It's Messi and it's messy for Charlotte FC
Big crowd expected for Inter Miami and Lionel Messi on Saturday, when Charlotte is fighting for playoff berth in season finale — needs a win plus at least two other teams to lose or draw.
It’s time for Fútbol Friday, The Charlotte Ledger’s weekly newsletter getting you up to speed on Charlotte FC, the city’s new pro soccer team.
➡️ Need to sign up for Fútbol Friday and other Charlotte-focused email newsletters from The Charlotte Ledger? You can do that here.
➡️ Ledger subscribers can add or drop individual newsletters on their “My Account” page.
Today’s Fútbol Friday is sponsored by Pomfret Financial.
“Sometimes you WIN, and sometimes you LEARN.” —John Maxwell
Pomfret Financial is a Charlotte-based INSURANCE & BUSINESS PLANNING firm helping families & businesses since 1975.
Breaking down playoff scenarios and the matchup heading into Saturday night’s showdown against Miami at Bank of America Stadium.
Mathematically, and philosophically, we knew it was going to come down to Miami. Whichever way you sliced it, Charlotte FC was going to need to produce in its final two games of the season against Inter Miami to have a shot at its first playoff berth.
Charlotte was scheduled to play Miami twice in four days this week, after an Aug. 20 game in Fort Lauderdale was postponed until Wednesday because of Leagues Cup. In the first of those games in Fort Lauderdale, Charlotte blew another late lead — this one in the 84th minute (its sixth blown lead in the 80th minute or later this season) and settled for a 2-2 draw. And the playoff picture just got Messi-er.
By drawing a match against a Miami team playing without Lionel Messi, Charlotte now needs to beat Miami on Saturday night in a game in which the Argentinian superstar has said he will play. Charlotte also needs multiple scenarios to play out in games among four other playoff contenders. Four Eastern Conference teams are still fighting for the two spots in the No. 8 vs. No. 9 wild card game on what MLS calls “Decision Day.”
(Messy scenarios in a moment. Messi ones first.)
Messi sat out the game Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale having just flown in from Peru, where he played in a World Cup qualifier for Argentina the night before. He told Argentine media after that game he wanted to play in Miami’s season finale Saturday in Charlotte — even though Miami has been eliminated from playoff contention and the game is on turf. Messi, who had missed six of Miami’s past seven games because of an unspecified leg injury, showed how much better he’s feeling: He played 90 minutes and scored two goals in Tuesday’s 2-0 win for Argentina.
“When you play against a player of such immense talent and ability and experience, you want to reduce the amount of time that he is on the ball in dangerous areas,” Charlotte FC coach Christian Lattanzio said heading into these final two matches. “But also knowing that to limit completely is almost impossible.”
Not only does having Messi back from international duty make this matchup that much tougher, but Miami has a host of other players back as well, including Robert Taylor (Finland), Josef Martinez (Venezuela), Benjamin Cremaschi (U.S. Men’s Olympic team) and 12-year Spanish national teamer Jordi Alba, who returned from injury as a substitute Wednesday night and could play a full game at left back Saturday.
Expecting 60,000 plus: Charlotte FC president Joe LaBue said last week that the club had sold 60,000 tickets for Saturday’s game. That was before Messi made his plans known to play. At the very least, Saturday’s crowd will be the third-largest in Charlotte FC’s two-year history behind the inaugural home opener (a then-MLS record 74,479 vs. LA Galaxy on March 5, 2022 and 69,345 for this year’s season-opener Feb. 23 vs. New England).
Charlotte to get Uronen back; Swiderski better rested for Saturday
Charlotte will get its own lift coming out of the international break on Saturday. Striker Karol Swiderski will be better rested after his stint with the Polish National team. (He scored a game-tying goal in a 1-1 draw against Moldova on Sunday.) Swiderski played exclusively in the second half Wednesday night in Fort Lauderdale. Charlotte’s offense was listless for much of the first half without him.
Defender Jere Uronen is back from playing for Finland. He missed Wednesday’s game altogether. He might not be a household name in Charlotte just yet, but the 29-year-old left back has been rock solid since joining Charlotte FC in late August. He is quick to the ball, makes good decisions and when he’s in at left back, veteran fullback Nathan Byrne can shift to right back, his natural position.
Charlotte ‘needs a win AND’ scenarios …
To qualify for the playoffs, Charlotte needs to win Saturday AND have at least two of the three teams ahead of them in the standings (Montreal, Chicago and the New York Red Bulls) lose or draw. All three of those teams are on the road Saturday, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility for two to lose.
All of these Eastern Conference games will be played at 6 p.m. Saturday — rather than the usual conference-wide 7:30 p.m. start time — so Charlotte will know its fate shortly after its game is complete, at the latest.
◼️ Charlotte FC will make the playoffs as the 8th seed and host a wildcard playoff game on Wednesday IF:
Charlotte FC beats Miami AND
Montreal loses or draws against Columbus AND
Red Bulls lose or draw against Nashville AND
Chicago loses or draws against NYCFC
◼️ Charlotte FC will be the 9th seed and travel to the No. 8 seed for a wild card game on Wednesday IF:
Charlotte FC beats Miami AND
Only one of the following scenarios happens:
Montreal beats Columbus
Red Bulls beat Nashville
Chicago beats NYCFC
◼️ Charlotte FC is eliminated with a win AND
Two of the following scenarios happen:
Montreal beats Columbus
Red Bulls beat Nashville
Chicago beats NYCFC
◼️ Charlotte FC is eliminated with a draw or loss against Inter Miami
Quotable: Copetti on facing Messi
Charlotte striker Enzo Copetti, a native of Argentina, was injured when Charlotte played Inter Miami in August and didn’t get a chance to play against his fellow countryman Messi. When asked what it would mean to him to play against Messi, who led Argentina to its first World Cup championship in 36 years last winter, Copetti said this (in a written message):
I think that I, like all Argentines, know what Messi represents for us. For me it would be a huge joy to play against him. He is my idol and I think that of all Argentines, it is a great dream to play against him.
Up Next: Charlotte FC (9-11-13) vs. Inter Miami (9-17-7)
When/Where: 6 p.m. Saturday, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte.
How to watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. For information on how to sign up for a regular subscription with Apple TV, click here.
How to listen: WFNZ 92.7 FM in English and WOLS 106.1 FM in Spanish.
Since Messi’s arrival in July, Miami is 8-1-4 in games in which he has played, 1-3-3 in games he hasn’t. The lone loss in games in which Messi participated came Oct. 7 in a 1-0 loss against Cincinnati when Messi came off the bench to play 35 minutes in his return from injury. That loss eliminated Miami from the playoffs.
Charlotte lost 4-0 to Miami in the Leagues Cup quarterfinal on Aug. 11 when Messi was in the lineup, though Charlotte was coming off consecutive road games in extreme Texas heat. Charlotte is 0-1-1 against Miami this season — both on the road — including Wednesday’s 2-2 draw.
A friendly reminder that kickoff is early — 6 p.m. — for the final game of the season. Gates will open at 4:30 p.m. for those interested in watching pre-game warmups, which begin at 5:19 p.m.
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!
Need to sign up for this e-newsletter? We offer a free version, as well as paid memberships for full access to all 4 of our local newsletters:
➡️ Opt in or out of different newsletters on your “My Account” page.
➡️ Learn more about The Charlotte Ledger
The Charlotte Ledger is a locally owned media company that delivers smart and essential news through e-newsletters and on a website. We strive for fairness and accuracy and will correct all known errors. The content reflects the independent editorial judgment of The Charlotte Ledger. Any advertising, paid marketing, or sponsored content will be clearly labeled.
Like what we are doing? Feel free to forward this along and to tell a friend.
Social media: On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Sponsorship information/customer service: email support@cltledger.com.