Charlotte FC Stock Up, Stock Down: Malanda red changes the game; Westwood and Bronico suspended against D.C.

By Sam Vanolinda

Photo Courtesy of Francisco Diaz

Charlotte FC proved Saturday how much of an impact a red card has on a match. After Zaha’s 10th-minute goal, it seemed to be a smooth-sailing game against the bottom team in the East, but after a mistake by Adilson Malanda earned him an early trip to the locker room, the momentum completely flipped. 

It was a tough time for Malanda to make a mistake in one of his last ever games at the Bank of America Stadium, as he moves to Middlesbrough after the season concludes. Additionally, at a time when Charlotte FC is fighting to secure a spot in the top four, losing to Montreal is not ideal.

Charlotte has now dropped to 5th after their 1-4 loss, three points behind Miami, who have a game in hand. Many results will have to go Charlotte's way for them to secure home-field advantage.

Here’s the stock up/stock down for the defeat against Montreal:

Stock Up:

Wilfried Zaha

Zaha’s goal was a thing of beauty, with his video game-like stepovers leaving Montreal keeper Thomas Gillier in the dust.

Wilf worked hard to create the play, passing the ball to Toklomati, before a defensive mistake left him one-on-one with the keeper; Zaha showed his incredible dribbling quality to glide past him and finish easily.

It was a bright spot in a game that most people expected to be fun and easy, but then the tides changed. 

Zaha continues to perform incredibly as the season draws to a close. The Crown will need his experience and quality in the playoffs to make a deep run.

Stock Down:

Adilson Malanda

Malanda’s unnecessary foul may be looked at as a turning point in the season if Charlotte is eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Winning this game would’ve put them in a good position for the top four and home-field advantage in the first round.

We know how much playing at home helps this team. While it is arguable whether Owusu would’ve reached the ball that was played to him, Malanda tackled the last man, and the initial yellow was upgraded to a red card.

From that point on, Montreal dominated the game and ultimately scored four goals. This was a bad mistake by Malanda, especially since he will now miss the next match against D.C. United as well. 

While Malanda will be remembered for his incredible performances with Charlotte FC, let’s hope that this tackle doesn’t come back to bite the team.

Brandt Bronico and Ashley Westwood

Westwood and Bronico are in the same category because they both have accumulated yellow cards and will now miss the game against D.C. United, alongside Malanda.

While it is debatable whether they deserved yellows, as veteran players, they need to be intelligent and aware of their actions.

Now the heart of the team will be gone for the game against D.C. As two of the leaders of this team, they need to be better.