Charlotte FC Stock Up, Stock Down: 10-minute defensive meltdown; Privett and Malanda struggling; Pep Biel a bright spot

By Sam Vanolinda

Adilson Malanda and Djibril Diani (Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/Topbin90)

Charlotte FC’s season has devolved into a nightmare at this point. Defensive collapse is a weekly occurrence. The team's mental strength has vanished, and leadership and accountability are patchy at best.

The comforts of home have always given Charlotte FC a boost, and they have recently played in some tough road matches. While the season certainly can be turned around, changes need to happen quickly for that to happen. 

It was a tale of two halves on Saturday night’s game against the Chicago Fire. 10 minutes of Charlotte FC players completely forgetting how to defend is why the opponents came away with the victory.

Just like the 8 minutes of stoppage time last week, Charlotte FC defenders turned one mistake into a chain of errors. Instead of mentally resetting after allowing one goal, the whole backline allowed it to get to their heads, especially Adilson Malanda and Andrew Privett.

It doesn’t help that Charlotte FC lost their left back, Souleyman Doumbia, in the 18th minute of the match, but the defense was still historically bad during that 10-minute spell.

Here’s whose stock went up or down in the 2-3 loss against Chicago:

Stock Up:

Idan Toklomati

Two starts and two goals for the 20-year-old since Agyemang has been rumored to head across the Atlantic to play in England. 

Toklomati’s 59th-minute finish was a breath of fresh air for a team with shooting issues this year. He put the ball into a space that no goalkeeper could reach, right into the top left corner of the goal.

If he can continue to produce like this, the striker position will be less of a concern as we move towards the late stages of the season.

Toklomati always impresses with his work rate, and he combined well on Saturday with his international teammate Liel Abada. In the first half, those two were the only players who showed up.

Pep Biel

Pep Biel was a shadow in the first half, but came alive in the second to fuel the attempted comeback for the Crown. 

His goal was a great piece of attacking play. Zaha did a great job of finding Biel on the edge of the box. Biel chested the ball down and finished amazingly with a defender in his face. 

His assist was a good first-touch pass straight through to Toklomati, who finished adeptly, as mentioned previously. 

Biel proved why he is so vital to this team. He was the instigator of the two goals that Charlotte scored, giving them life in the second half. 

This would have been one of his signature games if his defense hadn’t fallen apart in the first half; unfortunately, his performance was overshadowed by negativity. 

Stock Down

Andrew Privett

Privett was directly responsible for two goals in two minutes. 

While the first goal was a great run by Philip Zinckernagel, Privett lunges in clumsily on the edge of the box and gets nutmegged, leaving him with a ton of space in the box to shoot and score.

The second goal was less of a mistake by Privett, but the ball bounced off his heel and away from the diving Kahlina.

When you look at the replay, there was a good chance that Kahlina would’ve saved the initial shot, but Privetts' deflection sent it into the goal.

While this second instance was more a matter of misfortune than poor play, it still deflected off him. 

It’s safe to say that Privett has significantly struggled recently. The entire defense has lost its confidence, but both he and Malanda have shown their youth in the last few months, which has led to 30 goals conceded since the start of May.

It may be time for some veteran presence to step in and right the ship on the defensive end. While Bill Tuiloma and Tim Ream may not be flashy options, they are likely to keep their composure after conceding a goal due to their years of experience.

Adilson Malanda

The third Chicago goal was given on a plate by Malanda. 

A ridiculously careless backpass went straight into the path of Hugo Cuypers, who poked the easiest goal of his life home and put the game out of reach for Charlotte.

When you have just conceded two goals and are on the ropes, what makes a center back decide to do a weak backpass into a low-confidence keeper?

These lapses in concentration are happening week after week now. It feels like Groundhog Day talking about them—mistake after mistake.

It is up to Privett and Malanda to improve their quality of play, and Dean Smith to instill some confidence back into them through effective coaching.

Wilfried Zaha

Zaha had a good assist today, but his behavior has now caught up to him.

Due to his frequent complaints to the referees throughout the season, he has been suspended for a game as a result of accumulating yellow cards. 

I said this when Charlotte FC signed Zaha, that he is an emotional player who is going to get frustrated and argue.

The difference now, however, is that when he was at Crystal Palace, his dominant play excused the behavior issues; at Charlotte, he is not dominating enough to warrant these yellow cards.

When you are carrying your team like he did in South London, you can overlook his attitude. Here in Charlotte, it's impossible not to get annoyed by his antics.

That's not to say he isn’t having a significant impact on Charlotte; he has been one of the key players this season, which is why his missing the next game is such a frustrating turn of events.

The Two Midfielders

The Defense has been awful lately, but the holding duo has had little to no impact on the game, which is putting more pressure on the defense.

Westwood is a good captain, but as the season has progressed, he seems fatigued and has less of an impact on games.

Bronico is an energy player, but can struggle with possession and moving the ball into the final third.

It's intriguing how the team has shifted from attacking woes and a robust defense and midfield at the start of the year to the exact opposite in the middle of the season.