Road Woes Continue as The Crew top The Crown 4-2
To say the road has been unkind to Charlotte FC this season is an understatement. Charlotte failed to take any points on the road after falling 4-2 against the Columbus Crew this past weekend. The loss drops Charlotte to fifth in the east on 19 points. Their record away from the Fortress drops to 1-3-1, quite the opposite of the 5-1-0 record the boys possess at home.
Fortress drops to 1-3-1, quite the opposite of the 5-1-0 record the boys possess at home.
There was one major change to the starting xi as midfield maestro Pep Biel did not travel with the team. As a result, Djibril Diani got the start while Brandt Bronico took over the playmaker role that Biel has made his own this season. I agree with the decision to hold Biel out as the boys have a quick turnaround this week, first a U.S. Open Cup match against NCFC on the 6th before travelling to Nashville to resume regular season play on the 10th.
Despite the result, there are some positives to take away from the match. First, both Wilfried Zaha and Liel Abada found the back of the net for the third time each this season. Zaha converted a penalty as the extra time wound down in the first half to cut the Crew lead to one. Abada found himself in the right place at the right time as he corralled a deflection by the Columbus keeper to cut the lead to one in the 63rd minute at 3-2. The second positive was from Marshall-Rutty. I liked what I saw and feel he adds energy and much needed depth on a depleted defensive line now without Doumbia and Byrne for some time.
Now let’s get into the stats, as you know numbers don’t lie. Columbus controlled possession and the shots. Columbus held possession for 57% of the match while limiting Charlotte to 43%. The shots also favored The Crew as they doubled The Crown 18-9. On the defensive side, Charlotte came out on top. Columbus committed ten fouls to seven for The Crown. Those fouls resulted in three yellows awarded to The Crew while the boys from the QC kept a clean sheet. No cards are always nice to see.
Charlotte FC is back in action on Tuesday as they have their Tarheel State matchup with NCFC to see who advances in the U.S. Open Cup. Kickoff is set for 7:00 pm in Cary.