. He's always there,
He's always bringing, he always brings the vibes. You can
count on him for that.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
All right, Ashley Westwood joining us on West and Walker.
We're getting ready for the postseason. They have a series
coming up against NYC. We appreciate his time. Good luck
with the health, good luck in the postseason, Ashley, we
appreciate the time.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Manth Man, thank you very much. Thank you. That's
It's cargas.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Get in the area with a shit saved off the
line almost a.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Handball took Leamoni a chance for the middle of a
burger shit. We have that man in studio right now.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
No, I'm not talking about Willie p Get out of here, Willie.
Time to make the broom for Ashley Westwoods, Charlotte FC captain.
He joins us now on Western Walker Sports Radio ninety
two seven w f n Z. He's here with not
only myself in West but a different form of Wes.
Can I ask you what's going on over there? With
a towel my man and man, this is you know,
you know, I'm styling. So they brought a little tally in.
(00:42):
You know sometimes people will put it under their hats
and stuff like that. So I just put it on
my head and put the headphone on top of My
man actually likes I saw as soon as I did it,
he started grinning.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
This is the drip? Is he speaking for you? Ashley?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
He put words in here. Yeah, I can't pull it off. Okay,
I don't know if I can. I get that a
lot with a lot of stuff I wear and do
around here from these guys. Well, you and I both
do our hair, man, like we both have. I mean, look,
I have been complimented on my hair. I need to
get it cut, but yours is impeccable. Yours is like
high and tight, really nicely done GQ style. So I
need to honestly live my life a little bit more
(01:16):
like you when it comes to the hair game. Man,
Oh well, I mean he comes in. He looks like
such a soccer star, right, I mean the nice today,
got a nice jacket with crispy white shirt on. The
hair is perfect. I mean, this guy looks like he's
ready to, you know, just be an international soccer style?
Are you always GQ ready? Just like my wife does
(01:37):
a good job. You do a good job. Your wife
does a good job. You look great. I don't dress myself.
Ashley Westwood in the tailor vaulta studio getting ready for
the playoffs. Here a couple of big games that we
have in store. But I did want to ask you
because Willie p the man who just gave us the
impeccable call, as he always does, he did tweet out
a practice today that you weren't out there because of backspasms.
(01:57):
How are you feeling You're feeling Okay.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
I'm great. Okay, yeah, I'm good. You'll be out there. Yeah,
I'll be there s Tuesday. Don't worry about that, but
we'll just I'm having a bit of work during the
week so to get the back right. But yeah, I
feel good. I'm sat up here right. Sunday night wasn't great,
but I'm on the meds and I'm on the men.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
So you're feeling I mean, we're not worried at all
about you missing this game though. That's just just to
be clear about that.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Yep, the way I'm progressing now, ye will be there Tuesday.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Well, and this is a team that has a nice
finish to the season with that victory that you guys
had on Saturday. It's been an incredible season. A roller
coaster season, but an incredible season. How do you guys
feel like as a team? You as the captain, you
can speak for him. How do you guys feel as
a team going into the postseason.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
We're full of confidence. I mean, the way we've finished
the season is what we what I thought this team
could do. Anyway, I think we've obviously we wanted we
wanted top four. We said that from the start of
the season. We said that from after the playoffs last
year when we got beat by Orlando top four with
the minimum, but I still think we could have even
gone on and done better. It's that's that's what I
(03:03):
think of this team. I think we're established ourselves as
now as one of the best teams in the East,
and I think the East is the toughest league to
be in. So yeah, we're in a good spot and
lads are full of confidence. Training grounds buzzing, and let's
get the city buzzing as well. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Actually, so to Walker's comment, just to piggyback off of
that one, you guys start the season on a high,
then you go through a crazy load to where people
are thinking the season has lost it's done. So take
me inside that locker room, man amongst the team, what
was the proverbial switch that turned on that changed the
season for you guys?
Speaker 1 (03:39):
We to be fair, we always knew that run was
going to be tough, them all them away games. It's
not easy to win a to win away from home
in the MLS, so we knew it was going to
be tough. But listen, it was. It was disappointing from
from our standards. We were we were disappointed. Well, it
sounds strange saying this. We were playing well, it wasn't
like that we were getting well beat. It was mistakes
(04:00):
here and there, which we're human beings, let them things happen.
But listen, things things got heated, things were said, that's
that's part of a good a good locker room. Wolf's
come in and is good at that. I'll say things.
We've got a group now who speaks up and takes
accountability for our actions, and that's what you need. And
I think that's what pulled us from and got us,
(04:21):
got us back to where we deserve to be.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
So what's your favorite thing from a character standpoint about
this team as you in a postseason play.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Just the resilience we've shown, resilience all through the year,
the knocks we've taken, and listen, we we don't get
the credit we deserve. I'm going to say, if we
don't get the credit we deserve from the MLS, I
think we're we're an incredible team with If you look
at our team on paper, I think we're stronger than
anyone out there. Obviously some teams have got some superstars,
(04:51):
which that's what the MLS is. But We've created a
group of twenty twenty five guys who could compete every
week in the in the lesson. That's what's that's what
set us on our pathway to finish in top four.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Is it the lack of quote unquote superstars as to
why you feel the MLS doesn't give you enough respect?
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Maybe it is that we know we know in that
in that changing room, in that locker room, we've got Listen,
we've we've beaten the best, we've beaten the top of
this league. And no, we're we're happy to go about
our business. We won't we won't let it affect us.
We know, we know how good we are. We've got
that confidence when we've got that little bit of arrogance.
We've shown that against Philly who won the league comfortably.
(05:32):
But I think we're I think we're a better team.
And then and that's that's what all the lads should
believe in.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Ashley Westwood, Charlotte FC captain, joining us here in the
Chandler vaulta studio on Western Walker Sports Radio ninety two
seven WFNZ. You said things were said in the locker room.
Don't need to divulge into all of the content of
what was said. But here you are as the captain,
like this is you being a leader? I don't know
were you voted on by teammates to be the captain
of the teeth.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
I think it was a decision made even before when
I first got here. It was christin Latanzio who who
made me captain. But no, he was just carried on
through the managers, the managed new managers coming. Dean Smith
is he's a key part of it as well. He's
during that run, he keeps very grounded, even when you're
winning games, he stays the same. So that got us
(06:21):
through the difficult period. But yeah, no, things, we've got
we've got some good leaders in that locker room. Now
you've got you mentioned Will Tim USA national captain Nathan
Burns a leader in there, and I think he was
a loss as well during during that stretch. So we've
we've got we've got leaders in there. Calli is another
one who will who will say things. So but you
need that. We're we're grown men, we're athletes. We want
(06:42):
to win and things do get things does get heeded.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Well, I mean you mentioned it, you were just named captain.
Is that something you welcomed? Because that's a large responsibility.
Like now, when things are being said in the locker room,
they're going to be looking at some of the leaders
and here you are as that captain. Did you welcome
that responsibility immediately? Where you think? And I got this
now like I just wanted to come play. I just
wanted to come play for the club. Like what are
(07:05):
your thoughts? As soon as you get that honor, it
is an honor. Nonetheless, Yeah, I've.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Done it in England with many other clubs that I've
been at, but not the official captain I've been. I've
stepped in as captain, I've but I'm not known for
a shower around the place. I'm not allowed around the place.
The way I lead is on the training field every day.
I turn up every day I'm there on a Saturday.
You can rely on me. So yeah, I even at
(07:31):
the age of thirty thirty two, I had to grow
into it. But I will say things like anyone should
say things, and I give the lads a platform to
do that, to use their voice. The more voices you
have out there on a Saturday, the better chance the
team has to win games. So I encourage things to
be said and as long as it's not taken too far,
(07:52):
all right.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
So moving forward to your match up with New York,
I mean, what do you feel like that this team
the challenges that they bring to you?
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Guys. Yeah, they're they're very good. They're they're one of
the better teams. The way they the way they play
the ball. But listen, anyone, anyone who comes to the
bank knows they're in for a game. So we've got
to use that to advantage that. That was what Top
four was all about. We were We've just recently played
them at their place, so we want to we want
(08:19):
to turn things around. We when we last played then
we were disappointing. So we know what we didn't do right.
We know what they did right, and it's time to
put that right on on Tuesday. And like I said,
if we just need the it's not ideal. I was
disappointed at anyone finding the games out on Tuesday. I
wanted a weekend game. But hopefully there are amazing crowd
(08:40):
can turn up and turn up in the numbers and
we'll give a good show.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
All right.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Relative to other sports, though, what do you feel like
the challenges that MLS that the MLS playoffs bring.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
The format is the three game is listen anyway, it's
it's known. Anyone can be anyone, and that was that's
what its last year. We we thought we were better
than Orlando. But at the end of the day, you
have two games. They've got two games at home, which
is new for me in England it's one home run away.
So that's the that's the that's the most difficult part.
(09:13):
And then when you get through that, you've got to
play the best of the other league. So it's this.
This Cup's hard to win. It's a real hard, hard,
hard game, hard competition to win. There's so many games
you're traveling, but no we to finish top four. It
gives you the best chance. That's that's im proven in
(09:33):
the in the past. So this is it. Now. We've
we've we've done what we needed to do. But we've
got to we've got to now turn this turn this
playoff run into a successful one. We don't we don't
want to fall short. Game.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Crowd captain Ashley Westwood joining us here in Chandler Vault
Studio on Western Walker Sports Radio ninety two seven WFNZ.
We're getting ready for Charlotte FC series against the NYC,
in which you'll get your couple games hopefully. I mean,
maybe we can just take care of business in the
first two. But you are going to play at Boway
and then you're gonna play a Yankee Stadium. What's it
like playing on a baseball field different? It's uh, it's
(10:05):
very different.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
And listen, that's why they use their home advantage like
we do ours. So we've got to go there. We've
I can't remember. I don't know what I think. I
don't think we played at that that stadium this year.
I think it was I think we played there two
years ago. Is that right?
Speaker 2 (10:23):
What you got over there?
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Flat?
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Well, because I think I think the game is going
to be at City Field, where they did play a
couple of years ago. Yankee Stadium is where they played
earlier this season. But I don't think for some reason,
maybe there's a concert or something going on at Yankee Stadium.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
So I got to hear at November first. We'll see.
I mean, well, you'll you'll have to figure that out
because you'll have to be there for the game. I
will say, Well, but anyways, just playing NYC, getting ready
for that series to in its totality, you guys aren't
going to have wilfrid Zaha for the first game because
of the red card. And here we are speaking to
your leadership once more. What is it like not having
(10:58):
him out there on the pitch with you.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
It's a huge loss. I mean Wilf's ability as everyone's
seen that. He's he's an incredible player, and I mean
he took he took a lot of criticism when he
first got here. But I've I've been there, I've done it.
He was he's come in. People expect you to to
turn up straight away and score score a load of goals,
but that's not the case. You have to fly back
(11:20):
into to England to do your visa. His wife gave birth,
and it's it's not easy. It's not easy to settle down.
But once you've seen him settle down, Wilf has has
gone on to I knew what Wilf was. I've played
against him many times and I even used to kick
him when I was at Burnley, so we joke. We
joke about it now. But no, he's he's going to
be a huge loss. But we've got We've got players
(11:43):
who can who hopefully can replace him. It's their time
now to step up and and step up is now
and we need him, so that's there's no bigger time.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
So you said that, teams they know when they come
into the Bank it's going to be tough on a man.
Tell me from your perspective, what makes Bank of America
such a special place to play games.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
The minute you come out for a warm up, you
can feel the energy from the supporter section. I mean,
they're with us, wind, rain, shine, They're always there. They
turn up in the numbers. They even turn up away
from home. When we go away from home we get
two thousand, which is incredible. But no, when you when
you turn up at the Bank, you hear the energy
(12:23):
from the fans, and then that gives us a lift.
It gives us a belief. And we say it in
England they're the twelfth Man, and they certainly are in Charlotte.
It's it's a tough place to come and play. We
play with a lot of energy. We play. We'll turn it,
we'll turn it in behind, we'll kick it in behind,
and we'll we play different to most teams, but that's
(12:44):
that's the energy we want to bring. And when the
fans turn up, we usually turn up so we're going
to need them all right.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Turn up, there you go, Ashley Westwood, captain of Charlotte FC,
joining us inside the channel of VAULTA Studios. We can't
get you out of here without asking a Willie p question, though?
Do you just to have a ring tone? Anytime somebody
texts you? Do you have the Do you have that
high pitch sound going on to the background? How often
do you get to listen to Willie Peas calls?
Speaker 1 (13:09):
I don't. I've I've give him some stick before, but
I turn it down when he's talking.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
It's not Willie. Man. You can't turn down Willy. You
got to turn it all the way up and get
the true Mickey Mouse experience from one Willie.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
He's gonna pull me now on Friday when I see him,
he probably is. He was.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
He was upset last time I mentioned that. I'm sure
he was. Man, Willie P. You gotta. I mean, you
just have to embrace it. You have to embrace the
high pitch, you have to embrace the gold calls, you
have to embrace, embrace all of it.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
He's famous in England, though, is he really? He's famous
in England?
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Well?
Speaker 1 (13:40):
How famous are He's been on a few Instagram reels
that I've seen. Is he just the Mickey Mouse?
Speaker 2 (13:47):
I was gonna say, is it okay to call him
Charlotte FC's mascot Minty?
Speaker 1 (13:52):
A sermon is special?
Speaker 2 (13:54):
I think so too. We saw Sir Minty the other day.
By the way, he's just roaming the halls around here.
I love the crown, I love the smile. So Menty great,
But it does feel like Willie p is also maybe
the sidekick mascot to Sermenty.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
It could be the voice, It could be the voice
of so many.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Imagine that voice coming out of Sir Minty's body, all
of it, the entire thing. I would love every single
second of it.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Well, in all serious is do you guys like the
support that he gives the club and everything like that,
how enthusiastic he is and everything, because it comes from
a very genuine place for him.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
A nuts, Yeah, that's what makes it so. It fits
him with our support of the energy we play with.
So yeah, we we love having him around. We see
him at the training ground a lot. He's always there,
He's always bringing, he always brings the vibes. You can
count on him for that.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
All right, Ashley Westwood joining us on West and Walker.
We're getting ready for the postseason. They have a series
coming up against NYC. We appreciate his time. Good luck
with the health, good luck in the postseason, Ashley, we
appreciate the time.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Manth Man, thank you very much. Thank you. That's
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