Don’t look now, but Charlotte FC has fought their way into the top three in the East. Charlotte sits in third place on 50 points, two points off of second place Cincinnati and seven points away from frontrunners Philadelphia. The Crown reached third place after defeating New England 2-1 on August 30th, so let’s get into it.
Looking at the lineup, there were no surprises for me. We saw a top three of Toklomati, Vargas, and Zaha. In the midfield, Dean went with Diani, Westwood, and Bronico. The four men in front of Kristijan Kahlina consisted of Nathan Byrne and Jahkeele Marshall Rutty on the flank and a center back pairing of Tim Ream and Adilson Malanda.
Overall, I like the lineup. I think the top three is strong and can be a threat for the full 90 minutes. The midfield is consistent and when Pep Biel comes back, they will be able to reach their full power. Moving on to the back four, I think this is the strongest part of the team. Getting Nathan Byrne back has been a huge boost and Adilson Malanda has been a strong force all season long.
Getting into the match, it was a fun one. Brand Bronico got the party started in the 12th minute with a nice headed goal; 1-0 in favor of Charlotte. However, New England would tie the game up in the 24th minute and the 1-1 score would hold until the second half with both teams heading to the break looking for a plan to capture three points. The halftime talk favored Charlotte as Idan Toklomati headed a set piece into the back of the net in the 87th minute to give Charlotte a late lead. In addition to giving Charlotte the lead, Idan also earned himself a fine from the MLS for his celebration. Despite a late push from New England, Kahlina and the defense held firm and when the final whistle blew, the boys were heading back to the Queen City with three points and another win added to the streak.
Overall, I think this was a good match. Getting the lead early and taking it back late shows the kind of fight that a team needs as they head into the playoffs. The one thing I hope to see cleaned up is fouls. Charlotte committed 22 fouls and picked up five yellow cards. Yellow card accumulation could put the team into a tricky situation if one (or a few) guys are forced to miss a match. But in the end, a win is a win and the streak is intact.
Charlotte looks to keep the streak alive on September 13th as they welcome Lionel Messi and Inter Miami to The Fortress for a 7:30 pm kickoff.
Thank you for reading and remember to stay locked in with the Southeast Soccer Report for your Charlotte FC coverage.