Charlotte FC season ends with something to build on
Season wrap-up: Gut-wrenching playoff exit leaves Charlotte FC wanting more; plus Kahlina relieved after award-winning season, 3 burning offseason questions, new Crown Legacy coach and more
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Critical mistakes in the final minutes of Games 1 and 3 cost Charlotte FC the chance to advance deep in MLS playoffs
Charlotte FC fans were left wanting more by the end of the best-of-three Round One series loss against Orlando. (Photo from Game 2 by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project.)
Remember how the 2023 season went for Charlotte FC? Death by a thousand dropped points? Charlotte led MLS with 25 dropped points after blowing leads. Six times they allowed goals in the 80th minute or later. Didn’t it feel like more?
Then came Dean Smith, the white knight of defensive structure, who restored order in his first year as head coach — heck, his first game. Even with largely the same players, he turned Charlotte into the stingiest defense in the Eastern Conference (37 goals against), with the proud label of “hard to play against.”
But Saturday night’s ending brought back memories, and a new level of excruciating in a shootout loss in Orlando. Charlotte FC had taken a 1-0 lead in the do-or-die Game 3 on a goal by Karol Swiderski in the 81st minute. With just a minute or two left in stoppage time, midfielder Djibril Diani got caught grabbing Duncan McGuire’s jersey, allowing Orlando to tie the game on a penalty kick by Facundo Torres.
Torres, who replaced the injured McGuire, needed a rebound off Kristijan Kahlina to score — wait, is this, hockey?! Having reclaimed momentum, Orlando rolled in the shootout, 4-1. Pep Biel’s shot was saved, followed by Swiderski’s and that was pretty much it. Charlotte FC just missed a chance to host rival Atlanta United at Bank of America Stadium in an Eastern Conference semifinal game. Just imagine the electricity.
While Charlotte was coping with the loss — “We’re broken,” captain Ashley Westwood said — Atlanta was knocking off Lionel Messi and Miami. Miami joined Columbus and Cincinnati as the top seeds to get knocked out in Round One. Charlotte, at No. 5, would have been the highest seed still standing.
“We believed as a group that we had a team that could go on and win it,” Westwood said afterward. “We were desperate to play Miami or Atlanta.”
Ashley Westwood consoling Pep Biel (left) and Karol Swiderski at the end of Game 3 in Orlando. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
That feeling, as painful as it is, should serve Charlotte FC well heading into next season. That kind of motivation would be more useful, perhaps, than blaming what many on the Charlotte FC side considered questionable officiating.
While Apple broadcaster Tony Husband pointed out that the shirt grab by Diani was a clear penalty, both Smith and Westwood took exception to it afterward, along with an offside call that negated a Patrick Agyemang goal in the first half. Westwood said he received text messages immediately after the game from friends in the English Premier League questioning the calls. Smith thought Duncan McGuire embellished on the play. He dislocated his shoulder on the tumble he took.
“Yeah, [Diani] had a shirt grab,” Smith said. “Was it enough to make the lad go down? No. It took five minutes to make that decision. … Obviously, the VAR didn’t think it was enough to make the lad fall to the ground. That's why he asked the referee to go over and look at the screen.”
Images circulated online afterward indicating Agyemang was not offside on his goal. Smith has been calling all season for MLS to employ virtual lines to be used in replay, as they are in the English Premier League. [Orlando would argue that Andrew Privett had a handball in the box earlier in the game, and a penalty was not given.]
Ultimately, though, it’s easier to change what you can control than wait on an entire system to change. Mistakes in the dying moments of Games 1 and 3 cost Charlotte big: Diani’s foul in Game 3 and a Biel red card in Game 1. If you err on the side of caution, you leave no room for interpretation by the officials. A seasoned playoff team plays smart and to the whistle, and that’s what Orlando did.
The good news for Charlotte is now the team has three games’ worth of valuable playoff experience, to go and do the same.
“Our minimum is Top 4 next year,” said Westwood in hopes Charlotte can secure home field advantage next time around.
Kahlina relieved after becoming first Charlotte FC player to win year-end MLS award
Kahlina celebrates a shootout victory in Game 2 against Orlando. (Photo by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project.)
Kristijan Kahlina has a reputation for being disciplined. He gives Brandt Bronico a run for his money on time spent in the weight room. He is known to be strict, if not unorthodox, about his diet.
“If you looked at Kahlina’s plate on a daily basis, you’d just be like, ‘What's going on?’” said fellow goalkeeper George Marks. “It’s just a random conglomeration of foods. Random blobs of cottage cheese, a Mediterranean salad somewhere in there, probably not a ton of carbs.”
Kahlina says he opens up his iPad on the flights home after games to watch highlights of every goal scored in MLS that day, as well as video from the next opponent’s goal-scorers. It wasn’t just good team defense and quick reactions from Kahlina that shut out MLS Golden Boot winner Christian Benteke of DC United in two games against Charlotte FC this season.
After Tuesday’s announcement that Kahlina had won MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, he was asked what he was most looking forward to taking a break from this offseason. His answer? The mental load.
“I can say now when it’s the end, when we lost, unfortunately, this last game, I felt in my body all my energy went out,” the Croatian said.
Game 3 was the first time Kahlina had lost a shootout with Charlotte FC. [He won two in the 2023 Leagues Cup, against FC Dallas and Cruz Azul, and Game 2 at Bank of America against Orlando.] But he allowed Orlando just two goals in open play in three games.
Kahlina finished the regular season first in MLS in save percentage (75.63 %), tied for the lead in shutouts (12) and minutes played (3,060). He was third in goals against average (1.09) and tied for third in saves (121).
Most meaningful to Kahlina was a statistic measuring how many fewer goals he gave up than were expected against him. His -10.47 G-xG, Per American Soccer Analysis, was first in MLS and among the top two in MLS in the past 13 years, behind only Serbian Djordje Petrovic’s -10.75 in 2022.
Kahlina’s admission of relief is a reminder of what it’s like to be a goalkeeper, even at the highest levels of MLS.
“Big pressure was all time on me,” Kahlina said. “When you're one of the best, all eyes are on you, and you need to keep performance. Everybody is waiting for some mistake. This was a target, to finish the season as [high] as we can [as a team] but to finish the season without any mistakes and to keep my performances really high.”
Kahlina credited Smith’s new system, Charlotte’s team defense, and goalkeeper coach Aron Hyde, who is in his first season with Charlotte FC, for what he called the “best season of my life.” For an inside look at how Kahlina found out he’d won the award in a team meeting, check out video footage from Charlotte FC’s content team.
3 burning questions for the offseason
The front office is doing its internal evaluations as it prepares for roster rebuilding season. It has until Nov. 27 to announce its decision on which options it will pick up. (Junior Urso and Jaylin Lindsey might be among those they don’t.) Thanks to the work of the front office throughout the season, signing Kahlina, Westwood, Malanda, Nathan Byrne, and Andrew Privett, the backbone of the roster is in place. The biggest decisions will come down to premium positions and what to do with two of their designated players.
Winger/attacking midfielder Pep Biel. The Spaniard is on loan through Dec. 31. It would be an easy time to cut ties if Charlotte chooses to go that route. On the other hand, Biel was one of the key playmakers for Charlotte FC coming down the stretch, with two goals and three assists during a five-game unbeaten streak. Is he the connecting player Charlotte has been in search of, or do they want more?
Striker Karol Swiderski. The “Polish pistol” did all the right things this season. He returned from his loan in Italy, fit dutifully into Smith’s system, and produced in some big moments. Are there any lingering thoughts of Europe on his mind, though, especially given that he’s been sharing time at striker with Patrick Agyemang? Or is he here to stay a while?
Center back Adilson Malanda. Questions over whether the young French talent would go to Europe were put to rest when Charlotte FC signed him to a long-term deal during the season. But coming off a stellar season with a defense that attracted a lot of attention, could an offer come for Malanda that Charlotte FC won’t want to refuse? With both Privett and Tim Ream returning at center back, and Jere Uronen still under contract at left back, Charlotte might be tempted.
Off-season time: chance to put family first
The Bronicos, Brandt and Rebecca, are expecting their first child in February. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC and the Bronicos’ Instagram feeds.)
Off the field, it’s going to be a big offseason too for Charlotte FC. Liel Abada is getting married on Wednesday to his fiancée, Bar Rashti.
Brandt Bronico and his wife Rebecca are expecting their first child Feb. 10. In true Bronico fashion, he’s been attending every doctor’s appointment his schedule allows. He said he and Rebecca have continued to work out together as a couple. If the little Bronico comes out running, it will not be a surprise.
Westwood and his wife, Becca, are going home to England this winter but only for a visit. Charlotte is now their home, and it’s official, because they recently sold their home in London.
And finally, congratulations to head athletic trainer Tyler Knight and his wife, Hope, on the birth of their daughter, Jovie James, on Wednesday.
Irishman hired to coach Crown Legacy
Crown Legacy FC has hired Gary Dicker to be its new head coach. The 38-year-old Irishman has spent the past three seasons coaching in the Academy for English Premier League’s Brighton, both with U21 and U18 teams.
Dicker’s playing career spanned 15 seasons with Irish, English and Scottish clubs. His most notable season came with Brighton in 2010-11, when the midfielder helped Brighton earn a promotion to the English Championship, England’s second tier.
Dicker’s hiring fills the vacancy left by Jose Tavares, who led Crown Legacy to a league-best 19 wins in its inaugural season in 2023. Tavares took a job in his native Portugal in June to be closer to family. His assistant Kevin Sawchuk, who’s been serving as the interim head coach of Charlotte’s MLS Next Pro team, will return as Dicker’s top assistant.
“Gary is a young manager who fits perfectly into what we are building at Crown Legacy FC,” Technical Director Tommy Wilson said in a statement. “Hiring Gary from a top English Premier League club is a testament to the strength of our organization, and a statement of intent which shows we are focused on player development.”
Best of ‘Fútbol Friday’ in 2024
Charlotte FC coach Dean Smith — seen here with Burnley manager Sean Dyche before a Premier League game when Smith coached Aston Villa in a previous job — is known for cultivating relationships with fellow coaches. (Photo by PA Images/Alamy)
Charlotte FC finished with a franchise best 51 points this season, fifth in the Eastern Conference and advanced as far as it ever has in the playoffs. Bronico and Kahlina reached the 100-game threshold. And Fútbol Friday came out 40 times this season, not including an additional news story about the altercation between two female fans.
Whether it was learning what “squeaky bum time” meant, introducing fans to Liel Abada, who sought asylum in Charlotte from a sticky political situation in Scotland, or writing about rising ticket prices, there’s rarely a dull moment around this team and its passionate fanbase. Here are some of my favorite storylines of the season:
After Anton Walkes’ tragic death in the preseason of 2023, it was a relief to focus on soccer this time around. The team-building competition Smith put together in his first preseason as Charlotte’s coach spoke volumes about his down-to-earth nature and the cohesiveness that would serve Charlotte well over the course of the season.
The return of Karol Swiderski was the big story of the summer as Charlotte’s first-ever DP returned from loan in Hellas Verona, Italy, eager to prove himself to the fanbase again. Adding U.S. Men’s National team player Tim Ream to the roster was a coup for a third-year club looking to make a splash.
Off the field, where Futbol Friday isn’t afraid to venture, came the origin story of the new knight mascot, a dive into soccer analytics and insight into the gentleman’s tradition Smith brought from England where he hosts fellow coaches for a drink after games.
Up Next
Fútbol Friday will be taking an off-season hiatus, barring significant news with the club over the winter.
We are proud to have covered Charlotte FC extensively since its inception in 2022, and we are grateful for readers who have followed along.
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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