Bronico breaking out for Charlotte FC
Plus: Urso amped to play former team; MLS mulling big changes to calendar; advancing Charlotte FC's Round One Best-of-Three opener vs. Orlando on Sunday night
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Bronico is morphing into more than a workhorse; his four assists in five games are a key part of Charlotte’s offensive momentum heading into the playoffs
Brandt Bronico knows how to get under opponents’ skin. (Photo by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project.)
After Charlotte FC lost to Orlando City on Sept. 18, Coach Dean Smith shared with the media a little of the “hard truths” he delivered to the team afterward.
“The name of the game in the final third is to go and create space for somebody to run into it,” Smith said. “Sometimes we create the space and nobody makes a run into it. We’ve got too many players who come towards the ball, but rather than go away from the ball.”
Wait, did someone say run?
Isn’t that like a dog whistle for Brandt Bronico? This is the Charlotte FC’s workhorse, who can drive opponents and teammates alike to the point of exasperation by his sheer will to move. The one who has run his way into the hearts of three Charlotte FC coaches now, from Miguel Angel Ramirez to Christian Lattanzio to Smith, who calls Bronico “the best runner I’ve worked with,” including all his years in the English Premier League.
When asked if his eyes lit up after the Orlando game when Smith started imploring players to make more runs, Bronico nodded and smiled. “Yeah,” he said. “I get excited, I’m like ‘Let’s go! I love to do that.’”
Bronico has always been counted on to cover ground, defend, and do the dirty work. Lately, though, he’s been more than just a motor. He’s become a catalyst on the offensive attack, too. Bronico has four assists in the past five games to help Charlotte outscore opponents 14-4 during a five-game undefeated (4-0-1) following that Orlando loss. The same team that slumped home from Orlando in mid-September returns there Sunday for the start of a Best-of-Three Round One series with a wealth of momentum:
Game 1: Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at Orlando’s Inter&Co Stadium
Game 2: Friday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium
Game 3: Saturday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. at Orlando’s Inter&Co Stadium (if necessary)
In the lone tie during the past five games, 1-1 against Miami, Bronico helped get striker Karol Swiderski on track with a blistering shot that Swiderski deflected in for a goal. Against Montreal, Bronico needed just one touch to loft the perfect ball up field for Patrick Agyemang, who converted it into a late goal. And against DC United on “Decision Day,” Bronico just collected his first MLS Team of the Matchday honor, as one of the top performers in the league on the day, for his two assists in a 3-0 win.
Both of the assists against Montreal came after Bronico made a good run into space. First it was midfielder Pep Biel who found him on a diagonal pass and was then rewarded when Bronico crossed the ball behind Agyemang back to the trailing Biel for the score. Later, a Tim Ream interception became instant buildup to a goal after Bronico took off up the left side. He received a pass from Ream and curled it across the box to a striding Agyemang for the goal.
“Making those runs into space is probably one of the best parts of my game,” Bronico said. “And now, just adding that final product where we’re executing on my crosses, and then the finishing on the other side of that, has helped a lot as well.”
Broncio drawing a crowd from his former club, the Chicago Fire. (Photo by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project.)
Urso eager to face former Orlando team again
Veteran midfield Junior Urso came off the bench Sept. 18 in Orlando to provide a rare spark for a Charlotte team that was otherwise flat. The assumption here was that he must have been fired up to face his former team. Urso spent nearly four years with Orlando, the only other team he’s played for in his MLS career.
In actuality, Urso said this week, he was buoyed more by positive reinforcement than any personal vendetta.
“The fans started to call my name and say ‘Put Urso on the field,’” said Urso, who missed six weeks of action after an Achilles injury. “I started to feel like I can show who I am again. … It was great for me because my confidence was really down after the injury, and now I can play again at really 100%.”
When the teams were warming up, Urso said, stadium officials put his image on the video board with the words, “The Legend is back.”
Urso, known as “The Bear,” reached 100 games across all competitions for Orlando. He and Orlando mutually agreed to terminate his contract after the 2022 season. He wanted to sign with a team in his native Brazil so he could be near his mother who was going through a health crisis. He resigned with Orlando later in the 2023 season, and his option was not picked up for 2024.
Junior Urso, 30, has started all five games of Charlotte’s current undefeated streak. (Photo by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project.)
“I think it’s good timing to not show just to Orlando who I am, but to the Charlotte fans,” Urso said. “It’s really important right now for us [in the] playoffs, for our new history.”
Urso, 35, has been in Charlotte’s starting lineup ever since the game in Orlando. He, like Bronico, has helped provide an offensive lift when Charlotte tries to overload an opponent’s box with more midfielders in the mix. He scored his first goal on a header against Chicago.
As Charlotte awaited to find out its playoff opponent, many among Charlotte’s fanbase dreaded the thought of facing Orlando, which has been one of the hottest teams in MLS coming down the stretch. But Urso has been asking for it.
“I know the team; I know also the field,” Urso said. “They are a good team, but they give you space to play.”
Notable: Statistical superlatives
Now that the regular season is over, we’ve got a wrap on 2024 statistics, and there are some good ones for Charlotte FC:
Goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina led MLS in a statistic called “post shot expected goals minus goals against” at 10.5, according to FBref.com. Translation: a statistical measure of the number of goals he “should have” given up but didn’t. Kahlina is one of three finalists for MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, along with Hugo Lloris of LAFC and Patrick Schulte of Columbus Crew.
Ashley Westwood led MLS in distance covered for the season, having traversed 383.08 kilometers over 32 games. And that’s while missing a game for yellow card accumulation. That’s 237 miles, basically the distance from Charlotte to Atlanta. Not bad for a 34-year-old.
MLS considering schedule change
The Athletic reported this week that MLS higher-ups are considering changing the MLS season from a February-October proposition, with playoffs in the late fall/early winter, to a season broken up into two parts, fall and spring, and the playoffs coming in April and May. Such a change could come as early as 2026 following the World Cup.
The advantages to changing the schedule would be:
to align more with global soccer schedules, which would help in the acquisition of international players; and
not having to compete with college football, NFL and Major League Baseball postseason during the MLS playoffs
Teams that play in colder weather cities might push back against the idea of playing the bulk of their regular seasons during the winter months. And MLS would have to compete against a busier sports schedule for the full length of its regular season schedule. In the summer, it’s largely just Major League Baseball and NASCAR.
The timing of a new schedule might prove challenging for teams like Charlotte and Atlanta that share stadiums with their NFL counterparts. Though for Charlotte FC, judging by comments from general manager Zoran Krneta, the tradeoff would be well worth it to improve the quality of the roster.
Krneta, who was quoted in The Athletic article, has been outspoken about the disadvantage MLS teams face when their transfer windows don’t line up with those in Europe. Teams here lose out on players who want to take their chances signing overseas and want to wait until European windows close.
Even if the current MLS transfer window is extended to line up with the close of the European summer window in September, players acquired by MLS would be available only for a few games on the current schedule.
With the schedule as is, MLS clubs trying to sell players in the summer transfer window are left with little time to replace them.
“This is where we need to go to be super competitive,” Krneta is quoted as saying.
Official Charlotte FC watch party; Upper Bowl tickets on sale
Fans will have to wait another week to support Charlotte FC in its first-ever home playoff game Friday, Nov. 1, at Bank of America Stadium. For the first playoff game — an away game at Orlando on Sunday (Oct. 27) — those who want the camaraderie and not the couch can join other fans at the team’s official watch party. It will be at Brewers at 4001 Yancey. Admission is free but tickets must be secured in advance. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Playoff tickets for the Nov. 1 game at Bank of America Stadium are on sale. The club announced Thursday it is opening sections of the Upper Bowl for Charlotte FC’s first-ever home playoff game. Tickets are available for as little as $20 on the North side of the stadium (opposite the benches.) More sections will be opened, as needed.
Up Next: No. 5 Charlotte FC (14-11-9) vs No. 4 Orlando (15-12-7)
When/Where: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, Fla.
How to watch: FREE on Apple TV and FS1. (Information about how to subscribe for MLS Season Pass here.)
How to listen: WFNZ 92.7 in English, WOLS 106.1 in Spanish.
Notable:
Orlando is one of the hottest teams in MLS, going 10-3-1 since July 1. Unlike Charlotte, though, the Lions did lose on “Decision Day,” 2-1 to Atlanta United.
Designated player Facundo Torres, who tied Orlando’s single-season goal record with 18, has scored a goal in each of his two games against Charlotte this season.
Charlotte is on a roll recently too, going 4-0-1 in its past five games.
Charlotte FC doesn’t feel it’s given Orlando its best effort this year, after tying 2-2 at home on June 19 when a Scott Arfield red card meant Charlotte played the second half down a man. Then Charlotte lost 2-0 in Orlando in a game neither Karol Swiderski or Liel Abada started. Both were benched after recent struggles.
Reserve goalkeeper George Marks has been recalled from his loan to the Las Vegas Lights to give Charlotte FC more depth. Kahlina’s backup, David Bingham, has been nursing a back injury and wasn’t available for D.C. United.
If the game is tied after regulation, it will go directly to penalty kicks.
Carroll Walton is a longtime baseball writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution now in her third season covering Charlotte FC. She would love to hear from you. E-mail her with questions, suggestions, story ideas and comments!
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