After rocky road results, Charlotte FC kicks off at home 

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Charlotte FC forward Idan Toklomati and his Crown mates will aim to kickstart their season on March 7 in their home opener against Austin FC. Charlotte has a draw and a loss on the road to open the MLS season.

Charlotte FC could use a game on friendly turf.

After opening the MLS season with a point after a pair of road games, the Crown makes its home debut March 7 against Austin FC with a simple goal: give their crowd something to cheer for. The last time Charlotte played at Bank of America Stadium, they were eliminated by New York City in Game 3 of the first round of playoffs. 

“It’d be nice to see him,” midfielder Ashley Westwood said after Charlotte’s 3-0 loss to Los Angeles Galaxy on Feb. 28. “It feels like it'’ been a long time. We look forward to playing there. We know when the fans turn up, we usually turn up, so we need them. We’re coming off the back of a real poor result, and we need that. We need the place bouncing, and hopefully we can kickstart our season.”

Charlotte (0-1-1, 1 point) didn’t get much done last week. Three mistakes – mental and physical – in the first 13 minutes put the Crown in a three-goal hole they couldn’t dig out of. Although neither side scored after Galaxy’s early barrage, there was little comfort the Crown could take from a disastrous start.  

“We turned the ball over three times, and they scored three goals,” Charlotte coach Dean Smith said, “and game was done pretty much. You can’t give teams a three-goal head start in 13 minutes. And that's what we did … and we caused our own problems.”

Said Westwood: “It’s our mistakes that cost us. It’s as simple as that. We beat ourselves. It wasn’t to do with them beating us. We beat ourselves. We give the ball away, and it cost us. If you’re going to do that away from home in the first 15 minutes, then you don’t expect to win the game.”

Errors – namely on the defensive end – have been an issue for Charlotte. Smith wants a more compact formation that forces the attack to work the edges instead of head on. The Crown’s backline has been under siege in both matches, leaving goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina under siege. Kahlina has an MLS-best 19 saves, including nine against the Galaxy. 

“Mistakes happen,” Westwood said. “That’s what soccer is – it’s the team that makes the least mistakes. We’ve made three, we’ve been punished, so it’s as simple as that. It’s concentration. Is it stuff we’re doing in training, and we’re not preparing right in training? 

“We have to take ownership just because the simple things are costing us. It's not about the other team that have beaten us. We’ve beat ourselves, so it’s as simple as that. … You have to train as if your life depends on it, and that’s the only thing that can turn it around.”

Comments