Charlotte FC Stock Up, Stock Down: The attackers shine
By Sam Vanolinda
Kerwin Vargas (Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/TopBin90)
As mentioned in last week's article, the Bank of America Stadium’s stock continues to rise alongside the incredible fans who provide so much energy and confidence to the Charlotte FC players.
Saturday night's result, a 3-2 win in which Toronto came back and tied the game twice before Agyemang scored the winner, has proven the Bank to be quite the fortress– although a castle would be more fitting in the Queen City.
Here is the stock up/down for the impressive win.
Stock up
Kerwin Vargas
Kerwin has been critiqued heavily in these articles about his ability to get into the right position but not produce that final result that could propel him to be one of the top players in MLS.
In Saturday's match, he proved the haters wrong with an incredible finish to open up the scoring in the first half.
After Copetti headed the ball up, it fell to the Colombian at the edge of the box, who controlled the finish incredibly, slicing it into the bottom corner through a defender's legs.
In the post-game presser, Dean Smith said that he wanted Vargas to play with more personality in Saturday’s game, and he lived up to his manager's expectations.
Vargas played with the flair and intensity needed to secure the win, hopefully, this propelled him into the right mindset to continue to play well.
Liel Abada
It seemed like Abada was still adjusting to the MLS pace and style of play in his first couple of appearances.
In his first home start Saturday, he showed exactly what Charlotte FC paid $8 million for. His ability to keep possession, make fast and decisive runs, and finish his chances rubbed off on the rest of the team.
The Israeli international had a goal taken away after a questionable foul call on Bill Tuiloma, but that did not affect his mentality, as he went on to slot away his first MLS goal after pouncing on a lazy pass by a Toronto defender.
You can tell that that goal meant a lot to the player who must have had a lot on his mind on that Saturday. Abada could be the player that makes the difference this year as he settles into his new home.
Patrick Agyemang/ Enzo Copetti
I grouped both the strikers here because they both had solid games.
Agyemang scoring the winner was crucial, with a true striker’s finish from a near-post cross from Brecht Dejaegere in the late stages of the match, and Copetti was able to grab an assist and put a lot of pressure on the Toronto defense, especially in the first half.
These two strikers could end up working in a rotational basis this year because their skill sets and abilities will work better against certain teams, depending on how the opponent's personnel matches up against each striker.
Overall, this game should boost confidence for both players and lead to more home wins.
Stock down
Bill Tuiloma
Tuiloma was given the opportunity to prove that he deserves to start in this game, replacing Malanda.
Unfortunately, his showing wasn’t too great.
He wasn’t terrible, but it was obvious that the backline missed Malanda dearly; his passing and defensive ability is easily the best in the squad, and Tuiloma could not live up to the Frenchman's standard.
Tuiloma was called for a questionable foul on Abada's disallowed goal, which ended up not costing the team the game. That being said, you shouldn’t be holding players on a free kick, giving the refs the chance to take away a goal.
Tuiloma will still be an important backup, but in Saturday's game, he did not endorse himself as a potential starter as Jaylin Lindsey did versus New England.
Summary
Charlotte continued their great home form, and luckily they stay at the Bank for the next game versus Minnesota United.
Minnesota currently sits seventh in the West, so it’s a team that Charlotte should be able to handle in front of the home fans.
If Abada continues to show his class, Vargas gains more and more confidence, and the finishing continues to be better, it should be another good Saturday in the Queen City, on April 21.
