The Crown Gets Back on Track: Charlotte Defeats the Crew 3-2
Charlotte FC improved their home record to 6-2-0 after defeating the Columbus Crew 3-2 on Saturday night. Not a bad way to kick off the holiday weekend. After the win, Charlotte sits in eighth place in the east on 22 points, one point off of seventh place Miami and two points off of sixth place NYCFC. Without picking up three points, Columbus drops to fifth on 27 points, putting them even with fourth place Orlando and third place Nashville. There are still plenty of games left for both teams to make a move up the table.
Dean Smith made a couple changes to the starting xi this week. Tim Ream and Liel Abada were replaced by Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty and Kerwin Vargas respectively. Starting up top, Zaha and Vargas manned the wings while Pat Agyemang got the nod up front. The midfield three consisted of Pep Biel, Ashley Westwood and Brandt Bronico. Privett and Malanda were the center back pairing while Marshall-Rutty and Scardina protected the flanks. Once again the man between the pipes was Kristijan Kahlina.
Alex
Overall, I like this lineup. Not too many changes and the changes that were made didn’t feel like the guys were put out of place. Being able to give guys a rest and not feel like you’re tearing up the chemistry or playing guys out of place is crucial in a long season. And now over to Film from the Fortress for his thoughts on the lineup.
Film
Not too many surprises in the lineup with the two big notes being the absence of Ream and Abada. Ream has started every MLS match this season, but he has been playing through an injury the past few weeks which ultimately Dean wanted to give him some rest, omitting him from the substitutes as well. The inclusion of Vargas for Abada seemed odd especially after Vargas played a majority of the mid-week cup match against D.C. United. But with Columbus being a possession heavy team, I believe Vargas was included to improve our defense and pressing as we expected to play most of the game without the ball. Back to you Alex.
Columbus got the scoring started early as forward Alyiu Ibrahim put Columbus on the board in the 15th minute. However, Patrick Agyemang and Pep Biel would link up four minutes later to tie the game. Biel delivered a nice set piece to Patrick who headed it past the keeper. 1-1 game. Pat wasn’t done yet as he put one past the keeper in the 24th minute to give Charlotte a 2-1 lead. Pat’s brace was set up by a nice through ball from Wilfried Zaha. Both teams would head to the break with the home side up 2-1. However, Columbus would even it up in the 65th minute as Malte Amundsen put one in the back of the net to bring the contest level. Pep Biel had other ideas, as he capped off a beautiful cross from Zaha to secure the game winning goal in the 75th minute. When the final whistle blew, three points stayed in the Fortress.
Alex
All I can say is wow. Three goals against one of the better teams in the conference, can’t get much better than that. Zaha was setting up his teammates nicely and Patrick found the back of the net again. That should help his confidence as he prepares to represent the USMNT. Pep Biel creating magic, what more could you ask for? Enough from me, let’s kick it back over to Film for his thoughts on the game.
Film
Thanks Alex, after the first match between these teams was defined by Charlotte’s biggest weakness, this game was a battle of strength versus strength. Columbus’ possession heavy, intricate passing offense faced off against Charlotte’s talented defense and counter-attack offense. Despite Columbus getting the first goal on nice quick passing buildup, Charlotte was the more dangerous team. With only 35% possession, Charlotte managed 16 shots (10 on target) and nearly doubled the expected goals of Columbus (2.6 vs 1.4).
Patrick Agyemang was the difference this game and the deserved man of the match. Instead of passing through the midfield, Charlotte played it long and Agyemang was able to consistently win the ball versus his defender and start the counter-attack. His effort, pace, and physicality led to his two goals and multiple chances for a hat trick.
Wilfred Zaha also showed how dangerous he can be in attack. With Columbus pushing players forward and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty making overlapping runs, Zaha avoided getting double teamed consistently like in the previous match in Columbus. This space allowed Zaha to get 2 assists, a great dribble against Moreira early on, and a shot from 4 yards out that was nearly the opening goal.
Outside of the play, you could see this game meant something extra to Charlotte who have been consistently playing mid-week games through this 5 game losing streak in the league. As the final whistle blew, Malanda turned to fans behind the goal, pumped his fists and yelled in celebration and then ran into an embrace with Kahlina and Privett. Being at the bank, you could sense the Charlotte players wanted this win not just for the points, but to get a good result heading into a 5 game road stretch. It was great to see it live and will be a good memory for the fans who will not have another home game until July 5th. That’s all I got Alex.
A big thank you to Film from the Fortress for jumping on this with me. Can Charlotte keep this momentum going? Find out Wednesday as the boys travel to New Jersey for a 7:30 pm date with the New York Red Bulls.