Lattanzio addresses off-the-field turmoil
Charlotte FC facing fall-out from sexual assault report linked to Shinyashiki, Santos; coach talks future of those players, controversy's impact on team and more
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Coach says Shinyashiki’s future ‘up to club’
Lattanzio speaking to Charlotte media via zoom. (Screenshot of Charlotte FC video.)
In the fallout from news this week that two Charlotte FC players were linked to an incident report of sexual assault, everyone in and around the club has had to choose their words carefully — whether it’s players, coaches, staff or reporters.
At stake are the rights and reputations of a 23-year-old woman and players Andre Shinyashiki and Nuno Santos, amid a landmine of legal ramifications for all involved.
No charges were filed and the police investigation is inactive — meaning detectives aren’t actively seeking new information — but the case remains open and evidence is still being processed. So until it comes to an official conclusion, club officials aren’t expected to speak freely about the details.
When the team made its first significant public response to the report Thursday afternoon, by circulating a statement from a team spokesman and making Coach Christian Lattanzio available to the media for the first time since the story broke, some of what they said came across as fairly nebulous.
This is our attempt to decipher and decode what Lattanzio and the team meant, as we retrace a tumultuous week surrounding Charlotte FC:
Timeline of breaking news
◼️ What we found out: In a story first reported by The Ledger on Tuesday, Shinyashiki was linked to an incident report in which a 23-year-old woman told police she was sexually assaulted in an uptown apartment hours after Charlotte FC’s season opener against New England on February 25. It quoted his agent saying the matter had been investigated and that no charges had been filed.
◼️ What Shinyashiki posted: Shortly after our report came out, Shinyashiki posted this statement on his Twitter feed: “I’d like to address the story that came out today. I fully cooperated with Charlotte Police and MLS in their separate investigations related to the incident and no charges have been filed against me. I’ve also been cleared by MLS to play. I’ll have no further comment.”
◼️ What we’ve learned since then: Santos was also one of the four individuals linked to the incident report, as first reported by The Athletic on Wednesday morning and later confirmed by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department. The Ledger has also learned that neither of the other two individuals listed as being present in the report are players for Charlotte FC.
Team defends its transparency with MLS
In the days following news of the sexual assault report, Charlotte FC came under fire on social media by those questioning whether the team tried to cover up Shinyashiki’s off-the-field problems while attempting to trade him to Real Salt Lake in the midst of this controversy.
Early last week, with the season’s first MLS transfer window set to close, Tom Bogert of The Athletic reported that Charlotte FC was finalizing a trade that would send Shinyashiki to Real Salt Lake in exchange for veteran forward Justin Meram. Three days passed without an announcement from either team before Charlotte FC announced Thursday it had acquired Meram for $200,000 in general allocation money, without mention of Shinyashiki.
On Thursday afternoon, a team spokesman for Charlotte FC circulated this statement:
All Charlotte FC players are employees of Major League Soccer. Upon being made aware of a report involving two players, Charlotte FC promptly reported the incident to Major League Soccer.
The team did not disclose when it first learned of the incident; the victim initially spoke to police on March 8, according to the police report. But it stands to reason that the team found out about it between April 8, when both Shinyashiki and Santos were on the 20-man roster for Charlotte FC’s game against Real Salt Lake, and April 15, when both were left off the roster for the Colorado game. Neither Shinyashiki nor Santos played or practiced for more than a week before the report came out that Charlotte FC was nearing a trade with Real Salt Lake on Monday, April 24, the day that the transfer window closed.
Lattanzio acknowledges team facing distractions: ‘We are dealing with human beings’
Lattanzio working the sideline during 1-0 win over Columbus. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
For 30 minutes Thursday afternoon, Christian Lattanzio fielded questions relating to the issues facing the team, both off the field and on, where Charlotte has managed to win just twice in its first 10 games. Here is a synopsis of his responses relating to the sexual assault report:
On why Santos has been loaned out to Charlotte’s Next Pro team, Crown Legacy FC, and Shinyashiki has not:
With Nuno, I had a little discussion on one training session, and I thought it was good at the time that we had a little break, just on the professional side.
On whether Shinyashiki will play again for Charlotte FC:
Not this weekend. I think it’s a club decision. I think it’s important to have everything clear (following the investigation). I don’t get all the information about how the situation is. The club is dealing with that.
On whether Shinyashiki and Santos have a way back into the team:
I don’t know. We have to see how everything goes. Me, personally, talking about myself, I’d never close the door to anyone, because life taught me how experience works, but honestly, I want to focus on the players that are on the roster.
On how the turmoil off the field is affecting the team’s play:
Not to be a philosopher here, but when you are in life, everything that happens outside the pitch has an impact on what happens on the pitch, because we are dealing with human beings. So there is an element of that. … (But) I don’t want to sit here and talk about difficulties. It’s part of the job to get the team prepared, and I have to get on with that.
Up Next: Charlotte FC (2-5-3) vs. New York City FC (4-3-3)
When/Where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte.
How to watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV for FREE (This is one of the games MLS and Apple have chosen to keep in front of the paywall.) For information on how to sign up, click here.
How to listen: WFNZ 92.7 FM in English. WOLS 106.1 FM in Spanish.
Both center back Bill Tuiloma (right thigh) and left back Joseph Mora (left knee) are still out with injuries, leaving the back line thin. Midfielder Derrick Jones played out of position in a start at center back during last Saturday’s 3-0 loss in Washington.
Charlotte FC has given up 19 goals in 10 games, the most in MLS.
Winger and surging offensive player Kamil Jozwiak was listed as questionable on the injury report, after missing last Saturday’s game with a right thigh injury. With three games coming in the next eight days, including another U.S. Open Cup game Tuesday against Orlando City, Lattanzio sounded wary of rushing Jozwiak back and risking re-injury.
Charlotte returns to Bank of America where it won for the first time this season 1-0 against Columbus its last game there on April 22. Karol Swiderski scored his first home goal of the season on a one-touch shot to the top right corner of the goal, which was voted MLS Goal of the Week.
Charlotte FC swept New York City FC in two matches last season, surprising the 2021 MLS Champions 3-1 in New York on Aug. 17 and beating them 1-0 at Bank of America less than a month later.
Lattanzio was an assistant under French coach Patrick Vieira for New York City FC from 2016-2018.
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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