Charlotte FC: April Review / May Preview
April showers have come and gone - can a stretch of home games make the difference going forward?
In April, three games were played in the rain and they were all losses for Charlotte FC. If not for a late-game winner from Patrick Agyemang against Toronto FC in the only dry game, the team would’ve earned just one point and would be sitting on fewer points than games played.
While it will be a month most fans would rather forget, there are many takeaways and learnings from these games. The great news for the club is that May is bringing four home fixtures to Bank of America stadium, which has been a haven from struggles on the road. It’s going to be a crucial stretch of games - so let’s get into it!
Monthly Summary (results, table, stats)
Results:
0-1 loss vs. New England
3-2 win vs. Toronto, goals - Vargas, Abada, Agyemang
0-3 loss vs. Minnesota
1-2 loss vs. NYCFC, goal - Vargas
Player Stats:
Goals: 2 players tied at 2 goals - Vargas and Agyemang
Assists: 4 players tied at 1 (Copetti, Uronen, Dejaegere, and Diani)
FotMob Rating: top 5 players - Diani (7.1), Westwood (7.1), Malanda (7.1), Vargas (7.1), and Uronen (6.9)
Team Stats:
Expected goals (xG) = 12.8 (18th in MLS)
Goals per match = 1 (26th in MLS)
Goals conceded per match = 1.3 (12th in MLS)
Average possession = 45.5% (25th in MLS)
Takeaways
The attack is too one-dimensional
Outside of the game against Toronto, the team had next to nothing going forward. There were chances, but few were executed. Opposing defenses have figured out a gameplan to stop Charlotte - shut down the wings! Most of our production has come from wingers playing direct or creating for themselves. To counter this, opponents have been forcing Vargas and Abada too wide to be involved or giving them space to cross into a box where there is little to no danger. When the wings get neutralized, the attack looks stale.
I am not going to dedicate an entire paragraph to bashing Enzo Copetti - there’s enough of it online already. The reality is that a striker like Enzo relies on good service and activity from others in the box that he can work with. Currently, this team isn’t set up to do either of those things and it has magnified his struggles. Patrick Agyemang has come off the bench and provided a spark, but Charlotte still has an issue at the 9. Without more creativity through the middle of the pitch, whoever plays the 9 will need to create for themselves - something that doesn’t suit either striker’s game at the moment.
Quick thought - there needs to be a big improvement on set pieces. It hasn’t been a strength for Charlotte in the past, but the team is winning a decent amount of corners and free-kicks that are going to waste.
It would be lazy to just say “A creative attacking midfielder would change everything.” I know it isn’t that simple, but given that all of our production comes from the wings (which is becoming easier to stop) and not having a 9 that can drum up all the attacking creativity needed to get more goals, something has to change. We have seen Brecht, Arfield, and Petkovic fill this role, and while they each bring a unique skill set to the position, nobody has been able to make a significant difference. Can we get more from the current player pool or will we need to look to the transfer market? I asked Dean Smith about this position after the Minnesota game (see below).
After three years, the road woes remain consistent
After the loss to NYCFC, I saw Brian Maurer of TopBin90 post a stat that caught my attention - this is the first time that Charlotte FC has lost four straight MLS road matches since 2022 when they lost their first four road matches in club history.
In the inaugural season, Charlotte picked up 11 points away from Bank of America Stadium and lost 12 of 17 games. In 2023, there was an improvement to 17 points and only lost 8 of the 17 games. This year, the 2022 road form is coming back. Through 5 road games, Charlotte only has 1 point. We are still early in the campaign, so it’s not time to hit the panic button just yet.
It’s obvious that teams usually perform better at home and tend to pick up fewer points on the road, but Charlotte needs to start getting some results on the road - even draws would do. Going on losing streaks away from home puts a lot more pressure on the players to perform and get all three points in front of the home crowd. They won’t be able to keep relying on 10+ undefeated streaks at home to make a playoff push.
Cracks on defense starting to show
After starting the year with one of the better defenses (statistically) in the league, April was a rough showing. A big piece of this was the Core Four (Byrne, Malanda, Privett, and Uronen), who had built such good chemistry to begin the year, only played together once in April against NYCFC. That game was a bit of an anomaly as Malanda was coming back from injury and Byrne was getting back into game form. While Bill Tuiloma and Jaylin Lindsey did their part, it showed that the best back line we have right now is the Core Four.
I know I told everyone not to panic about the stoppage time goal given up against Cincinnati, and I still hold that opinion. But we have now seen 3 goals allowed in first or second-half stoppage time (Vancouver, Cincinnati, and NYCFC). This was a major theme last year and it’s showing up again in 2024. I don’t think it’s time to panic, but teams have started finding success during these closing minutes and that needs to be buttoned up very quickly.
Another pattern has started to emerge from Charlotte’s opponents - easily scoring from balls played into the box. Whether it was the likes of Nashville’s Alex Muyl or NYCFC’s Keaton Parks, people have been dunking on Charlotte in the box from crosses and set pieces. When they aren’t rising above our defense, opponents are in better positions and getting in front of our defenders for easy goals. The physicality and positioning of the back line and defensive midfielders needs to get better going forward. Another way to improve here is to “STOP THE CROSS” before it ever happens (see video below for context).
There were bright spots to hold onto
Although it was a disappointing month overall for the club, there are a lot of things that fans can hold onto and get excited about.
Newly arrived DP winger Liel Abada got his first goal for the club. The expectations are for Abada to have lots of goal contributions, but not starting a tenure with a new club on a goal drought is a huge plus. He has also shown glimpses of that elite speed with the ball that fans were raving about prior to his arrival.
In the Toronto FC game, the team overcame a number of challenges and earned all three points. Toronto equalized twice and there were a few questionable decisions from the refs (including a goal being disallowed). In the past, we have seen the team crumble in similar situations but they rose above it and Patrick Agyemang got his second goal of the year.
Despite the Core Four being the best combination in defense, Jaylin Lindsey showed that he can hold down the right and left back positions if needed. In his last two starts, he also showed his technical ability going forward and helped create a number of good chances in the final third.
Lastly, Kerwin Vargas is BACK! At the end of the 2023 season, nobody was playing with more confidence on the team than Kerwin. April was a month to forget for him - after missing the penalty against NYCFC he seemed to get into his head. Dean Smith talked about wanting Kerwin to play more direct with personality and he answered the call! With two goals in his last three games, he is heating up! In the video below, I asked him about how it felt to get his first goal & backflip of the campaign and you could tell that he is enjoying himself again!
May Preview
The elite 10s are coming to town! While four of the six games this month will be at home, each team is bringing one of the league’s premier attacking midfielders with them. Despite the drubbing in the last home match at the hands of Minnesota, playing at home is still a huge advantage for Charlotte FC. Until that game, the last time they lost at home was to Nashville SC on May 20th of last year! They will need to get their groove back…if not, it could be a long summer!
Portland (home) 5/4 - It’s going to be a battle between two English managers who are looking to move back into playoff position. Both clubs sit 11th in their respective conferences but their journey through 10 games has been vastly different. Charlotte FC’s main problem has been finding goals, while the Timbers are scoring at-will but also allowing a second-worst 2.1 goals per game. Their dangerous attack is anchored by Evander in the middle and two former Liga MX strikers, Felipe Mora, and Cabecita Rodriguez, will look to give Charlotte’s backline fits. Charlotte will need to score multiple goals to get a win here.
Nashville (home) 5/11 - The Crown will be looking to get revenge against their regional rivals after losing 2-1 back in March. Nashville is in a rut, but Hany Mukhtar can take over a game in an instant. The players need to keep Dean Smith’s famous plea of “stop the cross!” in their minds as both Nashville goals came off of headed goals off of crosses that came in too easily. Can a Charlotte attacker help recreate the magic of the 4-1 win from 2022 and celebrate on the throne this year?
Chicago (away) 5/15 - Unsurprisingly, Chicago is sitting towards the bottom of the table as of now. They brought in reinforcements in the offseason: Hugo Cuypers (DP striker) and USMNT midfielder Kellyn Acosta, but things just haven’t come together for them yet. The Fire will also hope to have Shaqiri back for that game. Charlotte has won both road trips to Chicago in their history and this will be the perfect chance to stop the bleeding on the road.
LA Galaxy (home) 5/18 - The last time the Galaxy came to town, over 74,000 people packed into Bank of America Stadium for Charlotte FC’s inaugural home game. While numbers won’t be that high this year, this is shaping up to be a great game! The Galaxy are proving to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference and the combination of Riqui Puig, Joseph Paintsil, and Dejan Jovelic is tearing up the league. They still tend to leak goals and Charlotte will need to take full advantage to get a result.
Philadelphia (home) 5/25 - Despite being the underdogs, Charlotte FC has historically played well against Philly at home (especially the Rios haul of 2022). The fixture congestion in May could have The Crown exhausted by this point, but they will need to find another gear. Philly will bring their usual attack (Carranza, Gazdag, and Uhre) along with youngsters Sullivan and McGlynn who are having stellar seasons already. If Charlotte can get out of this game with a point, it would be a draw that feels like a win.
NY Red Bulls (away) 5/29 - There is certainly a conversation about who Charlotte’s true rival is in MLS, but it would take a lot for me to be convinced it isn’t the Red Bulls. I get it…the whole league hates playing them, but I think the games Charlotte has had against them are building a great rivalry. The gauntlet of top-tier CAMs will continue against MLS newcomer Emil Forsberg. Charlotte will be looking to avenge their brutal 5-2 playoff loss from last year at Red Bull Arena. If the home games don’t go as planned, this game could be crucial to get a result heading into June!
In a 34-game season where more than 60% of teams make the playoffs, it’s hard to say that games this time of year are ‘must-win’ or ‘crucial’, but these six games in May could set the tone for the rest of the season. If Charlotte FC can head into June back in a decent playoff position (5-7), it will make the dog days of summer easier to handle. If the struggles on the road persist and they don’t manage to earn multiple wins at home, it could be a long summer for the team.
One of the reasons MLS remains one of the most intriguing leagues in the world is the parity and lack of predictability every week. Let’s see if Charlotte can hit their stride and take advantage of a run of home games in front of one of the best crowds in the league!