The Charlotte FC Striker Competition
- Andrew Crowell
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
By Andrew Crowell - @ajc10_11
Dean Smith has himself a striker competition brewing in the Queen City. As Charlotte cruises into the World Cup break soon, could the manager look to switch up the lineup next matchday against New England?
21-year-old Israeli international Idan Toklomati has been leading the line this season, with 13 of his 14 MLS appearances in a starting spot for the Crown, with 4 goals and 1 assist in those appearances. His performances have been inconsistent this season, with the 4 goals never coming in back-to-back games and no consistent run of form. Statistically, his goal contributions per 90 minutes are down this season (0.41 per 90 mins) compared to last season (0.65 per 90 mins) as well.
21-year-old Australian Archie Goodwin is the other striker who has been getting minutes. While Goodwin has made 12 appearances this season, only one has been in the starting lineup. In terms of goal contributions per 90, he has Toklomati beat with 1.59 goal contributions per 90 this season. While Goodwin has many fewer minutes, averaging over a goal contribution per 90, it highlights that the current minutes breakdown between the two young strikers seems off (1,088 minutes for Toklomati vs 170 for Goodwin).
It isn’t just goal contributions. To score, you have to get the ball on target, which Goodwin has done a lot better than Toklomati this season. Goodwin comes in at 3.18 shots on target per 90, while Toklomati comes in at a mere 0.66 shots on target per 90.
Stats don’t tell the entire story, especially with a small sample size for Goodwin. What the stats currently show is that maybe the Aussie should be given a chance to lead the line for Dean Smith’s men, especially coming off one win in the last seven matches. Or, at the very least, an increase in minutes off the bench since the gap in minutes between the two is massive.