On a 5-game win streak, Charlotte FC has seen both sides

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Charlotte FC teammates Nathan Byrne (left) and Kerwin Vargas celebrate Vargas' March 22 goal against San Jose. The Crown, which have won a franchise record five straight matches, play Real Salt Lake Aug. 16 at Bank of America Stadium.

That was then. This is now. 

Streaks are two sides of the same coin. Temporary definitions, they can be good or bad. The yin and yang. The ever-shifting forces of good and evil. Charlotte FC have known both sides going into Saturday’s match against Real Salt Lake at Bank of America Stadium. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.

When they’re bad – let’s say a five-game losing streak – it feels like a never-ending apocalypse, going from bad to worse, to even worse, and so on. A downward spiral of despair ensues until something changes. But if there was any visible angst, it was from the fan side.

Coach Dean Smith handled it with his usual balanced demeanor, as did the players. They’ve experienced ups and downs throughout their careers.

When asked what the major difference was between the two streaks, Smith replied, “The obvious is the away games. That has been the major thing. I think the start of that losing run was New England at home. We battered them. We should have comfortably won that game, three or four-nil. It was even a questionable goal that went against us. But that can happen in football. it was a long, long, long time on the road, and we never got the results that we deserved sometimes, and we got the results that we deserved other times.”

There was also a litany of mistakes by individual players that were out of character with how well they played to open the season. Those have largely disappeared, and as witnessed in Ohio last week, Kristijan Kahlina is back to MLS Goalkeeper of the Year form. 

And now it’s on the upside. Five straight wins after a draw and a bounty of points – 16 of 18 – have rocketed the Crown (13-11-2) up the table, where they now stand seventh in the MLS East, their 41points just three behind Orlando (12-8-6) and Columbus (12-8-5) in fourth and fifth. Charlotte’s 13 wins are one more than either of those teams, but they both have more points from draws. In between, in sixth place, is Inter Miami (12-6-5), which has three games in hand on both Orlando and Charlotte.

Charlotte’s five-game win streak equals the runs made this season by Miami and Cincinnati. 

Waiting for the other boot to drop…

Teams are always a work in progress. Towards that, CLTFC added two new pieces during the summer transfer window with left back Harry Toffolo, 29, joining from Nottingham Forest in the EPL, and Archie Goodwin, a 20-year-old striker from Adelaide United in the Australian first division. Both are necessary with the sale of Patrick Agyemang to Derby County and the fragility of Souleyman Doumbia’s hamstrings.    

Toffolo’s further along in his work visa process, and Smith says there’s a possibility he could see some minutes on Saturday. He was adamant though, that both players would be worked into the lineups appropriately to ensure fitness and prevent injury.

A Real-ity check

Testing the reality of the Crown’s run will be Real Salt Lake, currently 10th in the West after 25 games (9-12-4, 31 points). They’ve won three on the road, drawn three, and lost seven. They have won four of their last six games, including a 1-0 result at Portland, only the second home loss for the Timbers this season.

Charlotte defender Tim Ream was unapologetic about beating Cincinnati last week with a man advantage and just as frank about Salt Lake missing his U.S. National Team mate Diego Luna, who is out due to yellow card accumulation. 

“We said before the game that it was about sending a statement,” Ream said. “Obviously, with the way the game played out, red card with 20-odd minutes to go, it helps. At this point in the season, it doesn’t matter how you get three points.”

As for Luna: “Would we like to compete against the best every week? Yeah, absolutely. But at the same time, you can only play what's in front of you. If he’s not available, then it can help us. But we still have to focus on ourselves and focus on our game.”

Ream feels that part of that game is improving the defense. In the five wins, Charlotte has outscored opponents 8-3. 

“It gives you a big boost of confidence, knowing that no matter what happens, (Kahlina's) going to be behind you and on top of his game. We’ve had a lot of discussions, looked at a lot of video with the entire team, trying to limit chances, but knowing that he’s at the top of his game again, it just helps so much. It keeps you calm in every situation.”

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