Charlotte FC’s Stock Up, Stock Down: Down a man, the Crown hold on for a point
- Brian Maurer
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Brian Maurer
Charlotte FC faced up against one of the top defenses in MLS and struggled to create a ton of dangerous chances. It should be said they also didn't allow too many either. After Ashley Westwood was sent off for a double yellow for dissent the point earned from the draw at home became a positive result.
It must be said that the Crown was starting to find some decent looks from some high pressure turnovers in the second half. If they were still 11v11 for the full 90 the end result of this game could have been different and Charlotte could be sitting in fourth going into next week's midweek slate.
Here's the stock up, stock down after Saturday's nil-nil:
Stock Up
The Allan Saint-Maximin to Liel Abada switch pass - There were several times where Allan Saint-Maximin found a switch pass to Liel Abada on the other wing to set Charlotte up with a chance. Abada found Pep Biel multiple times in the box with this combination of play, and also had a chance of his own in the second half. This switch play in the final third didn't lead to any goals in this game but the connection between the wingers and the speed at which they are finding each other is promising moving forward.
Dean Smith's first eight-game mini-season - Dean Smith mentioned that he has split up the final 16 games of the season into two mini-seasons of eight games. The aim is to win those two seasons one at a time, and they should then put themselves in a good position for the playoffs. So far through the first mini-season, Charlotte has 11 points in five games, which puts them in second in the Eastern Conference, behind only Nashville SC. The final three road games of this first mini season will be a strong indicator for the direction of Charlotte's spot in the playoffs, but the current run has been immensely positive overall.
David Schnegg - David Schnegg has continued to play a key role as a two-way fullback. His pace and crossing ability look to complement ASM well on the left. He was accurate with his distribution (93% passing accuracy), and also completed several of his dribbles (3/5). While the winger he was primarily responsible for (Mateusz Bogusz) had eight shots, the five he had after the red card were all from either outside of the box or blocked, limiting his dangerous moments to a set-piece header in stoppage time.
Stock Down
Ashley Westwood - Ashley Westwood was having a solid performance, and it looked like Charlotte had a good chance to build momentum and go on and get the result against a good defensive side. However, the captain lost his cool, and after multiple warnings from the referee, he kept going at the ref and eventually earned a double yellow and an ejection. There were clear signals from the ref that he was done with Westwood, but the midfielder showed no signs of slowing in the exchange, leading to his red card. As the captain of the team, he needs to keep his head there. The Crown had momentum building, and they are running out of home games with only four left. These dropped points could be costly down the road, and a decent percentage of the responsibility weighs on the captain's shoulders in that emotional moment.
Scoring against top teams - Charlotte FC is on a great run of form with only one loss in their last 10 games. Many of their results and goals have come against weaker opposition. The question has been, and will be as the playoffs near, how does the Crown handle the more competitive teams?
So far, their final third production has been far more limited in their last few games against teams in the playoff picture. Charlotte has scored four goals in their last five games against teams currently qualified for the playoffs. Two of those goals came against an FC Cincinnati team whose defense is struggling to stop a parked car. During the final stretch of the season, there will be several opportunities for Charlotte to show they have made a jump against some of the top teams in MLS. Going into the playoffs, Charlotte will need to answer a few of those calls to build postseason momentum.
