Charlotte FC surviving tough road stretch
Charlotte FC surviving tough road stretch
The toll of playing four games in 11 days with a depleted roster; Corujo's return from knee surgery; Swiderski's Polish call-up; All-Star voting; Previewing Columbus
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With players sidelined by injuries and legal troubles, Charlotte FC is riding out a grueling road trip
Purple-clad Charlotte FC building togetherness on four-city swing. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
When Charlotte FC set out on this gauntlet of four road games in a span of 11 days, the club sat ninth in the Eastern Conference table with 18 points. As the team heads to Columbus Saturday night to wrap it up against the Crew, Charlotte sits seventh with 21 points.
A win in Columbus would go a long way toward making this a fruitful trip. But the fact that Charlotte is in a better spot than when it left town is nice consolation for a club with a roster depleted by injuries and the legal purgatory of Andre Shinyashiki and Nuno Santos.
Both players were linked to a sexual assault case stemming from an incident uptown in the wee hours after the Feb. 25 season opener. The case is still open but inactive, meaning evidence is still processing but there’s no active investigating. No charges have been filed.
Neither Shinyashiki nor Santos has played for Charlotte FC since April 8. The team is still working through its options for parting ways with the duo, who are making more than $1 million in base salary combined. The summer transfer window opens July 5, and then Charlotte FC will begin to get a feel for who might be interested in a transfer or loan, either domestically or abroad.
On top of playing short two attacking players, Charlotte started this swing with injuries to four offensive players in winger Kamil Jozwiak (thigh), striker Enzo Copetti (hamstring), winger McKinze Gaines (knee) and midfielder Ben Bender (ankle). That left rookies and recent call-ups from MLS Next Pro, Brandon Cambridge and Patrick Agyemang, as the top attacking players off the bench — both talented but with minimal MLS experience.
Using largely the same players in every game, Charlotte lost twice — getting knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup with an 1-0 upset loss to the USL’s Birmingham Legion May 24 and then Wednesday night 1-0 to defending Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia. But the fact that both were winnable games and that they got three points in between them with a 1-0 win over L.A. Galaxy, a struggling but talented team, has given them something to build on.
“The schedule has been very unkind to us … (but) we embraced the challenge,” midfielder Ashley Westwood said. “We knew what was ahead of us. We said this at the start of the season, ‘This week is going to be really tough, but if we can pick up a few points …’”
Coach Christian Lattanzio came under scrutiny for resting Westwood and veteran winger Justin Meram at the start of the Birmingham game. He faced it again Wednesday in Philadelphia after pulling wingers Meram and Kerwin Vargas early in the second half.
At the 60th minute, Charlotte FC went into a defensive five-back formation when he inserted center back Guzman Corujo for the winger Meram. Charlotte gave up the game’s only goal 10 minutes later. Lattanzio explained afterward his reasoning for the move was in part because a) he had a lot more veteran options to choose from on defense and b) he wanted to take some of the pressure off Corujo, who was making his long-awaited return from knee surgery.
“Ideally, I’d have Kamil, Enzo and McKinze to give a little breathing space to the players that are playing all the time,” Lattanzio said. “But we didn’t, so we have to do something different.”
Lattanzio said the move also protected Meram, who has averaged 66 minutes per game in nine games (seven starts) with Charlotte after playing just 23 minutes per game in his first eight games with Real Salt Lake. And Vargas just returned from an ankle injury at the start of this road swing.
Lattanzio didn’t want to come out and say he was playing for a tie in Philadelphia, but a 0-0 tie — and one point — was very much within reach. And while Charlotte came away empty in a 1-0 loss, Meram and Vargas will be better rested for Columbus. And Westwood said it’s a team moving in the right direction.
“We’re starting to build something,” Westwood said. “There’s a real togetherness in there now.”
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Corujo clears hurdle of first MLS action since knee surgery
Corujo in action vs. Philadelphia Wednesday night. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
Speaking of long roads, veteran center back Guzman Corujo made his triumphant return Wednesday night in Philadelphia after almost 10 months out following surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Corujo played the final 30 minutes against the Union, tested his knee with a nice slide tackle as time expired and walked away healthy.
Lattanzio conceded afterward that there was no easy way to work Corujo back into the flow. Getting 60 minutes for Crown Legacy FC, their Next Pro team, was nice for testing Corujo’s legs. But to get back into MLS form, Lattanzio wanted him to face intensity of the highest level. He got that in spades Wednesday night against one of the best teams in Major League Soccer, which is partly why Lattanzio chose to go to with five fullbacks as he inserted Corujo in the game.
“It was baptism by fire with him after nine months to play here against one of the most direct teams in the league,” Lattanzio said after the game. “So I wanted to protect him having (fellow center backs) Adil (Malanda) and Bill (Tuiloma). This is at least a positive note that we have got him back, and we know he’s going to be a little bit sharper as the weeks go on.”
Corujo is not 100% back to his previous level — which was an MVP-caliber defender for Charlotte FC — and Lattanzio said nobody expects him to be.
“You have to give time to him to get back into form,” Lattanzio said. “And there is no substitute for playing hard games.”
Westwood knows a thing or two about coming back from a significant injury, after suffering an ankle dislocation and fracture last year with Burnley of the English Premier League.
“(Corujo) is just an all-around great lad, ever since I’ve walked in,” Westwood said. “I’ve come through it myself. I know how hard it is. It’s going to take time. But he came on and did the job. It’s great to have him back for the team. And he’s a real leader as well, which certainly helps.”
Swiderski to join Polish National team during international break
After Karol Swiderski scored the lone goal in Poland’s 1-0 win over Albania on March 27, it was all but certain Charlotte FC’s star forward had cemented a spot on Poland’s roster. But the Polish National team made it official this week, calling him up for two games during the upcoming international break. After Charlotte hosts Seattle on June 10, Swiderski will join Poland in preparation for a “friendly” against Germany on June 16 and then a EURO Championship qualifier June 20 against Moldova.
Charlotte FC is off Saturday, June 17, before returning to action June 21 in New York against the Red Bulls, so he is likely to miss that game.
All-Star voting open: Charlotte seeking its first All-Star
In Year 2, Charlotte FC is still in the hunt for its first MLS All-Star. Should Swiderski be the first? The MLS All-Stars will face Arsenal FC on Wednesday, July 19, at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Voting opened Tuesday and will continue through midnight Pacific time (3 a.m. Eastern) on Wednesday, June 14. Fans can vote here.
Here’s how the roster will break down:
12 players will be voted in by MLS players, fans and media.
12 players will be selected by MLS All-Star coach Wayne Rooney, of the host city’s D.C. United.
2 players will be selected by MLS Commissioner Don Garber.
You can vote for 11 players in a 4-1-2-3 formation: one goalkeeper, one left back, one right back, two center backs, one defensive midfielder, two attacking midfielders and three forwards. The top players in each position from the combined vote will be named All-Stars. The 12th player selected will be the one who received the next-highest total of overall votes.
To qualify for the ballot, players must have appeared in at least 50% of his club’s matches this season at the time the ballot was created on May 18. Players who did not qualify for the ballot are still eligible for selection by Rooney or Commissioner Garber.
Up Next: Charlotte FC (6-7-3) at Columbus Crew (6-6-3)
When/Where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Lower.com Field, Columbus, Ohio.
How to watch: MLS Season Pass FREE on Apple TV. For information on how to sign up for a regular subscription, click here.
How to listen: WFNZ 92.7 FM in English. WOLS 106.1 FM in Spanish.
Charlotte FC has not lost in three matches against Columbus, taking two draws against the Crew last season and winning 1-0 April 22 at Bank of America Stadium.
Flashback: In that 1-0 win, Charlotte FC’s Polish connection hooked up for the MLS Goal of the Week on a low cross from Kamil Jozwiak to Swiderski for a picturesque one-touch finish.
Cucho Hernandez scored the game-winner in Columbus’ 3-2 win Wednesday against Colorado. It was his sixth straight game with either a goal or an assist (two goals and five assists combined).
Crew’s win Wednesday was only the second win in its last seven games dating back to the loss in Charlotte. Columbus is 2-4-1 in that span.
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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