Charlotte FC’s Stock Up, Stock Down: A full day for the Crown's fullbacks

By Brian Maurer

Will Cleary celebrates his first goal for Charlotte FC (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Hallmark/TopBin90)

Charlotte FC fell asleep on the goal they conceded as they went down one 10 minutes into the second half. Then a barrage of goals for Charlotte came as they scored twice from set pieces in quick succession and followed it up with a third from Pep Biel in transition.

The home win puts the Crown back in fifth in the Eastern Conference and gives them extra momentum heading South next weekend to face their rivals Atlanta United.

Here are the Charlotte FC players whose stock rose and fell the most after Saturday night's game:

Stock Up

Charlotte FC's fullbacks - There are multiple ways to take this stock up as Charlotte FC's defensive line has now scored more goals this season (6) than in the previous two seasons combined. Both David Schnegg and Will Cleary's goals came off of set pieces, which now puts the Crown tied for first with the most set piece goals in MLS (11). With injuries to Harry Toffolo and Nathan Byrne giving Schnegg and Cleary extended reps they have certainly made the most of their opportunities and look to be putting pressure on keeping the starting roles outright.

Charlotte FC's Designated Players - Out of seemingly nowhere Charlotte FC's Designated Players are approaching the healthiest state they may have ever been in, barring how Allan Saint-Maximin continues to gel. Early signs seem promising. Biel continues to deliver and show why he is the greatest signing in Charlotte's young history. Liel Abada has hit double digit goal contributions in all-competitions for the first time since joining the Crown. All of these factors point towards a healthier state at the top end of Charlotte's roster spend than perhaps it has ever been in if these trends continue into the playoffs.

Karl Hooper - This feels like the most direct impact an assistant coach has ever had on Charlotte FC's roster and results. Part of this is the other assistants play several different roles in training, so it could be a case of things being harder to point out about individual assistant's work and how its impacting player performance. However, Dean Smith and several players have all mentioned the impact Karl Hooper has had since joining the team this spring to help with set pieces and the results in that area have been tremendous. He has also been a part of many players' Individual Development Plans (IDPs) which players and Smith alike have lauded for how quickly players are improving. The impact of Hooper was especially felt tonight as there were two set piece goals and Cleary stating that the IDPs have been helpful for showing him how to improve his game in precise ways.

Stock Down

Harry Toffolo and Nathan Byrne - Through no fault of their own, both of Charlotte FC's starting fullbacks to start the year could find themselves on the outside of the starting XI as they recover and return to full fitness. Both Schnegg and Cleary have been making an impact and it feels like there could be a chance that they keep their roles. At the very least there is strong competition for the fullback spots which is a new trend that hasn't ever existed in Charlotte's short history.

It is worth noting the impact Byrne has had on helping Cleary with his game. Cleary noted as much in the post-match presser. Byrne was also the first one to hug Cleary after the Stanford Cardinal scored his debut Charlotte FC goal.