Hot Take of the Week: Is Charlotte FC an MLS Cup dark horse?
By Brian Maurer - @BAMaurerMedia
Earlier this week on Soccerwise, Tom Bogert posed the question of whether Charlotte FC might be a dark horse team in the Eastern Conference. This was after their big win against FC Dallas at home, but before their most recent collapse against the Columbus Crew.
What piqued Bogert's interest this season was the improvement in their attack with the addition of Allan Saint-Maximin and the way Dean Smith is utilizing attackers this season. Saint-Maximin is a "best XI caliber player when he's on," said Bogert, "and when you pair that with Pep Biel, this Charlotte team has something special in the attack."
The counter to this sentiment, which rings even louder after their most recent results, is that Charlotte are consistently good against poorer teams but have struggled to get wins against better opposition. Before Charlotte's comeback against Dallas, they had not beaten a team in the current playoff standings since July and have only beaten two teams in the top 10 of the Supporters' Shield table (2-3-5 as things stand).
The other caveat is that Charlotte has consistently fallen short in knockout rounds. Betting on a dark horse that has never proven able to get through a playoff round is a tricky proposition.
The opportunity to regroup quickly and make a statement is there for them as the Crown hits the road to face Philadelphia Union this Saturday. The Union now sits just one point below them in the standings and has won eight straight and is unbeaten in league play since the World Cup break.
Charlotte closes out the season against Orlando City and Inter Miami, which will be additional opportunities against playoff-caliber opponents to prove that this just might be the year the Carolinas have a team capable of making a deep playoff run.
Arguments for Charlotte FC being a dark horse contender:
They now have a true game-breaking, best-XI-caliber player in Allan Saint-Maximin
The combination of Saint-Maximin, Pep Biel, Idan Toklomati, Liel Abada's resurgence, and Rodolfo Aloko's promising talent is enough to change this attack in the postseason.
They are on pace to have their best point total on the road, showing they could be capable of nicking a playoff result even if they do not have home-field advantage.
Arguments against Charlotte FC being a dark horse contender:
They struggle against playoff teams and have not beaten an Eastern Conference opponent that's above them in the table since May.
While their attack looks improved, their defense has taken a dip.
Their scoring numbers have not drastically improved against top opposition. They have only scored multiple goals against Top 10 MLS teams twice all season.
