Charlotte FC aims to keep momentum in playoff chase

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Charlotte FC forward Wilfried Zaha (left), who has seven goals and nine assists in his first season with the Crown, will share attack responsibilities when they take on New York Red Bulls Aug. 24 at Bank of America Stadium.

Extending their win streak to seven will be a battle against history for Charlotte FC. 

In nine matches since 2022, Charlotte, which has MLS’s longest streak of the season, has only one win against the New York Red Bulls, with five losses and three draws. Only three of those games were played in Charlotte, where the Crown has the win, which came in the inaugural season, and two draws. 

Seven games were regular-season matchups. The Red Bulls knocked Charlotte out of the U.S. Open Cup in 2022 and beat them again in the 2023 MLS Playoff play-in game between the eighth and ninth seeds. Both games were in New Jersey. 

Kickoff at Bank of America Stadium is 7 p.m. 

Charlotte head coach Dean Smith says it will take, “a good performance. You know, all 11 players playing to the best of their ability, or towards the best of their ability.”

He’s confident that his charges are up to the task. 

“In the three games that I've had against them since I've been here, they've been really close games.”

The first match against Red Bulls was away during Charlotte’s May exile from Bank of America Stadium. The score was 4-2, but Smith feels it was closer than the scoreline would imply.

“The game this season at their place was really a tight game,” he said. “And unfortunately, we gave two penalties away, we gave them some cheap goals. It was that period where our individual defending wasn't great, but we're in a much better place now, so I expect a different performance for sure.

… “I would honestly expect Red Bull to be fearing coming to Charlotte. I think they'll pay us respect, but they'll know it's going to be a really tough game coming to the Bank.”

NYRB’s road record would back that up with only one win this season, going 1-8-4 on the road. Charlotte has the best home record in the league at 10-2-1.

The chase

With seven games remaining, including four at home, Charlotte will need to maximize points in their chase of a top-four finish and home playoff advantage. It’s not entirely under their control as the MLS East is congested with eight points separating second and eighth.

At seventh, Charlotte (14-11-2) is level with eighth-place NYCFC (13-8-5) on 44 points but has one more win. New York (13-8-5) beat second-place Cincinnati 1-0 on the road Saturday night. With a win on Sunday, the Crown can jump to fourth, level with Orlando, who were pounded 5-1 by Nashville on Saturday. The Crown would lead based on wins.

A wild card is Miami (13-5-7, 46 points), which drew at DC United on Saturday. They have two games in hand, which were rescheduled due to their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup. The bottom line is that Charlotte, even if they win most of their remaining matches, could finish anywhere from third to eighth, depending on how other teams fare. 

The Charlotte starters may echo last week’s lineup with Idan Toklomati (seven goals, three assists) as the tip of the spear with Wilfried Zaha (seven goals, nine assists), Brandt Bronico (goal, three assists), and Kerwin Vargas (four goals, assist) in support. Djibril Diani and Ashley Westwood would run in front of the defensive line, which was Nathan Byrne, Tim Ream, Adilson Malanda, and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty. Kristijan Kahlina will start in goal. 

Pep Biel, who still leads the team in both goals (10) and assists (12), is still recovering from injury and may be back for the Miami match on Sept. 13. Also out are Bill Tuiloma and Tyger Smalls, who have resumed individual training.

Smith said that new signing Archie Goodwin, the 20-year-old Australian striker, has gotten his visa and work permit taken care of and will be on the bench with the possibility of making his MLS debut. 

Harry Toffolo, the former Nottingham Forest defender, will be available after making his debut for the Crown last week. 

Crown Legacy swamp Inter Miami II

Coming off three straight losses, Crown Legacy FC bounced back in big form, putting six in the net while keeping a clean sheet in a demolition of Inter Miami CF II at the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex on Friday. 

Nimfasha Berchimas, 17, recorded the first hat trick in CLFC history, scoring all three of his goals in the second half, the first immediately after subbing in at the 57th minute. He scored again 20 minutes later and closed with a 90th minute goal.

Dylan Sing added a brace and an assist. Sing now has six goals, equaling Emmanuel Uchegbu for the team lead. Mikah Thomas scored his first goal as a professional after assisting on Sing’s opener. Sing returned the favor on Thomas’ strike.

Crown Legacy (6-9-8, 29 points) is 10th in the Eastern Division of MLS Next Pro, two spots below the playoff cut line. They return to play on Aug. 31 at Orlando City B. 

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