Charlotte FC Stock Up Stock Down: Agyemang-Zaha-Biel a deadly trio; team gets back on track; Neeley Makes Debut

By Sam Vanolinda

Wilfried Zaha celebrating after an electric attacking performance (Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/Topbin90

Charlotte FC sailed into choppy waters with their five-game league losing streak. If they continued to drop games, the ship could’ve been caught up in the storm and capsized.

It is safe to say that Saturday’s game against the Columbus Crew was a must-win. Columbus is a tough team to play when you need a win, but the Crown showed from the start of the game that they would play with energy and effort. 

Despite the early brightness, Columbus was the first to strike, when Nigerian forward Ibrahim Aliyu thumped a header past Kahlina in the 15th minute. 

After that punch in the gut, Charlotte fans were expecting another debilitating loss, but the team showed fight, and the big names stepped up for the Crown.

The team was clicking on the attacking side of the field in this game. They could’ve easily scored five or six, but Agyemang’s brace and Biel’s winner were enough to make the comeback and secure three points.

Here is the stock up/down from Saturday’s 3-2 win versus the Crew:

Stock Up

Patrick Agyemang

Patrick Agyemang was the striker we expected to see this year after his offseason with the USMNT on Saturday.

Dominant in the air, decisive in his finishing, winning duels, creating chances, he was the complete number nine exactly when the team needed him to step up.

With his two strikes, the 24-year-old propelled himself to where he belongs, at the top of the Charlotte FC scorers list.

Agyemang proved he can be relied on when the team is going in the wrong direction. Against Columbus, it seemed like he was finally on the same page as fellow star Wilfried Zaha.

Zaha was finding pockets to dribble into, and Agyemang was timing his runs perfectly. The quality of Zaha’s passes was also perfect, which led to numerous chances and one of the Pat goals.

“We felt dangerous today,” Agyemang said about him, Zaha, and Pep Biel post-match, “...That’s how we’re supposed to be as a front four or front three. At the end of the day, now we’ve seen that we could do that, especially against a team like Columbus. So, why can’t we do this throughout the season?”

Now it’s time for Agyemang to take this momentum and synergy with his fellow attackers and convert it into consistent goal scoring as the season continues.

Wilfried Zaha

 Zaha put on his Andrea Pirlo boots on Saturday when he arrived in the locker room.

He easily should’ve had five assists on Saturday. He should’ve scored, but his first shot was saved, and his second went wide.

His first assist to Agyemang was a De Bruyne-esque, reverse pass into an amazingly timed Agyemang run, and he finished very calmly.

He then unleashed a trivela pass into the feet of Biel, who could not finish, but the pass was equally as high quality as the first.

His second assist was a lobbed ball into the box, which Biel controlled well and fired into the top right corner.

Zaha was superb today. It looked like he was having fun again and not trying to do too much. Often in games this season, he has tried to do it all himself, but against Columbus, he trusted his teammates and consistently found them in great positions, creating five chances. 

“It’s amazing, man, it was much needed,” Zaha said. “And obviously, today, we played like a team. I'm sure everyone knows how everyone worked together, and we were just in sync. So yeah, man, when it goes together well, you see how it looks.”

Pep Biel

I wouldn’t call Pep Biel’s game against Columbus visually stunning, but he did step up and win the game for the team, which means everything.

Not only did he whip in a great near-post corner for the first Agyemang goal, but he got onto the end of a Zaha lob into the box and scored the game winner.

After Columbus tied the game, Charlotte FC missed massive chances to win. A deflating draw or loss was on the way.

When others couldn’t keep composure, Biel showed why he is crucial to this team's success.

Biel still looked like he was recovering from injury, so he wasn’t bossing the middle of the field like usual, but he did what great players do: win games.

Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty

Statistically, Marshall-Rutty didn’t have an incredible impact. With that said, if you watched the game, you realized he was lively and provided a solid game in place of Tim Ream.

Marshall-Rutty had the pace to keep up with the Columbus attackers on the wing and was also able to charge forward and create attacks on the other end.

He was a brilliant pick-up from the front office and will be an important rotational piece as the season goes on.

Being only 20 years old, the more experience he gets, the more comfortable he will become. 

Honorable Mention: Jack Neeley for his first MLS appearance!

Stock Down

Liel Abada

He comes into the game, immediately gets a one-on-one with the keeper, and weakly lobs it straight into his arms.

That alone is enough to warrant a stock down, but as I’ve said, if Liel Abada isn’t finishing his chances, he doesn't provide much to the team.

I’m not suggesting Kerwin Vargas was much better, but if Charlotte could find someone on that right side that could have a similar impact to Zaha or Biel, the attack would suddenly be one of the best in the MLS.