An opportunity for Charlotte FC to show some resilience

CHARLOTTE FC

Charlotte FC will try to run its record to 4-0 at Bank of America Stadium when they take on Nashville Saturday. Conversely, the Crown is 0-2-1 away from Charlotte.

It wasn’t the worst game last week against the Colorado Rapids, but it certainly wasn’t the kind of execution Charlotte FC wants to hang its hat on.

“It was a poor performance littered with mistakes,” coach Dean Smith said Thursday in his weekly media briefing. “In tennis terms, it was unforced errors, but we watched the game back, and we still could have won the game despite the litany of unforced errors.”

Smith is pragmatic and an optimist. He can see the good in a bad game as it applies to the bigger picture. It’s always about where you are headed, not just where you are, or were.

“I've watched the game back in Colorado,” he said. “Tactically, we were very good. We got into positions that we wanted to in the game. Our problem was technical, the amount of loose touches, loose passes that you wouldn't normally expect from us.

“We look at ourselves first. Could we have done better? Yes, but I still didn't think we deserve to lose the game. The only game we deserved to lose this season was at Seattle, and we actually didn't lose that one, so’ it’s a strange game, football.”

Smith said it’s not a lineup issue and he’s correct in that assessment. The starters that trounced San Jose were different than the ones against Atlanta and Cincinnati with Tim Ream and Patrick Agyemang away with the U.S. Men’s National Team.

With the recent signing of left back Souleyman Doumbia, there is added depth to the back line. The midfield has options across the width with Ashley Westwood, Pep Biel, Brandt Bronico, Eryk Williamson, Djibril Diani in the mix.

The front line has Agyemang in the center with Idan Toklomati pushing him for minutes. “Idan and Patrick are going to compete for a position this season,” Smith said, “which is great for me to have.”

Making first XI decisions is a manager’s blessing, not a curse Smith confesses. While Wilfried Zaha and Liel Abada are first choice on the wings, he has full trust in bringing on Kerwin Vargas, Iuri Tavares, and Tyger Smalls to change things up.

Home is where the heart is proven

According to Ream, what Charlotte needs is a home-away-from-home mentality, citing the advantage and confidence supporters at Bank of America Stadium instill.

What do the numbers say? In six games this season, the Crown have won all three at home by a combined 8-1 scoreline. On the road, there’s one draw and two losses with a combined 2-5 score.

“It's really important that we keep the momentum,” Smith noted. “There's a bond with us and the supporters at home, and we have to make sure that we continue that by putting in performances and making sure they're seeing what they want to see.

“I don't doubt the players at all when they're playing at home, and you know it'’ going to be a tough place for anybody to come, but we also are very respectful of the opposition, and know that we've got to at it to go and win football games. This season, certainly at the Bank, it's been really good, and we need to continue that.” 

As the road goes, Smith said with a wry smile, his charges drew the game they should have lost, fighting back to 2-2 at Seattle. They’ve done good things away from home, just not good enough.

Up next

The immediate test is Nashville, another measure of the steel that comes with sleeping in your own bed the night before game day. That must be the focus before heading to Montreal on April 12 to face a team that has yet to win this year.

There’s no real choice other than to improve away from home. After Montreal, Charlotte is back for games against San Diego and New England to close out April. May has three straight difficult road matches at Columbus, Nashville, and Orlando.

According to Tim Ream, there was a general “Lack of sharpness in Colorado. Gave too many easy balls away. A lot of sloppy passes.”

“(We were) just disconnected in general. It’s an age-old thing. You don’t take care of the ball and make mistakes, teams are going to punish you. And that’s what happened.”  

That’s not expected to be the case Saturday against the third team in the Atlanta-Charlotte-Nashville triangle.

“If we can play even remotely close to the way we play at home,” said Ream, “we will pick up wins on the road pretty regularly. That’s something we definitely need to focus on and look at going forward.”
So, the to-do list is, a) overwhelm Music City at the Bank, then (b), take that inspiration to Canada and bring home a three-point souvenir.

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