Charlotte FC’s Stock Up, Stock Down: The defense allows 13 goals in their last four MLS games, Zaha shows more frustration, does Smith have a solution?

By Brian Maurer

Wilfried Zaha drives forward against the Chicago Fire (Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/Topbin90)

Charlotte FC is in a historic rut. Coming off their 1-4 loss at home to the Chicago Fire, the club has lost five straight MLS games for the first time in its history and has allowed 13 goals in its last four. That is also a club record for a four-game span.

Head Coach Dean Smith mentioned they looked like a team on short rest going up against a team with a full week of preparation, but after a streak of five losses, it's far more than an unfortunate scheduling disparity.

The Crown's busy schedule continues with four more games still to play this month and three of those games being on the road. With little respite, Smith is going to need to find solutions fast. They found a fix last year when they ended an eight-game winless streak in all competitions by finishing the 2024 regular season with 13 points in five games. Charlotte fans are looking for a similar evolution again this year.

Here's the stock up and stock down after this past weekend:

Stock Up

Andrew Privett

Privett, like most of the backline, made errors, but it's worth shouting out his highlight reel block that kept Charlotte in the game at the time and got the stadium roaring. The heroics of that moment were short-lived as Chicago found their second goal soon afterwards, but it felt like that block on a different day could have spurred a momentum shift and helped the Crown back into the game.

Eryk Williamson

Williamson had a soft penalty called on him, which put the game out of reach, but before that, he had provided the team with an attacking boost by setting Patrick Agyemang up with a chance to get one back.

In a game where Charlotte's starting midfield played off the field, it doesn't hurt to be the midfield sub that comes on to make an impact. Williamson's recent performance at least puts his name back in the hat as Smith looks for ways to right the ship.

Stock Down

Charlotte FC's Double Pivot

Ashley Westwood and Djibril Diani were taken to class by Brian Gutierrez. Chicago's homegrown playmaker had three goal contributions and provided defensive cover by blocking passing lanes to Charlotte's Pep Biel most of the night. The Crown's midfield had no way of stopping the Fire and were outclassed in all facets of play. Inexcusable from a veteran group.

Smith's Evolution

Evolving as a coach is pivotal in MLS as teams can jump up and down the table quickly. The clubs that find consistent success with several finishes near the top of their conferences are generally led by coaches who adapt faster than the rest of the league. Right now, it feels like teams are adapting to Charlotte FC faster than the Crown is adapting to the 2025 MLS season.

This is on Smith to get this team right, and how he moves them forward into their next evolution could make or break their season. He tried a 3-4-3 formation last Wednesday and has been testing new signing Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty at left wing-back, so some changes are already in process.

The question is, can Smith make a change this year like he did last season when he flipped the script and got the Crown back on track down the stretch in 2024? Last year he put Tim Ream at left back and brought Junior Urso into the midfield. The team went on to finish the regular season with five games unbeaten. It looks like Smith needs to make a change again this year. Given their place in the East and the goals set for the season, that change needs to hit in a big way.

Charlotte FC's Designated Players

Liel Abada and Wilfried Zaha need to be leading this team from the front. There have been glimpses of both with recent goal production, but it's just nowhere near enough yet. There were plenty of moments in this game before it got out of hand where some magic and energy from their key attackers could have changed the momentum and dynamic of this game. But those moments never came.

What makes matters worse is Zaha continuing to be very loud with his frustrations on the field. Recently, at his teammates. He ripped into Diani for a pass early in the second half, and there was a back-and-forth between the two. Arguments between teammates like that, when in public on the field, are a concern because they provide an opponent with an opportunity to attack a clear weakness that is being displayed through that frustration.

It's the mental game that shows a lack of composure and control. Chicago likely knew they had Charlotte in a bad spot as soon as that argument broke out, as it was observable that the Crown's key winger was off his game and taking that frustration out on teammates.