Charlotte FC’s Stock Up, Stock Down: Kahlina saves, Biel makes DP impact, and new year, same problems with build-up
- Brian Maurer
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Brian Maurer
Charlotte FC was able to pull one back and earn a point on the road against St. Louis City in a back-and-forth affair. St. Louis found a few dangerous moments through the first 30 minutes, while Charlotte’s best look in the first half came from Idan Toklomati off the post, but he was ruled offside. Liel Abada and Nathan Byrne both had strong drives and chances late in the first half but couldn’t make anything happen.
The first 15 minutes of the second half were far more end-to-end, with both teams getting opportunities to create. St. Louis then took control for a stretch, and Marcel Hartel found the back of the net off a Charlotte turnover in their own half. Soon after, Pep Biel was able to find a response by finishing off a good look from in close after receiving a nice through ball from Wilfried Zaha.
Kristijan Kahlina had to help salvage the Crown’s point in a big way down the stretch as St. Louis started pouring on pressure late into stoppage time.
Here is our Charlotte FC stock up, stock down after their Week 1 draw:
Stock Up
Pep Biel - The star midfielder was not able to make a massive impact in the first half, but when he got his look, he buried it well in the second to help the Crown get out of St. Louis with a point. That’s what you expect from your key players: being able to be the difference and find equalizing or game-winning moments regardless of the game state.
Kristijan Kahlina - The 2024 Goalkeeper of the Year had to come up big against St. Louis as he made 10 saves on the day. He had to make five saves after the 75th minute to help maintain the 1-1 draw. That many last-minute shots also highlighted how much pressure Charlotte had to deal with through the final minutes. It was not ideal as a team, but good on Kahlina for being able to stand tall.
David Schnegg - The full-back's performance didn’t light up the stat sheet, but the Austrian came in and helped the attack by playing very high for stretches and was involved in the final third play that led to Biel’s goal. It was a good start to his time in Charlotte, and continued to highlight what was seen in preseason, that the Crown has multiple options at left back this year.
Stock Down
Andrew Privett and Tim Ream exposed on counters - Kahlina praised his backline during the post-match presser, but the backline duo was definitely exposed during counterattacking moments and in 1v1 situations, as both centerbacks looked to be on the back foot several times. Simon Becher and St. Louis City’s attack pressured Privett a good bit throughout this matchup, drawing an early yellow, which also didn't help the former SuperDraft pick deal with the rest of the game. Becher also exposed Ream a couple of times, both with his 1v1 pace and with a ball over the top to his teammate Brendan McSorley, who was a second-half substitute.
This exposure is a setback for the defending duo, but at the same time, the reason they were put under pressure like this is team-wide, which is what Kahlina referenced in his press conference. Below is a graphic of Charlotte FC’s starting XI’s average position that highlights how isolated and pinned back Privett and Ream were throughout the game. The Crown will need to leave this duo less isolated and do a better job of maintaining possession during build-up without losing it in bad spots as often as they did against St. Louis.
Liel Abada - This wasn’t the worst performance by the Israeli winger, and he had a couple of decent looks, but this season, the DP will be under a serious microscope. The game script of being down 1-0, needing a goal, and Smith deciding that you are the player he is willing to take off in that moment is not a good first impression after regaining the starting job.
Charlotte FC’s possession play and build-up - All three lines struggled with build-up play and maintaining possession for long stretches of this match. There were several turnovers in bad areas as the Crown attempted to progress the ball from back to front that led to St. Louis counters and eventually their first goal. While above I commented on the centerback duo’s stock being down, they were definitely left hanging out to dry on many occasions by the midfield and fullbacks being out of position on counters.