September 22, 2025 • 32 mins
In this episode of the Charlotte FC Podcast, we sit down with Trent Slagle, Senior Communications Coordinator for Charlotte FC. From his roots in Sacramento and early work with Real Salt Lake to his role in Crown Legacy’s inaugural season, Trent has built a career centered on telling stories that matter. We dive into how he helps Charlotte FC stay visible in the community and in the media, the strategy behind campaigns like kit launches and impact reports, and what it takes to keep the club top of mind for fans and outlets across the city. Along the way, Trent reflects on sacrifices, mentors, and the moments that have shaped his journey in soccer communications.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Welcome back to the Charlotte. FC.
Podcast I'm your host Nick Fanelli.
Today we've got someone I've known for a while and it's been
a long time coming to have him on.
From growing up in Sacramento tointerning with Real Salt Lake
and eventually moving across thecountry, he carved out an
impressive path in soccer communications.
He was part of Crown Legacy's inaugural season, has helped
launch kit campaigns, and now plays a key role in shaping how
(00:23):
Charlotte FC is represented in the community and across media.
Please welcome to the show Senior communications
coordinator for Charlotte FC, Trent Slagle.
It's time for the Charlotte. FC podcast.
Trent, welcome. Hey, Nick, how are you?
(00:45):
Yeah, happy to be here. It's definitely been a long time
coming. Yes, definitely.
So, all right, give us your elevator pitch about Trent.
We got 15 seconds. What do we need to know about
Trent? From Sacramento, CA I grew up
loving soccer, watching soccer, went to college at Utah Valley
University and that's how I ended up interning at Real Salt
Lake. Honestly got really lucky, found
(01:06):
an internship there and then from there that helped me get a
full time job over here at Charlotte FC and been moved to
the East Coast and have been loving it ever since.
Awesome. So currently your role is the
Senior Coordinator for communications with Charlotte
FC. So what is that really?
Yeah. So my role more than anything, I
(01:27):
handle primarily our brands, ourcommunity partnership
initiatives on a communication side.
So I handle all the media relations when it comes to
anything that is happening off the field for Charlotte FC.
On a communication side, I'm involved in some way.
And then I also work with our Spanish speaking players to
conduct do any of our Spanish media relations.
(01:48):
So I work with Pepin Carwin quite a bit to make sure that we
make sure their stories get out there as well.
That's great. And I guess with all the Spanish
media too, that you weren't directly with them.
So give me an example of a dailytask or a weekly task that might
have to do with you spreading the word and helping communicate
(02:08):
about the community. Maybe something that's happened
this year that you're like, hey,this was, it's a pretty regular
thing, but I do this all the time.
I think the most one thing I love about my role is my job is
a very much an actively pitchingrole.
I'm my role is on a daily and weekly basis.
I my job is to come up with and think of new ideas to promote
(02:29):
the brand and the community different ways.
One place that we've definitely found a really strong way to get
Charlotte F CS name out there tomaybe a community that doesn't
that you don't think of with Charlotte FC at first glance is
kind of those morning lifestyle TV shows.
So I do a lot of talking with local TV stations kind of on a
weekly basis of how we can get into different TV stations and
(02:50):
get in the market and talk aboutwhether it's the match coming up
that weekend, giveaways, stuff like that.
And then probably the other halfof my days, you know, more long
term planning for, you know, bigger campaigns that we might
have like kit launches, community impact reports, stuff
like that. Nice.
So a lot of this, like you said,just not the stuff that's going
on with the pitch, but basicallyas the brand of Charlotte FC,
(03:14):
what is that being shown or how is that being represented?
And then how is the media talking about those things in
relation to all that because that just brings the brand
notice. I mean you can you have your own
branding and that's what's greatabout a lot of things today.
It's like you can actually do that, but also it helps to reach
people where they might not be paying attention.
(03:36):
Exactly. And that's the and that's my
whole goal, right? We talked results on the pitch
will always help. Good play on the field lifts all
boats, right. But my job is to make sure that
no matter what happens on the field, we're still being talked
about in different ways. You know, the one thing that we
talked about Charlotte FC, as much as it's really grown and
really become a staple in the Charlotte community, it's, you
(03:57):
know, we're not quite on an NFL level in some way.
So we need to be actively, you know, trying to have we need to
be actively having people talk about us.
And you know, that's through andexactly what you said.
That's not just going to our sports talk radio or more sports
specific outlets, that's reaching out to Axios or you
know, more of the non traditional sports places, you
(04:20):
know, kind of more of those traditional outlets per SE.
And you talked about, of course,working with the Spanish players
and that and the Spanish media. So where does the the, the
bilingual? I know lots of people live in
California. Of course, younger people also
have been having more opportunities to be bilingual
(04:41):
and double languages. Where did it come from for you
where that origin and how is it impacted what you've been able
to do? Because I think some people
underestimate, especially older people don't realize how many
doors are probably open by you having that ability.
Oh yeah, It's helped me a ton inmy career.
What do you would probably know this better, but it's
(05:01):
definitely, I think a big plus to helping me get myself here.
But I definitely didn't grow up speaking Spanish as much as I
was around Spanish speaking people through growing up.
I didn't pick it up, unfortunately.
The way I picked it up is I lived in Honduras and Central
America for about a year. I was out there doing a church
(05:23):
mission for about a year and really just picked up the
language fast. I kind of joke, you know, it's
easy to pick up a language when you can't, when no one speaks
English around you, You got to pick it up pretty quick, you
know, pick it up or you don't eat kind of thing.
So I was lucky enough to kind ofjust be immersed in it and I
picked it up pretty quick. It's I, you know, will obviously
(05:43):
admit it's definitely not as good as a native speaking
person, but I still can still dopretty good.
And yeah, I always joke, if you give me two minutes, I'll get my
Spanish brain will click back onand I'll be right back in it.
That's awesome. That's pretty exciting.
Yeah, I definitely feel like immersing yourself in another
place, like where you're saying or you're just forced to.
(06:05):
It really accelerates everything.
And I think about our players that come over here from other
countries and we want to help them get the language, but they
also pick it up so easily too, because they have to, I think, a
deal. Simalanda like English they and
all of a sudden he's like speaking everything English and
he's not afraid to go do a pressconference or anything.
(06:25):
He's got all these questions being asked to him in English.
So think different things like that.
I think it's hard. I think it's kind of neat in the
way that football in America is getting all these players from
different countries and they're able to assimilate and be a part
of it and pick up the English and it just kind of molds
everybody together. I think that's doesn't happen in
(06:46):
any other sport as much as this.Oh 100% I I mean, NBA and MLB
are definitely getting more international, but soccer's the
one place where it's truly a melting pot.
I see our players picking up thelanguage like that almost every.
Day and they do it. The players that have travelled
to other countries that are English speaking, they've said
(07:06):
the same thing and they're like,Yep, I just had to learn.
I had no other choice. How am I going to know what I'm
supposed to be doing? Yeah exactly.
You're seeing Christian Polisik do post match interviews in
Italian now and and Ryan blinks and I so yeah, exactly.
So before this role that you currently have with Charlie FC,
you were working primarily with the Crown legacy and their
(07:27):
inaugural season. What did you do there and what
was your take away from working in that end?
Yeah, I mean, so that was, it feels like a blur now.
So I originally got brought overto be the communications
coordinator for Crown Legacy. And like you said, it's
inaugural season, kind of similar to what I'm doing now.
My job was not only to tell the sporting stories, but to really,
(07:48):
you know, help launch a brand. Part of the reason I had a lot
of experience working MLS Next Pro in MLS Next Pro's first
season in 22. When I was with reality,
however, I came on as a communications coordinator.
But that role quickly shifted into kind of being a Jack of all
trades, do a little bit of everything kind of thing.
So much so that my second seasonwith Crown legacy, my title got
(08:11):
changed to business operations coordinator because I was
touching every single part of the business.
I, I was planning the nights I was while still being
communications focused. Because when you're at next pro
side, you know, the best way to get your name out there is
through earned media that was working on community
initiatives, taking promos, you know, as you know, working on
(08:33):
some paid social marketing, all those kind of things.
I really just had my hand in every single part of the
business, which I think really helped me today because then I
was so used to talking cross departmental.
I definitely didn't do it all bymyself.
As you know, we great large teamhere and with a bunch of
different departments, but I kind of became in a lot of ways
the point guard of kind of working with different people
(08:56):
and distributing out to whether it was externally to people
outside the company or working internally to make sure things
got done. I did.
I worked a lot within our organization to make sure Crown
Legacy, especially in that firstseason, was the success that it
was. Right.
For something even as simple as like kit launches and stuff like
that, it's like, hey, we're thisis what we're going to have as
(09:16):
our launch. Let's talk to the content team,
what can we make? Let's talk to the marketing
team, what can we do? So that's just kind of you're
the cog and all that making it all those people's things spin.
Yeah, exactly. And that's how it was for the
first year and you know, it, it definitely was a little bit of a
whirlwind at first, but I, I learned to love just like being
(09:37):
in meetings and being in conversations that I never
thought I'd be thinking. I never thought I'd be thinking
of putting together, you know, apartnership that can plan for,
you know, crown legacy or stuff like that.
Like, but those were conversations I got to be in and
I really and I felt like it really helped grow myself on a
career wise for sure. Nice.
(09:58):
So looking back, like you said, you got lucky at Real Salt Lake.
How did that happen and what didyou learn from that experience?
Yeah, 100%. I say I got lucky because I
definitely was. I took a non definitely took a
non traditional route, at least compared to the other interns
(10:18):
that I knew that worked at Real Salt Lake prior in the ones that
I worked with at Real Salt Lake,I first started on AI started on
our team, sorry, at our University School newspaper.
I was writing for arts as a journalist for the school
newspaper at Utah Valley University and most of the
people I worked with were like sports information directors SI
(10:40):
DS. You know that work more on the
team side of things. I applied and then I definitely
felt like I was a little under qualified at first.
However, luckily my boss and mayhe rest in peace.
John Jenna, who unfortunately passed away of ALS a couple of
years ago, he saw something to me and he told my who became my
(11:01):
boss, Meg Van Dyke, who I know you interviewed a couple seasons
back, basically was like, we gotto get this kid, let's hire him.
I think my Spanish was a big part of that as well because I
was able to work with the Spanish speaking team and player
and Ray also like much larger Spanish speaking contingency.
And then from there is primarilya sporting communications
(11:21):
position. So the stuff I'm doing now
wasn't as involved, but I reallylearned how to I more than
anything, I learned the importance of relationship
building, working with differentoutlets and understanding why
different stories, working better in different places.
And then especially on the otherside, working on understanding
the importance of relationships with the players and what the
(11:44):
coaches and why those are important as well.
And then I got to and with that I got to building grow MLS Next
Pro was in its first season while I was there.
We also lakes definitely a little bit smaller staff than we
are here. And so they, as an intern, I
fully took the reins of Round Monarchs, their MLS Next Pro
team, and handled all the communication side for them.
(12:05):
And my goal was to really tell the stories of those guys in the
Academy, kids coming through andmore kind of more of a player
pathway communications. But I learned, yeah, time there,
yeah. Definitely with players and
coaches, you got to know when you can go to them, what you can
ask them to do, what they're willing to do.
It's kind of like a in a way, itwas a jump over to Charlotte was
(12:25):
very similar that you had already done it.
So you're like, yeah, I can do this here.
I can, yeah. When I saw the role open up over
here, that was, you know, it, that was exactly my thought was,
oh, I I've done this, I know this.
I know I could do it kind of thing.
And it made me really eager and also confident while
interviewing, which was great. So were you, because I mean, you
(12:47):
could have been happy there. What made you want to shift or
change? Yeah, I mean, obviously at that
time I was an intern. And then there's the way they
set up their internships, or at least at the time was they run
through the season. And so then after the season
they wanted to keep me on, but there was, they weren't sure if
there's going to be a full time role for me open just yet.
So I kind of moved into this part time position that wasn't
(13:10):
really an internship anymore, but it wasn't full time just
yet. And I had a really great boss
and I really enjoyed the people I worked with.
I enjoyed Utah as well, but it kind of became one of those
things where I was looking for the next step and I was looking
for a full time role. And my boss Meg actually knew
what he when I saw the role openup and we thought the role was
going to would be right for me. And so and Meg knew what he knew
(13:33):
that he would be a really good person to learn from.
And so kind of just took a shot and went for it and didn't
really know anything about to begin with, but you know, it is
well worth it. So this is year 3 for you,
right? Yeah, season 3.
Yeah, awesome. So you talked about earlier
growing up in Sacramento, CA. So what did growing up look like
(13:53):
for a little Trent? I grew, yeah.
Growing up in Sacramento was awesome.
It's funny, you know, growing up, there's things that you, I
think everyone's like, hell, I can't wait to get it out.
And then, you know, as you get older, you kind of like look
back and you're like, oh, no, these are pretty good out there.
I grew up in a small little community called Rancho
Marietta. About 30 minutes out.
(14:14):
I tell everyone like I had to drive 30 minutes for high
school, 30 minutes for 30 plus minutes for sports.
At least I was basically we werein this little neighborhood that
was kind of out in the countryside and just kind of
away from everything. And so growing up is the
majority of things we did were kind of in within that
community. We had an elementary school out
there, but so Little League rec soccer was out there and all
(14:37):
that kind of stuff. And then as I got older, I
started playing club soccer, traveling around a lot for that.
And so I would travel 3540 minutes for soccer practice.
I played football. I was, I shouldn't say I played
football. I was the kicker for our
football team. And you know I.
Were you a good kicker? What I what?
Was your longest field goal. In game it was a 47.
(15:02):
Yeah, in practice I got a littlebit farther than that, but it
was it. We never quite.
I definitely wasn't consistent enough to, you know, be trusted
with A50 plus yard field goal ingames, which I totally
understand. My football team was not very
good. We went oh, in 10 my senior
year. Well, yeah, maybe you got a lot
more opportunities because they weren't scoring touchdowns.
(15:22):
They're like that. But Trenton will at least get 3.
Yeah, we had to get there to getto get 3, though, and sometimes
that wasn't too hot either. Besides living a little bit
farther away from everything, itwas a pretty typical suburban
lifestyle. Went to school and I think it's
population wise, largest suburb of Sacramento.
It's called Elk Grove. My dad grew up in the same town.
(15:43):
My grandparents were around there and, you know, had family
clothes, had good friends and SAC Republic, we were seasoned,
taking members for that. Went to a lot of those games
growing up and was a big Sacramento Kings fan as well.
And all those. Yeah.
There was a time that they were considered to be an MLS team.
It kind of faded away, I think because of money more than
anything else. But if that happens ever, would
(16:06):
you be like, hey, I want to go back to Sacramento?
Are you kind of like an East Coast boy now?
I. Think I'm more of an East Coast
boy now. I will say that Sacre, the Sacre
public MLS bid going away is definitely it's a tough
conversation to talk about for me because I was very happy and
excited for it to come and I remember everything about that.
And so we got take taken away isa shot in the heart a little
(16:28):
bit. But obviously, you know,
Sacramento does come around and get that bit again.
Like I'd be super happy for the city.
There's a great soccer landscape.
I think they deserve it. But I I very much enjoy the East
Coast. I think I'm pretty comfortable
where I'm at and don't ever wantto say like never say never kind
of thing. But as of right now, that's
definitely not in the plans to go back to Sacramento.
(16:50):
So when you were growing up, what was you like your first
teenager job? I did a lot of odd jobs playing
2 sport, you know, playing two sports that were like in similar
seasons. It's hard to especially football
as much as soccer was year round, football felt year round
as well because I felt like I needed to be at everything for
it. So I did a lot of rafting.
(17:11):
I did work for this older man inthe community, just needed help
with like he was in his 90s and needed help with just like daily
tasks and chores. It's a job I did for a while I
was in high school, but it's mainly just wrapping in that in
high school at least. Nice.
That's cool. Now, where did the soccer
interest come in and where did the interest to be a part of
(17:33):
kind of this culture that you'rein now?
Yeah, like most kids, you start,at least where I grew up, we
started out with league, Little League, and you started out with
soccer, right? Played basketball a little bit
as well. And soccer was, frankly, I think
soccer was the sport I was best at.
And I have an older sister and my dad coached my older sister's
(17:54):
soccer team and they went to club a couple years before I did
and did it a little bit more of the travel stuff.
And so I saw that and really enjoyed it and fell in love with
it. And then I did it till I was
1819 until I graduated high school.
You know, it's funny because growing up I never thought about
working sports. I it's just not something that
like really computed as something you could do and then.
(18:18):
What were you? What were you thinking about?
If you were, I'm obviously in the communications field, my
dad's in the communications field as well, but more on the
business side of things. And so I just kind of when I was
in college, I just kind of assumed I would try to get into
some agency and work from there.And then I start writing on the
sports side for our school newspaper.
And then even then I still thought I'd just like kind of go
(18:41):
into an agency. And then honestly, I'm to Real
Salt Lake and they had the application open back in
October, but they didn't start interviewing till January.
So when I like got an interview,when I got an interview, I was
like a little surprised. I was like, oh, I almost kind of
forgot about this. And then so honestly, Real Salt
Lake was my first experience of like, oh, this is something I
could do. Right, right, yeah.
(19:03):
Now you talked about going to Honduras and that's kind of
where you kind of immerse yourself in the language.
Was there a time in, especially in your communications business
that you're like, holy cow, likeme speaking this other language
just made the hugest difference.If I wasn't here or someone
wasn't able to translate this ordo this, like what was the first
(19:25):
moment that you saw? Like this is actually a good
thing to for everybody, not justyou personally.
Yeah, I think, I don't know if it's the first time, but it's
the one that stands out the mostis I was actually helping out
the Panthers with a kind of their they do this kind of look
ahead for the season with media members and it's all the new sit
(19:46):
and it, this one was like kind of all the new stadium features
throughout the year. We don't typically do one with
Charlotte FC just because they're the same features and
they come out brand new before the Panther season.
And so I was there and Telemundowas there, you know, kind of
going around and talking to people as well.
And then they need to kind of just like a general Panther
spokesperson at one point for Telemundo.
(20:07):
And they had, they didn't have aSpanish speaker in the room
besides myself. And so about like 5 minutes
before we actually recorded it, Panthers and, and Emmy Darkea
from Telemundo, who's become a really good friend, both were
like, hey, can you basically be the spokesperson?
Can you do this? You know, we'll give you the
(20:28):
talking. And so threw on a Panthers polo
and I said, let's do it. And I mean, what you can attest
to this, I was really nervous. I didn't, I was not thrilled
that I had to do it at first. But you know, things where it's
like it shows how important the language was and how necessary
it can be. Yeah, Now you talked a little
(20:52):
bit about Meg and your other other mentors and even Woody.
What is maybe something that you've kind of gotten from just
being around them or certain things that they've told you
that just sticks with you? Is there anything that you kind
of took from those relationships?
Yeah, I think I can point to like one with Meg.
(21:15):
I remember just like learning more than anything, like your
internal relationships matter just as much as your external
relationships. That's something that I really
try to take into account with everything I do.
Sometimes in communications especially, you got to be the
bearer of bad news. And that sucks.
But I really try my best in everything I do.
When there's something that involves a different department,
(21:37):
reaching out to them and making sure, like before I ask you to
do this, is this feasible? What's your guys's bandwidth?
And so that's something that I've really taken with me, and
that's something I definitely learned from her.
And you know what? He's definitely a big proponent
of that as well. And then I think Woody and I
have really developed a good, I,I would say not just a good
(21:58):
working relationship, but a goodfriendship.
But one thing I I've learned andit's very much his emphasis, not
just for me but for our communications department as a
whole is like really emphasizinglocal media and being with the
people who care about you most kind of thing.
I think a lot of times, I think a lot of times in
communications, people want to shoot for the national story or
(22:21):
it might not be the best, it might not be the best person to
tell that sort of the national story, the international story,
the biggest outlet possible. And I think he really told me
and really helped me understand was the local media are the ones
that know about you the most andcare about you the most.
And if you can win the local market, like the rest will fall
in place kind of thing. And so that's something that
(22:41):
I've really taken an emphasis onin my work for sure.
That's cool. Now thinking about your short
career here, you've talked abouta lot of things.
Is there some sort of sacrifice that you've made that you're
like, OK, this is a decision? Almost like it's not.
(23:02):
No turning back. But you kind of felt like that
at the moment, like, hey, I justgot to go for it.
Yeah. I mean, I think the first thing
that comes to mind is moving outhere in general and moving
across the country. And, you know, frankly, I
didn't. This is no shame to Charlotte.
I love Charlotte to death now. I didn't think about Charlotte
(23:22):
much really growing up. It was, you know, probably the
same way people don't think about Sacramento much growing
up. Exactly.
You know, moving out here was, you know, taking a risk and
understanding that I'm going to sacrifice things like family
time or, you know, there are going to be vacations, there are
going to be maybe a wedding or two I'm going to miss and
(23:45):
that's, you know it. You know, I'm not going to lie
in those moments, it sucks sometimes, but that was the
decision I made. And I think it's been worth it
for the most part because I've really created a great community
of friends out here and, you know, really love my role out
here. So it definitely that's the
biggest sacrifice I think I've made, but it's been well worth
it. Cool.
(24:06):
What would you say is the hardest part about your job?
Right now, hardest part about myjob?
Yeah, I think the hardest part about my job right now, and it's
something I've been thinking about a lot, is kind of.
I know what works for us and I know what and I know what things
(24:28):
we can do and I know which outlets and people I can go to
and it's like, and I know the story is going to get done.
I know that these things and I'mnot and those are great things
that usually do provide great results for us.
But but now a lot of my role is thinking about, OK, how can we
elevate this? What is what are maybe different
(24:49):
avenues that I haven't looked atyet or we haven't looked at as a
department to kind of improve the brand communications.
So I think that's probably the hardest part of my job right
now. It's because I think, you know,
Corelli who was in this role before me, like I think she said
a really great foundation. What he obviously has done a
great job to build the brand from the beginning here.
And so we've set a really good foundation.
(25:11):
I think the bar has been is understandably raised really
high. And so now it's like, OK, what?
How can we improve upon this anddo even that?
Yeah, I mean, because the club on the pitch, off the pitch,
they they want to be relevant and they want to be a part of
people's lives and helpful and also have people have fun and
(25:34):
entertain and enjoy. So a little bit of everything.
What do you enjoy most about it?What's the one thing you're
like, man, I didn't even realizeI worked 6 hours, 12 hours
today. Whatever.
Yeah. I think it's the strategy, the
more strategic part of this roleand then seeing that pay off.
I love the campaigns that I've been able to work on since I've
(25:57):
been into this role. The two kit launch campaigns are
like obviously my two biggest things to date.
And really just really seen especially the third kit, the
heritage kit. I know like I worked with you as
part of that as well of like andplaying that PR strategy months
in advance and working with content to make sure that we're
aligned. And, you know, working with
everyone, partnerships, everyoneto make sure that we're aligned
(26:19):
and then seeing that fully roll out is my favorite part of the
role for sure. Nice.
What would you like to do in your career that maybe you
haven't done yet or you're looking forward to maybe 10-15
years down the road? Be like hey this would be cool
if if Trent did this. I think it really depends
(26:43):
because in some ways I'm not sure if I see myself in sports
in 10-15 years, things change and come and go.
And then and so if it's more in a sports stuff that I see our
friends at the TSE level and Woody as well work on more of
like those stadium renovations, those big projects.
Like that's something that I would love to eventually, you
(27:03):
know, work my way into to where I'm a more prominent role in or
I think eventually leading A-Team and teaching is something
that I would love to move into, like a more of a teaching role
at a university level someday. Or having a team and being able
to mentor, you know, people thatare coming up through the
industry are probably things that I think about the most.
(27:24):
So outside of Charlotte FC, whatare some of your main interests
and passions? I love to be outdoors.
I still play soccer on Mondays. I like to go out on hikes when I
can and just be out in national parks and natural National
Forest. That was one of the big parts of
going to college and Utah was had a bunch of national parks
near me. I'm going to great smoking
(27:45):
National Park this weekend. So that's definitely one of
those things. I'm just a sports fan overall.
I will say it like the 49ers areprobably my first love.
And so I watched the San Francisco 49ers, obviously a
Panthers fan as well. Now I just want to see the city
do great. It's stoppage time.
(28:08):
What job would you do if you weren't working in your current
job now? Probably still in
communications, just probably inan agency somewhere.
OK, do you have a must do personal ritual or habit?
But there's no like ritual or anything specific trying to go
to the gym every morning. But that's exactly what they're
not that actually happens. Yeah.
(28:31):
Do you have a favorite unpluggedactivity?
You talked about hiking. Is that something that you do or
is there besides that? Or is there other things that
you tend to do? Yeah, no, I definitely, disc
golf is actually one of my bigger hobbies.
I really enjoyed the disc golf and that's definitely probably
one of my favorite ways to disconnect.
Oh nice, do you have a go to snack when watching a match?
(28:53):
Talkies, the little red like corn tortilla chip.
OK, gotcha. Which design impresses you more,
interior or exterior? Interior.
OK. And do you find starting a
project or finishing one more gratifying?
Finishing. OK.
And then when you get to get away from all this, because
(29:16):
communications is a 24/7 job forthe most part, that's at least
that's what it seems like to me,What do you do to go recharge?
How do you get away from all this?
I either rot on my couch and watch shrinking or some TV show.
Do you binge watch a lot of shows?
Like is that something you do just to like?
All right, I can get my mind offif I just watch something and
(29:38):
just sit there and do it. Yeah, that's usually the way I,
when I get back from work, especially if it's a long day at
work, I'm usually just go and rot on the couch for an hour or
two and watch. Yeah, usually binge watching.
It's usually, and it's usually ashow I've seen a million times,
but I'm just like, I don't want to think I'm just going to turn
it back on. The Office is one of those.
(29:59):
Brooklyn 99 is one of them as well.
Just one of us. I know.
My younger son, that's what he would do is office Brooklyn 99
like he's just sunny and Philadelphia, like those are
ones just always playing. I'm like you haven't you seen
this like 40 times? Like yeah, but it's like it's
just it helps numb get everything away.
Oh yeah, I need to be in a certain mindset to watch a new
(30:21):
show like I I had to pay. Attention.
Yeah, I had to be mentally capable to pay attention.
Right. All right.
Last question, if you're a current player on the Charlotte
FC club squad, what player wouldyou most be like?
Doesn't have to be positioned but kind of like how they are in
their demeanor and they how theyact a combo.
(30:43):
Yeah, I, I'll say, I mean, I wasa right and left back growing
up. So I'd probably say Nathan Byrne
is like play wise the most the person I've tried to be most
similar to definitely was nowhere near as good as that.
Obviously personality wise, I don't know.
Who's somebody that brings? I mean, to me it seems like you,
(31:05):
you bring people together. So is there somebody that brings
the team together? I yeah, I think.
But it's not like the loud voicethat brings them all together.
You see like, I think like. I think of like, I think like
Maddie is one of those people. I think Priv when he's playing
is one of those people as well. Like, you know, obviously Wesley
(31:26):
with the way he plays is, you know, the connective glue and
tissue. I feel weird comparing myself to
any of these players because I think that's obviously much
better than they're much better players and I and they're all
great people and stuff like that.
But you know, I think the way I am, I think kind of being that
like from a work setting, kind of being that connective glue,
(31:47):
you know, those are players I kind of think of in that.
Way Hey, Trent, it was great. I appreciate you coming on.
It's been a long time since we really need to do this, but I'm
glad we were able to get a chance for people to know who
you are. Yeah.
Well, Nick, thank you so much for having me on and for letting
me talk your year off. I really appreciate it.
Awesome. Take care.
(32:07):
See ya. Thanks to Trent for joining us
today. From his Sacramento roots and
time at Real Salt Lake to his work with Crime Legacy and now
Charlotte FC, his journey shows the value of relationships,
adaptability, and stepping into new opportunities, even if it
means moving across the country.His role might not be on the
pitch, but is critical in shaping how the club connects
(32:28):
with fans, media, and the city of Charlotte.
As always, thanks for listening to the Charlotte FC Podcast.
Be sure to follow, rate and share with fellow supporters and
we'll be back soon with more stories from the people who
make. The club what it is.
Till next time, enjoy the day.
Welcome back to the Charlotte. FC.
Podcast I'm your host Nick Fanelli.
Today we've got someone I've known for a while and it's been
a long time coming to have him on.
From growing up in Sacramento tointerning with Real Salt Lake
and eventually moving across thecountry, he carved out an
impressive path in soccer communications.
He was part of Crown Legacy's inaugural season, has helped
launch kit campaigns, and now plays a key role in shaping how
(00:23):
Charlotte FC is represented in the community and across media.
Please welcome to the show Senior communications
coordinator for Charlotte FC, Trent Slagle.
It's time for the Charlotte. FC podcast.
Trent, welcome. Hey, Nick, how are you?
(00:45):
Yeah, happy to be here. It's definitely been a long time
coming. Yes, definitely.
So, all right, give us your elevator pitch about Trent.
We got 15 seconds. What do we need to know about
Trent? From Sacramento, CA I grew up
loving soccer, watching soccer, went to college at Utah Valley
University and that's how I ended up interning at Real Salt
Lake. Honestly got really lucky, found
(01:06):
an internship there and then from there that helped me get a
full time job over here at Charlotte FC and been moved to
the East Coast and have been loving it ever since.
Awesome. So currently your role is the
Senior Coordinator for communications with Charlotte
FC. So what is that really?
Yeah. So my role more than anything, I
(01:27):
handle primarily our brands, ourcommunity partnership
initiatives on a communication side.
So I handle all the media relations when it comes to
anything that is happening off the field for Charlotte FC.
On a communication side, I'm involved in some way.
And then I also work with our Spanish speaking players to
conduct do any of our Spanish media relations.
(01:48):
So I work with Pepin Carwin quite a bit to make sure that we
make sure their stories get out there as well.
That's great. And I guess with all the Spanish
media too, that you weren't directly with them.
So give me an example of a dailytask or a weekly task that might
have to do with you spreading the word and helping communicate
(02:08):
about the community. Maybe something that's happened
this year that you're like, hey,this was, it's a pretty regular
thing, but I do this all the time.
I think the most one thing I love about my role is my job is
a very much an actively pitchingrole.
I'm my role is on a daily and weekly basis.
I my job is to come up with and think of new ideas to promote
(02:29):
the brand and the community different ways.
One place that we've definitely found a really strong way to get
Charlotte F CS name out there tomaybe a community that doesn't
that you don't think of with Charlotte FC at first glance is
kind of those morning lifestyle TV shows.
So I do a lot of talking with local TV stations kind of on a
weekly basis of how we can get into different TV stations and
(02:50):
get in the market and talk aboutwhether it's the match coming up
that weekend, giveaways, stuff like that.
And then probably the other halfof my days, you know, more long
term planning for, you know, bigger campaigns that we might
have like kit launches, community impact reports, stuff
like that. Nice.
So a lot of this, like you said,just not the stuff that's going
on with the pitch, but basicallyas the brand of Charlotte FC,
(03:14):
what is that being shown or how is that being represented?
And then how is the media talking about those things in
relation to all that because that just brings the brand
notice. I mean you can you have your own
branding and that's what's greatabout a lot of things today.
It's like you can actually do that, but also it helps to reach
people where they might not be paying attention.
(03:36):
Exactly. And that's the and that's my
whole goal, right? We talked results on the pitch
will always help. Good play on the field lifts all
boats, right. But my job is to make sure that
no matter what happens on the field, we're still being talked
about in different ways. You know, the one thing that we
talked about Charlotte FC, as much as it's really grown and
really become a staple in the Charlotte community, it's, you
(03:57):
know, we're not quite on an NFL level in some way.
So we need to be actively, you know, trying to have we need to
be actively having people talk about us.
And you know, that's through andexactly what you said.
That's not just going to our sports talk radio or more sports
specific outlets, that's reaching out to Axios or you
know, more of the non traditional sports places, you
(04:20):
know, kind of more of those traditional outlets per SE.
And you talked about, of course,working with the Spanish players
and that and the Spanish media. So where does the the, the
bilingual? I know lots of people live in
California. Of course, younger people also
have been having more opportunities to be bilingual
(04:41):
and double languages. Where did it come from for you
where that origin and how is it impacted what you've been able
to do? Because I think some people
underestimate, especially older people don't realize how many
doors are probably open by you having that ability.
Oh yeah, It's helped me a ton inmy career.
What do you would probably know this better, but it's
(05:01):
definitely, I think a big plus to helping me get myself here.
But I definitely didn't grow up speaking Spanish as much as I
was around Spanish speaking people through growing up.
I didn't pick it up, unfortunately.
The way I picked it up is I lived in Honduras and Central
America for about a year. I was out there doing a church
(05:23):
mission for about a year and really just picked up the
language fast. I kind of joke, you know, it's
easy to pick up a language when you can't, when no one speaks
English around you, You got to pick it up pretty quick, you
know, pick it up or you don't eat kind of thing.
So I was lucky enough to kind ofjust be immersed in it and I
picked it up pretty quick. It's I, you know, will obviously
(05:43):
admit it's definitely not as good as a native speaking
person, but I still can still dopretty good.
And yeah, I always joke, if you give me two minutes, I'll get my
Spanish brain will click back onand I'll be right back in it.
That's awesome. That's pretty exciting.
Yeah, I definitely feel like immersing yourself in another
place, like where you're saying or you're just forced to.
(06:05):
It really accelerates everything.
And I think about our players that come over here from other
countries and we want to help them get the language, but they
also pick it up so easily too, because they have to, I think, a
deal. Simalanda like English they and
all of a sudden he's like speaking everything English and
he's not afraid to go do a pressconference or anything.
(06:25):
He's got all these questions being asked to him in English.
So think different things like that.
I think it's hard. I think it's kind of neat in the
way that football in America is getting all these players from
different countries and they're able to assimilate and be a part
of it and pick up the English and it just kind of molds
everybody together. I think that's doesn't happen in
(06:46):
any other sport as much as this.Oh 100% I I mean, NBA and MLB
are definitely getting more international, but soccer's the
one place where it's truly a melting pot.
I see our players picking up thelanguage like that almost every.
Day and they do it. The players that have travelled
to other countries that are English speaking, they've said
(07:06):
the same thing and they're like,Yep, I just had to learn.
I had no other choice. How am I going to know what I'm
supposed to be doing? Yeah exactly.
You're seeing Christian Polisik do post match interviews in
Italian now and and Ryan blinks and I so yeah, exactly.
So before this role that you currently have with Charlie FC,
you were working primarily with the Crown legacy and their
(07:27):
inaugural season. What did you do there and what
was your take away from working in that end?
Yeah, I mean, so that was, it feels like a blur now.
So I originally got brought overto be the communications
coordinator for Crown Legacy. And like you said, it's
inaugural season, kind of similar to what I'm doing now.
My job was not only to tell the sporting stories, but to really,
(07:48):
you know, help launch a brand. Part of the reason I had a lot
of experience working MLS Next Pro in MLS Next Pro's first
season in 22. When I was with reality,
however, I came on as a communications coordinator.
But that role quickly shifted into kind of being a Jack of all
trades, do a little bit of everything kind of thing.
So much so that my second seasonwith Crown legacy, my title got
(08:11):
changed to business operations coordinator because I was
touching every single part of the business.
I, I was planning the nights I was while still being
communications focused. Because when you're at next pro
side, you know, the best way to get your name out there is
through earned media that was working on community
initiatives, taking promos, you know, as you know, working on
(08:33):
some paid social marketing, all those kind of things.
I really just had my hand in every single part of the
business, which I think really helped me today because then I
was so used to talking cross departmental.
I definitely didn't do it all bymyself.
As you know, we great large teamhere and with a bunch of
different departments, but I kind of became in a lot of ways
the point guard of kind of working with different people
(08:56):
and distributing out to whether it was externally to people
outside the company or working internally to make sure things
got done. I did.
I worked a lot within our organization to make sure Crown
Legacy, especially in that firstseason, was the success that it
was. Right.
For something even as simple as like kit launches and stuff like
that, it's like, hey, we're thisis what we're going to have as
(09:16):
our launch. Let's talk to the content team,
what can we make? Let's talk to the marketing
team, what can we do? So that's just kind of you're
the cog and all that making it all those people's things spin.
Yeah, exactly. And that's how it was for the
first year and you know, it, it definitely was a little bit of a
whirlwind at first, but I, I learned to love just like being
(09:37):
in meetings and being in conversations that I never
thought I'd be thinking. I never thought I'd be thinking
of putting together, you know, apartnership that can plan for,
you know, crown legacy or stuff like that.
Like, but those were conversations I got to be in and
I really and I felt like it really helped grow myself on a
career wise for sure. Nice.
(09:58):
So looking back, like you said, you got lucky at Real Salt Lake.
How did that happen and what didyou learn from that experience?
Yeah, 100%. I say I got lucky because I
definitely was. I took a non definitely took a
non traditional route, at least compared to the other interns
(10:18):
that I knew that worked at Real Salt Lake prior in the ones that
I worked with at Real Salt Lake,I first started on AI started on
our team, sorry, at our University School newspaper.
I was writing for arts as a journalist for the school
newspaper at Utah Valley University and most of the
people I worked with were like sports information directors SI
(10:40):
DS. You know that work more on the
team side of things. I applied and then I definitely
felt like I was a little under qualified at first.
However, luckily my boss and mayhe rest in peace.
John Jenna, who unfortunately passed away of ALS a couple of
years ago, he saw something to me and he told my who became my
(11:01):
boss, Meg Van Dyke, who I know you interviewed a couple seasons
back, basically was like, we gotto get this kid, let's hire him.
I think my Spanish was a big part of that as well because I
was able to work with the Spanish speaking team and player
and Ray also like much larger Spanish speaking contingency.
And then from there is primarilya sporting communications
(11:21):
position. So the stuff I'm doing now
wasn't as involved, but I reallylearned how to I more than
anything, I learned the importance of relationship
building, working with differentoutlets and understanding why
different stories, working better in different places.
And then especially on the otherside, working on understanding
the importance of relationships with the players and what the
(11:44):
coaches and why those are important as well.
And then I got to and with that I got to building grow MLS Next
Pro was in its first season while I was there.
We also lakes definitely a little bit smaller staff than we
are here. And so they, as an intern, I
fully took the reins of Round Monarchs, their MLS Next Pro
team, and handled all the communication side for them.
(12:05):
And my goal was to really tell the stories of those guys in the
Academy, kids coming through andmore kind of more of a player
pathway communications. But I learned, yeah, time there,
yeah. Definitely with players and
coaches, you got to know when you can go to them, what you can
ask them to do, what they're willing to do.
It's kind of like a in a way, itwas a jump over to Charlotte was
(12:25):
very similar that you had already done it.
So you're like, yeah, I can do this here.
I can, yeah. When I saw the role open up over
here, that was, you know, it, that was exactly my thought was,
oh, I I've done this, I know this.
I know I could do it kind of thing.
And it made me really eager and also confident while
interviewing, which was great. So were you, because I mean, you
(12:47):
could have been happy there. What made you want to shift or
change? Yeah, I mean, obviously at that
time I was an intern. And then there's the way they
set up their internships, or at least at the time was they run
through the season. And so then after the season
they wanted to keep me on, but there was, they weren't sure if
there's going to be a full time role for me open just yet.
So I kind of moved into this part time position that wasn't
(13:10):
really an internship anymore, but it wasn't full time just
yet. And I had a really great boss
and I really enjoyed the people I worked with.
I enjoyed Utah as well, but it kind of became one of those
things where I was looking for the next step and I was looking
for a full time role. And my boss Meg actually knew
what he when I saw the role openup and we thought the role was
going to would be right for me. And so and Meg knew what he knew
(13:33):
that he would be a really good person to learn from.
And so kind of just took a shot and went for it and didn't
really know anything about to begin with, but you know, it is
well worth it. So this is year 3 for you,
right? Yeah, season 3.
Yeah, awesome. So you talked about earlier
growing up in Sacramento, CA. So what did growing up look like
(13:53):
for a little Trent? I grew, yeah.
Growing up in Sacramento was awesome.
It's funny, you know, growing up, there's things that you, I
think everyone's like, hell, I can't wait to get it out.
And then, you know, as you get older, you kind of like look
back and you're like, oh, no, these are pretty good out there.
I grew up in a small little community called Rancho
Marietta. About 30 minutes out.
(14:14):
I tell everyone like I had to drive 30 minutes for high
school, 30 minutes for 30 plus minutes for sports.
At least I was basically we werein this little neighborhood that
was kind of out in the countryside and just kind of
away from everything. And so growing up is the
majority of things we did were kind of in within that
community. We had an elementary school out
there, but so Little League rec soccer was out there and all
(14:37):
that kind of stuff. And then as I got older, I
started playing club soccer, traveling around a lot for that.
And so I would travel 3540 minutes for soccer practice.
I played football. I was, I shouldn't say I played
football. I was the kicker for our
football team. And you know I.
Were you a good kicker? What I what?
Was your longest field goal. In game it was a 47.
(15:02):
Yeah, in practice I got a littlebit farther than that, but it
was it. We never quite.
I definitely wasn't consistent enough to, you know, be trusted
with A50 plus yard field goal ingames, which I totally
understand. My football team was not very
good. We went oh, in 10 my senior
year. Well, yeah, maybe you got a lot
more opportunities because they weren't scoring touchdowns.
(15:22):
They're like that. But Trenton will at least get 3.
Yeah, we had to get there to getto get 3, though, and sometimes
that wasn't too hot either. Besides living a little bit
farther away from everything, itwas a pretty typical suburban
lifestyle. Went to school and I think it's
population wise, largest suburb of Sacramento.
It's called Elk Grove. My dad grew up in the same town.
(15:43):
My grandparents were around there and, you know, had family
clothes, had good friends and SAC Republic, we were seasoned,
taking members for that. Went to a lot of those games
growing up and was a big Sacramento Kings fan as well.
And all those. Yeah.
There was a time that they were considered to be an MLS team.
It kind of faded away, I think because of money more than
anything else. But if that happens ever, would
(16:06):
you be like, hey, I want to go back to Sacramento?
Are you kind of like an East Coast boy now?
I. Think I'm more of an East Coast
boy now. I will say that Sacre, the Sacre
public MLS bid going away is definitely it's a tough
conversation to talk about for me because I was very happy and
excited for it to come and I remember everything about that.
And so we got take taken away isa shot in the heart a little
(16:28):
bit. But obviously, you know,
Sacramento does come around and get that bit again.
Like I'd be super happy for the city.
There's a great soccer landscape.
I think they deserve it. But I I very much enjoy the East
Coast. I think I'm pretty comfortable
where I'm at and don't ever wantto say like never say never kind
of thing. But as of right now, that's
definitely not in the plans to go back to Sacramento.
(16:50):
So when you were growing up, what was you like your first
teenager job? I did a lot of odd jobs playing
2 sport, you know, playing two sports that were like in similar
seasons. It's hard to especially football
as much as soccer was year round, football felt year round
as well because I felt like I needed to be at everything for
it. So I did a lot of rafting.
(17:11):
I did work for this older man inthe community, just needed help
with like he was in his 90s and needed help with just like daily
tasks and chores. It's a job I did for a while I
was in high school, but it's mainly just wrapping in that in
high school at least. Nice.
That's cool. Now, where did the soccer
interest come in and where did the interest to be a part of
(17:33):
kind of this culture that you'rein now?
Yeah, like most kids, you start,at least where I grew up, we
started out with league, Little League, and you started out with
soccer, right? Played basketball a little bit
as well. And soccer was, frankly, I think
soccer was the sport I was best at.
And I have an older sister and my dad coached my older sister's
(17:54):
soccer team and they went to club a couple years before I did
and did it a little bit more of the travel stuff.
And so I saw that and really enjoyed it and fell in love with
it. And then I did it till I was
1819 until I graduated high school.
You know, it's funny because growing up I never thought about
working sports. I it's just not something that
like really computed as something you could do and then.
(18:18):
What were you? What were you thinking about?
If you were, I'm obviously in the communications field, my
dad's in the communications field as well, but more on the
business side of things. And so I just kind of when I was
in college, I just kind of assumed I would try to get into
some agency and work from there.And then I start writing on the
sports side for our school newspaper.
And then even then I still thought I'd just like kind of go
(18:41):
into an agency. And then honestly, I'm to Real
Salt Lake and they had the application open back in
October, but they didn't start interviewing till January.
So when I like got an interview,when I got an interview, I was
like a little surprised. I was like, oh, I almost kind of
forgot about this. And then so honestly, Real Salt
Lake was my first experience of like, oh, this is something I
could do. Right, right, yeah.
(19:03):
Now you talked about going to Honduras and that's kind of
where you kind of immerse yourself in the language.
Was there a time in, especially in your communications business
that you're like, holy cow, likeme speaking this other language
just made the hugest difference.If I wasn't here or someone
wasn't able to translate this ordo this, like what was the first
(19:25):
moment that you saw? Like this is actually a good
thing to for everybody, not justyou personally.
Yeah, I think, I don't know if it's the first time, but it's
the one that stands out the mostis I was actually helping out
the Panthers with a kind of their they do this kind of look
ahead for the season with media members and it's all the new sit
(19:46):
and it, this one was like kind of all the new stadium features
throughout the year. We don't typically do one with
Charlotte FC just because they're the same features and
they come out brand new before the Panther season.
And so I was there and Telemundowas there, you know, kind of
going around and talking to people as well.
And then they need to kind of just like a general Panther
spokesperson at one point for Telemundo.
(20:07):
And they had, they didn't have aSpanish speaker in the room
besides myself. And so about like 5 minutes
before we actually recorded it, Panthers and, and Emmy Darkea
from Telemundo, who's become a really good friend, both were
like, hey, can you basically be the spokesperson?
Can you do this? You know, we'll give you the
(20:28):
talking. And so threw on a Panthers polo
and I said, let's do it. And I mean, what you can attest
to this, I was really nervous. I didn't, I was not thrilled
that I had to do it at first. But you know, things where it's
like it shows how important the language was and how necessary
it can be. Yeah, Now you talked a little
(20:52):
bit about Meg and your other other mentors and even Woody.
What is maybe something that you've kind of gotten from just
being around them or certain things that they've told you
that just sticks with you? Is there anything that you kind
of took from those relationships?
Yeah, I think I can point to like one with Meg.
(21:15):
I remember just like learning more than anything, like your
internal relationships matter just as much as your external
relationships. That's something that I really
try to take into account with everything I do.
Sometimes in communications especially, you got to be the
bearer of bad news. And that sucks.
But I really try my best in everything I do.
When there's something that involves a different department,
(21:37):
reaching out to them and making sure, like before I ask you to
do this, is this feasible? What's your guys's bandwidth?
And so that's something that I've really taken with me, and
that's something I definitely learned from her.
And you know what? He's definitely a big proponent
of that as well. And then I think Woody and I
have really developed a good, I,I would say not just a good
(21:58):
working relationship, but a goodfriendship.
But one thing I I've learned andit's very much his emphasis, not
just for me but for our communications department as a
whole is like really emphasizinglocal media and being with the
people who care about you most kind of thing.
I think a lot of times, I think a lot of times in
communications, people want to shoot for the national story or
(22:21):
it might not be the best, it might not be the best person to
tell that sort of the national story, the international story,
the biggest outlet possible. And I think he really told me
and really helped me understand was the local media are the ones
that know about you the most andcare about you the most.
And if you can win the local market, like the rest will fall
in place kind of thing. And so that's something that
(22:41):
I've really taken an emphasis onin my work for sure.
That's cool. Now thinking about your short
career here, you've talked abouta lot of things.
Is there some sort of sacrifice that you've made that you're
like, OK, this is a decision? Almost like it's not.
(23:02):
No turning back. But you kind of felt like that
at the moment, like, hey, I justgot to go for it.
Yeah. I mean, I think the first thing
that comes to mind is moving outhere in general and moving
across the country. And, you know, frankly, I
didn't. This is no shame to Charlotte.
I love Charlotte to death now. I didn't think about Charlotte
(23:22):
much really growing up. It was, you know, probably the
same way people don't think about Sacramento much growing
up. Exactly.
You know, moving out here was, you know, taking a risk and
understanding that I'm going to sacrifice things like family
time or, you know, there are going to be vacations, there are
going to be maybe a wedding or two I'm going to miss and
(23:45):
that's, you know it. You know, I'm not going to lie
in those moments, it sucks sometimes, but that was the
decision I made. And I think it's been worth it
for the most part because I've really created a great community
of friends out here and, you know, really love my role out
here. So it definitely that's the
biggest sacrifice I think I've made, but it's been well worth
it. Cool.
(24:06):
What would you say is the hardest part about your job?
Right now, hardest part about myjob?
Yeah, I think the hardest part about my job right now, and it's
something I've been thinking about a lot, is kind of.
I know what works for us and I know what and I know what things
(24:28):
we can do and I know which outlets and people I can go to
and it's like, and I know the story is going to get done.
I know that these things and I'mnot and those are great things
that usually do provide great results for us.
But but now a lot of my role is thinking about, OK, how can we
elevate this? What is what are maybe different
(24:49):
avenues that I haven't looked atyet or we haven't looked at as a
department to kind of improve the brand communications.
So I think that's probably the hardest part of my job right
now. It's because I think, you know,
Corelli who was in this role before me, like I think she said
a really great foundation. What he obviously has done a
great job to build the brand from the beginning here.
And so we've set a really good foundation.
(25:11):
I think the bar has been is understandably raised really
high. And so now it's like, OK, what?
How can we improve upon this anddo even that?
Yeah, I mean, because the club on the pitch, off the pitch,
they they want to be relevant and they want to be a part of
people's lives and helpful and also have people have fun and
(25:34):
entertain and enjoy. So a little bit of everything.
What do you enjoy most about it?What's the one thing you're
like, man, I didn't even realizeI worked 6 hours, 12 hours
today. Whatever.
Yeah. I think it's the strategy, the
more strategic part of this roleand then seeing that pay off.
I love the campaigns that I've been able to work on since I've
(25:57):
been into this role. The two kit launch campaigns are
like obviously my two biggest things to date.
And really just really seen especially the third kit, the
heritage kit. I know like I worked with you as
part of that as well of like andplaying that PR strategy months
in advance and working with content to make sure that we're
aligned. And, you know, working with
everyone, partnerships, everyoneto make sure that we're aligned
(26:19):
and then seeing that fully roll out is my favorite part of the
role for sure. Nice.
What would you like to do in your career that maybe you
haven't done yet or you're looking forward to maybe 10-15
years down the road? Be like hey this would be cool
if if Trent did this. I think it really depends
(26:43):
because in some ways I'm not sure if I see myself in sports
in 10-15 years, things change and come and go.
And then and so if it's more in a sports stuff that I see our
friends at the TSE level and Woody as well work on more of
like those stadium renovations, those big projects.
Like that's something that I would love to eventually, you
(27:03):
know, work my way into to where I'm a more prominent role in or
I think eventually leading A-Team and teaching is something
that I would love to move into, like a more of a teaching role
at a university level someday. Or having a team and being able
to mentor, you know, people thatare coming up through the
industry are probably things that I think about the most.
(27:24):
So outside of Charlotte FC, whatare some of your main interests
and passions? I love to be outdoors.
I still play soccer on Mondays. I like to go out on hikes when I
can and just be out in national parks and natural National
Forest. That was one of the big parts of
going to college and Utah was had a bunch of national parks
near me. I'm going to great smoking
(27:45):
National Park this weekend. So that's definitely one of
those things. I'm just a sports fan overall.
I will say it like the 49ers areprobably my first love.
And so I watched the San Francisco 49ers, obviously a
Panthers fan as well. Now I just want to see the city
do great. It's stoppage time.
(28:08):
What job would you do if you weren't working in your current
job now? Probably still in
communications, just probably inan agency somewhere.
OK, do you have a must do personal ritual or habit?
But there's no like ritual or anything specific trying to go
to the gym every morning. But that's exactly what they're
not that actually happens. Yeah.
(28:31):
Do you have a favorite unpluggedactivity?
You talked about hiking. Is that something that you do or
is there besides that? Or is there other things that
you tend to do? Yeah, no, I definitely, disc
golf is actually one of my bigger hobbies.
I really enjoyed the disc golf and that's definitely probably
one of my favorite ways to disconnect.
Oh nice, do you have a go to snack when watching a match?
(28:53):
Talkies, the little red like corn tortilla chip.
OK, gotcha. Which design impresses you more,
interior or exterior? Interior.
OK. And do you find starting a
project or finishing one more gratifying?
Finishing. OK.
And then when you get to get away from all this, because
(29:16):
communications is a 24/7 job forthe most part, that's at least
that's what it seems like to me,What do you do to go recharge?
How do you get away from all this?
I either rot on my couch and watch shrinking or some TV show.
Do you binge watch a lot of shows?
Like is that something you do just to like?
All right, I can get my mind offif I just watch something and
(29:38):
just sit there and do it. Yeah, that's usually the way I,
when I get back from work, especially if it's a long day at
work, I'm usually just go and rot on the couch for an hour or
two and watch. Yeah, usually binge watching.
It's usually, and it's usually ashow I've seen a million times,
but I'm just like, I don't want to think I'm just going to turn
it back on. The Office is one of those.
(29:59):
Brooklyn 99 is one of them as well.
Just one of us. I know.
My younger son, that's what he would do is office Brooklyn 99
like he's just sunny and Philadelphia, like those are
ones just always playing. I'm like you haven't you seen
this like 40 times? Like yeah, but it's like it's
just it helps numb get everything away.
Oh yeah, I need to be in a certain mindset to watch a new
(30:21):
show like I I had to pay. Attention.
Yeah, I had to be mentally capable to pay attention.
Right. All right.
Last question, if you're a current player on the Charlotte
FC club squad, what player wouldyou most be like?
Doesn't have to be positioned but kind of like how they are in
their demeanor and they how theyact a combo.
(30:43):
Yeah, I, I'll say, I mean, I wasa right and left back growing
up. So I'd probably say Nathan Byrne
is like play wise the most the person I've tried to be most
similar to definitely was nowhere near as good as that.
Obviously personality wise, I don't know.
Who's somebody that brings? I mean, to me it seems like you,
(31:05):
you bring people together. So is there somebody that brings
the team together? I yeah, I think.
But it's not like the loud voicethat brings them all together.
You see like, I think like. I think of like, I think like
Maddie is one of those people. I think Priv when he's playing
is one of those people as well. Like, you know, obviously Wesley
(31:26):
with the way he plays is, you know, the connective glue and
tissue. I feel weird comparing myself to
any of these players because I think that's obviously much
better than they're much better players and I and they're all
great people and stuff like that.
But you know, I think the way I am, I think kind of being that
like from a work setting, kind of being that connective glue,
(31:47):
you know, those are players I kind of think of in that.
Way Hey, Trent, it was great. I appreciate you coming on.
It's been a long time since we really need to do this, but I'm
glad we were able to get a chance for people to know who
you are. Yeah.
Well, Nick, thank you so much for having me on and for letting
me talk your year off. I really appreciate it.
Awesome. Take care.
(32:07):
See ya. Thanks to Trent for joining us
today. From his Sacramento roots and
time at Real Salt Lake to his work with Crime Legacy and now
Charlotte FC, his journey shows the value of relationships,
adaptability, and stepping into new opportunities, even if it
means moving across the country.His role might not be on the
pitch, but is critical in shaping how the club connects
(32:28):
with fans, media, and the city of Charlotte.
As always, thanks for listening to the Charlotte FC Podcast.
Be sure to follow, rate and share with fellow supporters and
we'll be back soon with more stories from the people who
make. The club what it is.
Till next time, enjoy the day.
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