Lattanzio's job on the line?
Lattanzio's job on the line?
Last-ditch playoff attempt and Lattanzio's job give Charlotte FC plenty to play for in final five games, plus rain forces crew to keep football lines on soccer turf Saturday.
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Lattanzio on the hot seat: With 5 games left, wins would help the case for interim coach’s return
Charlotte FC “interim” coach Christian Lattanzio working with new Portuguese midfielder Nuno Santos. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
Down to five games in its inaugural MLS season, Charlotte FC still has a mathematical chance to make the playoffs. But sitting seven points behind the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, with a maximum of 15 points available if they win all five of their games — including three against Top 4 teams — odds are against it.
Perhaps a bigger, more pressing question facing Charlotte FC at this point: Does the team play well enough to save Christian Lattanzio’s job?
When contacted about Lattanzio’s future on Thursday, a Charlotte FC spokesperson told The Charlotte Ledger the team had no update at this time.
Lattanzio has held the “interim” head coach title since he was promoted from assistant coach May 31, when the club fired inaugural coach Miguel Angel Ramirez after just 14 games. Charlotte FC won its first game under Lattanzio and went 3-2-1 in his first six. But since then, Charlotte has lost seven of nine games to fall to 10-17-2 and into 12th place in the Eastern Conference. Ramirez was 5-8-1 in 14 games. Lattanzio’s record is almost the same: 5-9-1 in 15 games.
Lattanzio took over a difficult situation, an expansion team with some clear deficiencies in talent and in turmoil over division between players and coaching staff. A true attacking midfielder continues to be a need as Charlotte FC heads into the offseason. Charlotte FC lost its most valuable defenseman, and maybe player, when center back Guzman Corujo suffered a season-ending knee injury last month.
High highs, low lows: Lattanzio coached Charlotte FC to its first two road victories — in Houston and a shocker at defending MLS champion New York FC. He’s also been at the helm of some bad losses, like the defeat in Miami 3-2 after leading 2-0, followed by a 4-0 loss in Toronto. Coming down the stretch with a playoff berth at stake, Charlotte FC has lost three in a row, including shutout losses in each of the past two.
Of course, the head-scratching part of this recent skid is that Charlotte FC has been playing well in terms of dominating possession and getting scoring chances. But converting them and also protecting their own net during counter attacks has been a challenge.
So which does sporting director Zoran Krneta focus on? The bigger picture, a positive trajectory and wanting continuity after a midseason coaching change? Or bottom-line results in the face of pressure from an already passionate fanbase? Wins would help Lattanzio’s cause either way.
“When you do this job, you can’t avoid being judged,” Lattanzio said in a Zoom press conference Thursday. “I know it’s a result-driven business. At the same time, I know that when you develop a new franchise, in my view at least, you need to have a certain amount of perspective to see whether the team is improving, whether the team is going in the right direction. … Sometimes it’s difficult to separate that in the professional game with the result, but my focus, I can assure you, is to make sure the team is improving on a weekly basis and trying to block out the emotional side — which I totally understand — from the fans.”
Lineup questions: Lattanzio fired many of them up last Saturday when he benched star player Karol Swiderski in a “must-win” game in favor of striker Daniel Rios, who hadn’t started in 10 games. The reason Lattanzio gave afterward was that Rios had stood out in practice and that he had seen glimpses of fatigue in Swiderski in the previous game. But Lattanzio also raised eyebrows by starting Rios over Andre Shinyashiki, the team’s second-leading goal scorer since his arrival from Colorado, who has seen playing time diminish in recent weeks.
Swiderski (left) was on the bench in Cincinnati last Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
One thing Lattanzio has become known for is shuffling the lineup. It rarely stays the same from one week to the next. You can’t argue with his willingness to be bold, to keep players guessing and working hard in practice. It has been intriguing to see the trust he’s shown in young players like midfielder Quinn McNeill and defender Jan Sobocinski. And despite all the movement in the starting 11, Lattanzio seems to maintain his rapport with players by being a clear communicator. Even when the news is bad, players hear it from him.
And now, with the season on the line, Lattanzio has shielded the players from a lot of the pressures that come, while also being straightforward about his current situation.
“As I said in the past, the club will decide what is the best for them,” Lattanzio said. “I am very serene. It’s up to them what they want to do. It’s out of my hands. What my full focus is on is to try to improve the team on a daily basis. That's the only pressure I feel.”
For the record, though, Lattanzio wants to stay. He said on Thursday:
Of course I would love to. I love this football club. I really love the fanbase. It’s honestly one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever seen in MLS and one of the best I’ve seen, really, in my years in football. I love it here. I love this football club, love the players, as I’ve said many times. But at the same time, I know that to a certain degree, it’s out of my hands. What I can control is the way I work on a daily basis and my conscience is very clear from the point of view that I give 100% to this football club every day. Sometimes it can be enough, sometimes it might not be enough. This is not down to me to judge. That is to other people. I will respect any decision, and I will be always grateful to this football club. But for now, we are very focused on the game, and we want to make our fans really proud of the team that they support.
With rainy forecast, expect to see football lines for Saturday’s soccer game
A forecast for heavy rain on Saturday is putting a wrench in plans to convert the artificial turf at Bank of America Stadium from soccer to football. This weekend, Charlotte FC plays at 1 p.m. on Saturday, and the Carolina Panthers play at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Ordinarily, crews would work through the night to remove the soccer lines and add the football lines. But because of the expected rain — which makes applying paint difficult — crews are painting for both soccer and football ahead of time. That means that for Saturday’s soccer game, there will be both yellow boundary lines for soccer and white yard lines, hash marks and sidelines for football.
Removing paint under wet conditions is not a problem, so the yellow lines for soccer will be removed before the Panthers’ opener Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. The team is still considering options for painting the end zones and middle of the field for the Panthers.
‘Not ideal’: In a prepared statement, a Tepper Sports & Entertainment spokesperson said:
This is not ideal, but is unavoidable given the weather forecast. We never want our soccer field to have football lines, but we are thankful that we will be able to play both games this weekend. Charlotte FC games are scheduled on Saturday because they are more convenient for our fans, and we’ve shown we can transition the field for multiple events in a short period of time. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the weather will cooperate this weekend. In particular, we are grateful for our grounds crew, who will literally be working around-the-clock to deliver both of these games to our fans. These are the occasional challenges that come with hosting an increased number of events at Bank of America Stadium.
Weather forecasters are calling for an 80% chance of rain Saturday.
Charlotte FC and the Carolina Panthers will have shared the field on the same weekend three times: Aug. 26-27, this weekend and Oct. 1-2, when Charlotte FC hosts the Philadelphia Union and the Panthers host Arizona.
Game Day activities include kids workshop, Modelo art installation and Hispanic heritage festivities
Fun for kids: The 1 p.m. start time makes Saturday’s game a great option for families with young children, and Lowe’s is doing its part, too. The club sponsor is hosting its second DIY Kids Workshop starting when gates open at 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., or roughly halftime. The event is located on the on the 100-level concourse outside Sections 105 and 106. Lowe’s held its first DIY Kids Workshop before the July 30 game against Columbus. With parental supervision, kids were invited to create a wooden soccer player with a moveable leg that could kick a soccer ball into a goal.
Hispanic heritage night: As part of its kickoff for Hispanic Heritage Month, the first 7,500 fans on Saturday will receive a limited edition Sugar Skull Bobblehead. Also, later this month, Charlotte FC is hosting a block party at the future site of its new training facility and headquarters. The party is Wednesday, Sept. 28, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at 8600 McAlpine Park Drive. It’s free for all ages. To register, click here.
Modelo pre-game party: Modelo Mexican Beer is hosting a 3D Art Installation and pre-game party at the corner of West Morehead Street and South Mint Street, featuring a DJ, work from artist Shawn McCann and free samples of Modelo Oro. The festivities begin at 10 a.m. Stop by for a chance to see limited edition chalk art featured for the Hispanic Heritage Month match.
Up Next: Charlotte FC (10-17-2) vs. New York FC (13-10-7)
When/Where: 1 p.m. Saturday, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
How to watch: WAXN (Channel 64), Telemundo, or live stream at www.charlottefootballclub/live or on the Charlotte FC app. Local restrictions apply.
Notable:
Last time these two clubs played, on Aug. 17, Charlotte FC shocked defending MLS champion New York FC with a 3-1 victory in New York. Since that game, Charlotte FC has lost three in a row, while being outscored 7-1.
Charlotte FC winger McKinze Gaines (ankle) and center back Jan Sobocinski (hamstring) have been back in practice this week and are available to play Saturday.
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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Isn't EVERYONEs job at Tepper Sports & Entertainment 'on the line?!