It's Messi time
Charlotte FC hoping to "upset the party" against international superstar Lionel Messi and Miami in franchise's biggest game yet, plus Agyemang's impact, opening of new practice facility and more
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.
Go after your GOALS!
Pomfret Financial is a Charlotte-based INSURANCE & BUSINESS PLANNING firm helping families & businesses since 1975.
All eyes are on Charlotte FC’s big matchup tonight featuring soccer’s biggest star; Charlotte trying to rise above the Messi mania
Argentinian soccer superstar Lionel Messi has had a LOT to smile about since his arrival in Miami and Major League Soccer. (Photo courtesy of Inter Miami.)
Both the sweat and shock of advancing to the quarterfinals of the Leagues Cup tournament were still fresh on his players when Charlotte FC coach Christian Lattanzio took the microphone at a postgame press conference in Houston on Monday. Already, though, Lattanzio was poised and ready for his first “Messi” question — about the upcoming matchup with Miami and Lionel Messi, the Argentinian soccer superstar who has taken Major League Soccer by storm.
Jonathan Sigal, columnist from MLSSoccer.com, posed it: “You guys, in four days’ time, you get to play Messi and go down to Miami,” he said.
“No,” Lattanzio said. “We get to play Miami.”
Tonight, Charlotte FC will play in the highest profile game of its two-year existence when it plays at Inter Miami at 8:30 p.m. The winner will advance to the semifinals of the Leagues Cup, a tournament that was expanded this year to include every team in Major League Soccer and in the Mexican League, Liga MX.
Charlotte has used a run in this tournament, which was injected into the regular MLS schedule, to invigorate what had been a disappointing season. Tonight, as significant underdogs, they have a chance to become the first team to defeat a Messi-led Miami five games into his MLS run. And unlike when Charlotte FC took center stage last season with a record 74,479 fans at its inaugural game at Bank of America Stadium, this time the international soccer community is watching.
Since Messi, 36, signed with Inter Miami last month, coming off a World Cup title with Argentina, as arguably one of the greatest soccer players ever, Apple TV subscriptions to watch MLS Soccer have more than doubled — from an estimated 1 million to 2 million — according to Miami co-owner Jorge Mas. Inter Miami, which had roughly 1 million followers on Instagram before Messi signed, now has 13.5 million.
Star power: New soccer fans like Kim Kardashian, LeBron James and Derek Jeter have been at games, rubbing elbows with Miami co-owner David Beckham, the Englishman and last international soccer star to make a splash like this in MLS.
And unlike Beckham, Messi brought a posse with him. Following his signing, Inter Miami added Messi’s former FC Barcelona teammates midfielder Sergio Busquets and defender Jordi Alba, which makes this club that much more dangerous.
But the man at the center of it is still the one making it all go. Messi has scored seven times in four games since signing with Inter Miami for upwards of $150 million for 2 1/2 seasons. His deal also includes an ownership stake in Inter Miami and revenue-sharing components with Apple TV and Adidas.
So the way Sigal framed the question about Charlotte playing Messi was a semantic slip, but it was also understandable. And Lattanzio’s dig at it seemed to get lost in the matrix of a Zoom call.
“You get to play Miami,” Sigal repeated to Lattanzio, as if to say “right,” in a monotone voice, from off-camera. “I’m not sure I came through correctly.”
For those with a clear connection, though, Sigal had. And so had Lattanzio. But even the coach’s attempt to point out that one man among 11 doesn’t make a team fell flat. What that one player has done in Miami is borderline outrageous.
Messi scored a game-winning free kick in the final minute of his MLS debut against Cruz Azul on July 21. He scored two goals in each of his next three games — two against Atlanta, two against Orlando and two against FC Dallas in the Round of 16. His second goal against Dallas tied the game 4-4 with more free-kick mastery. It sent the game to a penalty shootout, which Messi, of course, started by winning both coin tosses and then scoring the first PK.
By Lattanzio’s press conference Thursday, when reporters had a chance to ask more follow-up questions, he acknowledged the unique challenge of defending a player with such singular talent:
The best you can hope is that they don’t have the best of their days, and then you also help that by minimizing the input that they can give. But to take away (Messi) from the game completely I think is unrealistic. We need to be able to play against him, knowing that he will have a difference in the game, and we hope that is not going to be the difference-maker.
Charlotte FC captain Ashley Westwood equated the matchup to the feeling he had in his English Premier League debut for Aston Villa at age 22 when he took the field against Manchester United and boyhood idols like Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. At 33, Westwood isn’t pinching himself this time. He’s trying to instill in his younger teammates to take tonight’s game as an opportunity.
“For me, (Messi) is the greatest ever,” Westwood said. “... To be up against that kind of opposition, you take it on, and you want to test yourself against the best players in the world. So we’re really excited for that chance. We want to go there and upset the party.”
◼️ Aug. 20 matchup rescheduled: Charlotte FC was supposed to be the first MLS team Messi played against once the regular season resumes following the Leagues Cup. Charlotte was scheduled to travel to Fort Lauderdale on Aug. 20. That game has now been postponed with a makeup date to be determined. Whoever advances between Charlotte and Miami will be playing on Aug. 19, either in a Leagues Cup semifinal match or the third-place game and won’t be available to play the following day.
Agyemang shines at striker
Patrick Agyemang (right) celebrating his game-tying goal Monday with Jaylin Lindsey, who assisted it. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
In case Charlotte FC fans needed any more clarity about Patrick Agyemang and his place on this team, Lattanzio gave it to them Monday night. With his team down 1-0 to Houston, facing elimination in the Leagues Cup Round of 16, and Charlotte needing a goal in the worst way and a burst of energy on a hot night, he called on the 22-year-old rookie striker. To get him into the game, with 18 minutes remaining, Lattanzio sat his best and highest-paid player, Polish international Karol Swiderski.
Swiderski looked visibly upset to be taken out of the game, but Agyemang provided Lattanzio all the validation he needed in a matter of eight minutes. Agyemang scored the game-tying goal on a deep pass from defender Jaylin Lindsey, after juking goalkeeper Steve Clark with a touch to his left, then finishing it off with a low liner to the center of the goal.
Video of the goal from Instagram:
The rookie evened the game and rattled the Dynamo. Some 50 seconds later, Houston defender Micael tried to pass back to an unaware Clark and scored an own goal, helping Charlotte to a 2-1 win.
“It’s a football decision, a tactical decision,” Lattanzio said. “I needed certain qualities in the game. I felt that the heat has played a big part for both teams, and that’s only normal. We are human beings. … I felt that we needed a little bit more energy to press the position and to exploit certain areas that we saw.”
Agyemang has scored two goals in League Cup play for Charlotte FC, while also scoring two goals in each of the two MLS Next Pro games he played last month. He won co-player of the month in MLS Next Pro, a level below MLS, after playing just two games for Crown Legacy in July. At the rate Agyemang is going, he’ll be on the first team to stay.
Agyemang, who was the 12th overall pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft out of the University of Rhode Island, is every bit of the 6-foot-4 he’s listed and proving to be a dynamic attacking player for both the target he is and the skillset he brings.
New team headquarters and practice facility opens
As if Charlotte FC didn’t have enough going on, it moved into its new practice facility and team headquarters at 8600 McAlpine Park Drive this week. The complex off Monroe Road, which is being called Atrium Health Performance Park, features a renovated 52,000-square-foot building and will be home to eight practice fields (six of them full-sized). The team has been practicing there since last year but bussing back and forth from Bank of America Stadium, where it was using the locker room, training and weight facilities.
Axios Charlotte got a nice preview of the facility. Charlotte FC’s social media team provided a glimpse into it Thursday, posting a video clip of players entering their new digs, walking the halls, eating in the cafeteria, and playing ping pong in the new players’ lounge (it was the Polish duo Karol Swiderski vs. Kamil Jozwiak).
Westwood said owner David Tepper was there to welcome the team on the first day.
“It's incredible,” Westwood said. “They’ve done a great job. It's been a long time coming. Hopefully, it gives a real boost, and it turns out to be a very special place. … It’s an exciting time for the football club.”
New and notes: Dejaegere debuts, Mora waived and Mexican team coming
◼️ Dejaegere debut: Normally we’d devote a lengthy section to the debut of a veteran newcomer like Belgian midfielder Brecht Dejaegere. Alas, it’s been Messi and much other news to cover, but there will be more to come on this front. Dejaegere played 30 minutes off the bench against Houston, showed off a couple of dynamic stepover moves and also a little excitement for his new team when he lost control of the ball shortly thereafter. But he was wearing No. 10, which tells you the club sees him as a major contributor going forward. That’ll be something to watch in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, check out Charlotte FC writer Caleb Adams’ insightful profile of him here.
◼️ Mora waived: As expected, the team announced it has waived fullback Joseph Mora, which was needed to make room for the new Finnish left back Jere Uronen, who is still awaiting his visa. Mora had been with Charlotte FC from the beginning, having been taken in the MLS expansion draft from D.C. United. He played in 30 games total over the past two seasons for Charlotte FC but only five games this year, and one of those was U.S. Open Cup.
◼️ Mexican National Team coming: The Mexican National team is coming to Bank of America Stadium for a MexTour “friendly” vs. Ghana on Oct. 14. The exhibition game will be played during a FIFA window so both Mexico and Ghana’s top players will be called up for the game. Tickets went on sale Friday at 10 a.m. The MexTour was last here in October of 2021 when Ecuador defeated Mexico 3-2 in front of 39,887 fans.
Up Next: Charlotte FC vs. Inter Miami in Leagues Cup Quarterfinals
When/Where: 8:30 p.m. Friday, DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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.
Apple TV analyst Andrew Weibe has been saying this is a “terrible matchup for Charlotte” and Charlotte “has no chance of winning,” pointing to the MLS-leading 40 goals Charlotte has allowed thanks in part to a young and injury-laden back line. If Miami has shown any vulnerabilities, it’s to the counterattack, so if Charlotte can find a way to keep it close and score fast, there’s a chance.
A fact that hasn’t been talked about much but has to be on the minds of those in and around the team is that this is Charlotte FC’s first trip into the Miami area since the preseason, when center back Anton Walkes was tragically killed in a boating accident during an off day there. It’s all the more reason why this matchup and this game are so important.
Left back Nathan Byrne will miss this game due to yellow card accumulation, and that’s a shame for Charlotte because he has played some of his best defense in a Charlotte FC uniform during this Leagues Cup run. New Finnish left back Jere Uronen has not yet received his visa so he’s not an option. Fullback Bill Tuilloma is back healthy and available, though it’ll be interesting to see how Lattanzio plays it. He’s also got natural midfielder Derrick Jones, who has spent time on the backline; veteran outside back Harrison Afful; and center back Guzman Corujo, who is one of team’s most valuable players but has only recently returned to the bench from a quadriceps strain.
Where many visiting teams might have a disadvantage playing in the heat and humidity of Miami, Charlotte FC has been playing in those conditions for three weeks now. Charlotte played twice in Dallas and once in Houston during its first four games of the Leagues Cup — and came out on top in all four.
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.