Charlotte FC Stock Up, Stock Down: Zaha enjoys free-roaming role, Kahlina and backline struggles continue

By Sam Vanolinda

Tim Ream (left) and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty having a discussion during their game against Nashville SC (Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/Topbin90)

Charlotte FC has lost four league games in a row after its 1-3 loss to Orlando City on Wednesday.

After an auspicious start to the season, things have begun to derail for the Crown. Recently, Charlotte's downfall has been a story of wasting chances and not closing down talented attackers on the opposing team.

Dean Smith switched to a 3-4-3 in Orlando. While the formation did open up space for Wilfried Zaha and made the team threatening going forward, it left them vulnerable at the back, which led to three Orlando goals.

Even though the team looked more dangerous on the offensive side, they wasted their chances. Charlotte won the xG battle but couldn’t convert chances into goals.

Charlotte may have been unlucky with the Kristijan Kahlina mistake and the missed chances, which Zaha discussed post-match, saying, “We’ve won games where we've played worse.” But at the end of the day, the team has to get results to create momentum and avoid crashing towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Here’s the stock up/down for the midweek game:

Stock Up

Wilfried Zaha

I thought this was one of Zaha’s best games at Charlotte FC. He was way more central with the added left mid in a 3-4-3, and the position change worked wonders.

Instead of being locked down, trying to beat three or four players tucked in next to the sideline, Zaha was free to move around centrally. This gave him more space to express himself and dribble past players. 

It was a breath of fresh air watching Zaha passing and moving in the middle of the field, pressuring the right center back instead of trying to create chances from a super wide position like he does in the 4-3-3.

Zaha scored a signature Zaha goal for the only Charlotte FC goal of the game. He received a pass into a pocket of space from Westwood, quickly turned, and fired the ball into the bottom left corner from just outside the penalty area.

Zaha is the most talented player on this team; he should be the player this offense revolves around. Moving him into a central position allows him to always be at the center of attacks.

I hope Dean Smith continues to utilize him in a more forward or even striker position. On Wednesday night, he connected well with Idan Toklomati. 

“I wanted to get Pep and Wilf on the ball in the pockets, and that worked really well,” Smith said post-match.

Zaha was also a fan of the change to a 3-4-3:

“For me personally, I was in the game more, and it allowed me to get on the ball more, and be in more dangerous areas.”

Stock Down

Kristijan Kahlina

Kahlina might not have made the stock-down list for the whole of last season, but he has been on it twice this year.

As a keeper, you will be scrutinized for mistakes. If the last line of defense makes a mistake, it usually changes the game.

In this case, Kahlina misjudged a shot from Luis Muriel that bounced just as it arrived at the goal line. The ball hit off Kahlina into the net instead of out for a corner or back to a Charlotte player. 

Orlando came out of the gates hot, and the defense did a solid job at first, but unfortunately, Muriel got a shot in, and Kahlina made a rare error. 

There’s not a lot I can add. Kahlina is a great keeper, but goalkeeper mistakes can quickly cost the team valuable points.

Let’s just hope the shaky last month for Kahlina hasn’t changed his confidence level. 

The Back Three

The defensive unit has been out of sync and leaking goals in these past four losses.

The injury to Nathan Byrne has shaken up the side more than we thought. On Wednesday, the 3-4-3 led to Orlando's chances through counterattacks, but the defense has also been bad with four at the back.

It's hard having young players Nick Scardina and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty try to come in and adjust quickly, but the worst player recently for me has been Tim Ream.

I talked about this on Monday, but he does not have the physical attributes anymore to defend at the level needed by this team. 

You could see this with the third Orlando goal. He could barely track back, and then Ramiro Enrique took him out of the play with a quick cut, before finishing calmly.

There is also not enough intensity from all the defenders when closing down shots. It’s like Charlotte FC is okay with teams lining up shots that may have a low percentage of going in. This league has too much quality to allow any player to get a free shot on net, even if it’s a volley or a tough angle. 

For the game's second goal, Adilson Malanda just watches Martin Ojeda line up his volley. It was an excellent finish, but Malanda could’ve closed that space faster to get a block in. 

I'm not suggesting the defenders be reckless and dive into challenges, but the number one priority should be allowing as few shots on goal as possible, no matter where the opponent shoots from.

Liel Abada

Liel Abada has made the stock-up list multiple times recently because of his goal-scoring.

Yesterday's game proves that if he doesn't find the score sheet, it usually means he had little impact on the game. 

One shot, 23 passes, 37 total touches, one pass into the final third, 0/2 accurate crosses, one dribble, in almost 70 minutes.

A winger scoring is excellent, but they must eventually provide some kind of spark on the offensive end to create chances.