A must-win game tonight for Charlotte FC
A must-win game tonight for Charlotte FC
Special Wednesday edition of Futbol Friday breaks down playoff scenarios; plus Kahlina update, roster restrictions and decisions for makeup game against Columbus and more
Even though it’s Wednesday, it’s time for Fútbol Friday — because playoffs are on the line. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger’s newsletter getting you up to speed on Charlotte FC, the city’s new pro soccer team.
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Charlotte needs two wins and help from other teams to make playoffs; Time to root against Cincinnati, Orlando, Miami
Daniel Rios put Charlotte FC on his back by scoring four goals in a 4-0 win Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
With two games left in its season, Charlotte FC is among five teams competing for the final three playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. (The top seven teams in the Eastern Conference make the playoffs.) That still leaves enough mathematical scenarios to make you wonder why you didn’t pay better attention in probability class in high school.
But this much is clear, Charlotte has to win its final two games to get to 47 points on the season and have a fighting chance. (Charlotte is ninth in the Eastern Conference with 41 points and has eight teams ahead with 45 or more points. Each victory brings three points and draw one point.)
That means, for starters, Charlotte FC has to beat the Columbus Crew tonight at 7 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium to keep its playoff hopes alive.
Beyond that, Charlotte either needs to beat the New York Red Bulls Sunday or in one scenario, tie them. We credit Sam Spencer of the “Soccer Sheet” for simplifying the math: “Charlotte needs to win last two games and have two of the four other teams left fail to win in their final matches,” he wrote.
Here is our breakdown of what is left for the other four playoff contenders:
◼️ Cincinnati: One more match, Sunday against D.C. United. If Cincinnati loses or draws it would finish with 47 points. If Charlotte wins its last two games, it would have 47 points and beat Cincinnati in a tiebreaker by virtue of having more wins. (Charlotte would have 15 wins to Cincinnati’s 11.)
◼️ Orlando: Two more matches, today against Miami and Sunday against Columbus. If Orlando loses or draws its last two matches, the most points it could have is 47. Charlotte would have 47 points and take the tiebreaker by having 15 wins to Orlando’s 13.
◼️ Miami: Two more matches, today against Orlando and Sunday against Montreal. If Miami goes winless in those two, the most points it could have is 47, and Charlotte would have 47 points and take the tiebreaker with 15 wins to Miami’s 13.
◼️ Columbus: Two more matches, today against Charlotte and Sunday against Orlando. If Columbus loses to Charlotte and either draws or loses against Orlando, it would finish with at most 46 points, compared with Charlotte’s 47.
Root for a tie? Tonight’s Orlando-Miami game starts at 8 p.m. It could be helpful for Charlotte FC’s chances if they tie.
One last scenario: There is also a scenario in which Charlotte could beat Columbus and only need a draw against the New York Red Bulls to make the playoffs. If both Columbus and Miami lose their final two games, they would both remain at 45 points apiece and Charlotte could finish with 45 (with a win over Columbus and a tie against New York). Charlotte would claim the tiebreaker over both of them by virtue of having more wins than both.
The scenarios will become clearer after today. But it all starts with a win tonight at 7 p.m.
Head-scratching rules for make-up game vs. Columbus
Tonight’s game with Columbus is the resumption of a game postponed by rain on July 30, and it brings a unique set of challenges. Both teams are only allowed to use players that were on the roster that day, with the lone exception being substitutions are allowed for injured goalkeepers. Charlotte FC might be using that exception with Kristijan Kahlina questionable with a finger injury but also has two other players who are questionable with injuries (Ben Bender and Jaylin Lindsey).
Also, as an expansion club, Charlotte FC has made more changes to its roster than Columbus has, and now will have to play without international newcomers Nathan Byrne, Adilson Malanda and Nuno Santos — all of whom are big contributors now — because they weren’t with the team in July.
“I think it's bizarre to force the teams to play like they did, because it's a false sense of fairness,” Charlotte FC coach Christian Lattanzio said Tuesday. “Does it mean we have to bring the same spectators and also the referees? They have one different linesman (for Wednesday), which is normal. I don’t understand this idea of recreating the scenario before. Anyway, we have to respect that and we do, but it doesn’t mean we have to agree with it.”
Major League Soccer has tried to recreate the competitive conditions of the July 30 matchup between Charlotte and Columbus, with everything from starting with a drop-ball and 15:57 on the clock to mandating teams begin with the same lineups and use the same substitutes. That leaves Lattanzio with some difficult decisions. Here we outline five of them:
Striker Daniel Rios just scored four goals Saturday — in what’s dubbed a “haul,” we’ve learned — against Philadelphia. He was on the bench July 30 against Columbus. So if Lattanzio wants to start Rios tonight, it’ll cost him a substitution — a coach can make only five in a game — and the player Rios replaces in the starting 11 will be ineligible to play the rest of the game.
Kahlina injured his finger warming up for the Philadelphia game and did not play in goal. After seeing a hand specialist, he has made some improvements and was able to participate in practice on Tuesday, Lattanzio said. But he was still considered questionable. If he is unable to go tonight, George Marks is in line to make the start by virtue of being the other goalkeeper on the roster July 30. The issue, though, is that former third-string goalie Pablo Sisniega has since moved ahead of Marks on the depth chart. Sisniega was the one who started Saturday — and got a clean sheet (shutout) against Philadelphia — when Kahlina went down. The goalkeeper exception for this game allows Lattanzio to put Sisniega on the roster if Kahlina is hurt, but if Lattanzio wants to start Sisniega, it would count against the five substitutions he’s allowed for the game, and Marks would be ineligible to play the remainder of the game.
Center back Guzman Corujo, who started for Charlotte FC July 30, is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery. Lattanzio can replace him with a substitute from July 30 roster — Jan Sobocinski was the lone center back on the bench — without it counting against one of the five substitutions. But he’ll be left with just one fullback on the bench in Jaylin Lindsey, who is questionable for tonight’s game with a right thigh and lower left leg injury. Fullback Christian Makoun was a substitute for Charlotte on the roster July 30 but has since been traded to New England. His absence means Charlotte will be short one more player on the bench.
Midfielder Ben Bender was a starter for Charlotte on July 30, but he was inactive for the Philadelphia game Saturday with a right thigh injury and is listed as questionable for tonight. If he isn’t able to play, Lattanzio can replace him in the lineup without it counting against his five substitutions, but he is short another player on the bench.
Karol Swiderski has been playing the attacking midfield position with much success in recent games but would be back at center forward tonight, if Lattanzio sticks with the original July 30 lineup. It’s not the end of the world, obviously, but would change the flow of how Charlotte FC has been “building up” on offense lately. Winger Kamil Jozwiak, who has two assists Saturday against Philadelphia, would start on the bench, and one of the key contributors lately on the other wing, Kerwin Vargas, who has started seven straight games, is ineligible because he was not on the roster July 30. Christian Fuchs is also ineligible, serving out a previous red card suspension, as are the three international newcomers in Byrne, Malanda and Santos. As it is, Charlotte will have just seven players on the bench.
From the way he sounded Tuesday, Lattanzio is not in a hurry to “burn” players by making immediate changes to the starting 11.
“I still believe in Yordy Reyna,” he said. “I still believe in Quinn (McNeil). I still believe in Ben Bender, in Joseph Mora who is a very good professional, as we all know. So it’s an opportunity for them to show the work they do on a weekly basis. They are ready to play in this important game for us.”
Savor Rios’ second goal in slo-mo
There are still a few more hours to bask in Charlotte FC’s 4-0 win over Eastern Conference-leader Philadelphia, and our own Kevin Young, of The 5 and 2 Project, does a great job of making it last! Here’s his slow motion video version of winger Kamil Jozwiak setting up Daniel Rios for the second of Rios’ record-setting four goals.
Up Next: Charlotte FC (13-17-2) vs. Columbus Crew (10-7-15)
When/Where: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
How to watch: WAXN (Channel 64), Telemundo, or live stream at www.charlottefootballclub/live or on the Charlotte FC app. Local restrictions apply.
Notable:
It’s win or go home for Charlotte FC, who can’t lose or draw, if it wants to stay alive in the playoff hunt.
This is the resumption of a scoreless game against Columbus that was postponed due to the threat of lightning nearly 16 minutes in on July 30.
Charlotte brings the momentum of not only three wins in a row, but three statement games — with a 1-0 win vs. New York FC down to 10 men, a two-goal comeback in a 3-2 win in Chicago and a 4-0 thrashing over Eastern Conference leader Philadelphia.
Columbus is coming off an impressive come-from-behind win of its own after Derrick Etienne scored in the 89th and 93rd minutes to complete a 2-1 win over the New York Red Bulls.
Carroll Walton is a longtime baseball writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution now cutting her teeth on soccer and the Charlotte FC just as fans in Charlotte do. She would love to hear from you. E-mail her with questions, suggestions, story ideas and comments!
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Wow! Lots to think about!