The new coach makes his mark
The new coach makes his mark
Kahlina on flagrant play that led to Red Bulls suspension, Charlotte FC moves practice, MLS inks new TV deal and CLT fans get invited into upper deck for Nashville game. Plus the tifo snafu.
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Ortiz headlines players making bigger impact
No. 10 Cristian “Titi” Ortiz on the move for Charlotte FC against the New York Red Bulls. (Photo by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project.)
In the two weeks since taking over as interim coach of the Charlotte FC, Christian Lattanzio has vowed that his primary focus is on the players. He kept his word during — and after — his head coaching debut in last Saturday’s 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls.
Where former coach Miguel Angel Ramirez used to jog down in front of the supporters’ section after wins at Bank of America Stadium for photos and high fives with fans, Lattanzio hung back at midfield. He congratulated and chatted with captain Christian Fuchs, who was in dress clothes with an ankle injury, while leaving the cameras to focus on the players sprinting to greet fans behind the East goal.
Lattanzio’s personality is proving to be a lot different than Ramirez’s, and so seems his impact on players. One intriguing question heading into Saturday’s game was how different the lineup might look, even within the same 4-3-3 framework Ramirez used. Who might play a bigger role and why?
Charlotte FC got eye-popping contributions from fresh faces like speedster McKinze Gaines. The winger had shown only flashes of his offensive potential in three previous (MLS) starts but proved a threat throughout Saturday’s game. Veteran defender Anton Walkes, who started 32 of 33 games for Atlanta United last year, was making only his second start for Charlotte and first since Ramirez used him to load up with five backs vs. Philadelphia.
Walkes’ play prompted Lattanzio to say this week: “Anton, for me, is one of the best defenders in this league.”
And then there was attacking midfielder Titi Ortiz, who played the No. 10 position more like the No. 10 star he was billed to be. He was both comfortable and dynamic with the ball. He must have made three or four back-heel, no-look passes to teammates in traffic. He found Ben Bender on a chip pass to assist the game-winning goal for a 1-0 lead. And he took primary responsibility on set-pieces — scripted plays on corners and free kicks — showing off his crafty technical skills.
“Titi is amazing on set pieces,” Lattanzio said.
New Charlotte FC coach Lattanzio, here with Sergio Ruiz, prides himself on putting players first (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC)
All eyes on No. 10: Wearing No. 10 generally means you’re a stud on the team, and that was the expectation when Charlotte acquired Ortiz on loan from Mexico’s Club Tijuana. Charlotte FC writer Caleb Adams called Ortiz “their midfield maestro.” He made his first splash by scoring what looked to be the first goal in Charlotte FC history against DC United on Feb. 26 — an electric moment. But the header was waved off for offsides, and Ortiz’s season started going the way of that near-miss.
He disappeared for stretches under Ramirez, starting the first three games before sitting for five. Ortiz was back in the starting lineup in Colorado on April 23 but that lasted just one more game before a defensive lapse in Orlando got Ortiz a seat back on the bench. His fleeting contributions were also surprising, given that he had played for Ramirez before with Independiente Del Valle in Ecuador.
On Saturday, under Lattanzio, Ortiz was back in the starting lineup and looked and played like somebody who believed in himself. And if it wasn’t clear enough that Lattanzio was confident in Ortiz, he said so afterward.
“I believe a lot in Titi,” Lattanzio said. “I think Titi is one of the best technical players that could be in this league. And I rely a lot on him. I told him. In the past as well, I thought that Titi is one of the best players, technically, that there is. With games and with time, in my opinion, he will grow.”
New York striker suspended for collision with Kahlina
MLS announced Thursday it had suspended Red Bulls forward Patryk Klimala for one game and fined him an undisclosed amount for “serious foul play” after his collision with goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina in last Saturday’s game against Charlotte FC.
Kahlina got kicked in the face as he was diving to make a stop on the play. As soon as he gathered himself after writhing on the turf in pain, he’s pleaded a case for a red card with referee Guido Gonzalez Jr. Gonzalez served up a yellow card instead, which Kahlina took issue with in that moment and in a conversation with the Charlotte Ledger afterward:
I want to see how the referee will react if he was in the stands and his son was there and somebody kicked him in the head. How would he react then? Would he say it’s a yellow card and give (the player) a chance to make this (play) again because he thinks it’s a yellow card?
The league saw it Kahlina’s way. Decide for yourself here.
Practice moved to McAlpines Center on Monroe Road
From a new coach to a new, albeit temporary, practice facility, Charlotte FC continues its season-o-adaptation. The club began its practice on natural grass this week at McAlpines Center on Monroe Road, where it will train for the rest of this season and all of 2023. The team also practices on the artificial turf at Bank of America Stadium.
Charlotte FC had been practicing on natural grass at the Sportsplex in Matthews, which is owned by Mecklenburg County and shared with other sports organizations. McAlpines Center, which is owned by Levine Properties, gives Charlotte FC exclusive access. Charlotte FC is investing in improvements at the facility as well, according to the Charlotte Business Journal.
“The grass is good, and that gives already a good feeling, especially for the kind of football we want to play as a club,” Lattanzio said Thursday. “Plus it’s ours in the sense that it is delegated to us and we have the sole control of that. We are getting to terms to improve it, but the way it is at the moment is good for us. The players are happy we have all the facility for us.”
By committing to practicing there through next season, it also buys the club more time to secure a permanent training site.
Team opens portion of upper deck for Nashville July 9; seats as little as $15
Charlotte FC has heeded fans’ plea to open the upper deck at Bank of America Stadium with more affordable seating. It just announced plans to sell several thousand upper deck seats at a reduced cost for the July 9 match against Nashville.
It’s more of a a trial run than an attempt to fill the stadium like the record-setting home opener. Originally, the team had planned to open the upper deck only for that first game, international exhibitions like July 20 against Chelsea and potential playoff appearances.
The July 9 game has been dubbed “Americana Night” and will feature a postgame light show. Seats in in six sections along the north side of the stadium, opposite the teams benches, are starting at $15 (most are $20.)
Tifo snafu: plans for artistic Juneteenth banner thwarted by confiscation of smoke bombs
Unbeknownst to most fans at Saturday’s game, the Ben Bender/Dirty Dancing banner creation wasn’t the only one planned for the day by the “Royal Family” Tifo committee. The fan groups had another tifo ready with a Juneteenth theme, but the Charlotte Fire Department pulled the plug on it after discovering smoke bombs in the supporters’ section.
Representatives from the CFD told WSOC-TV multiple smoke bombs were confiscated in the supporters’ section before the game and two others were set off during it, including one shortly before the second tifo was to be unveiled.
The cancellation was met with angry responses from a few influential fans on social media. But after the reasoning was explained, cooler heads prevailed.
“It was just a matter of safety,” said Shawn McIntosh, Chief Fan Officer for Charlotte FC, who serves as liaison between the team and its fans. “It was a pretty easy decision for our fire marshal to nix that one, to make sure that the larger group was safe and didn’t have a banner that caught on fire.”
The CFD told WSOC plans are being put in place to assure future banners are either flame treated or made with flame-retardant materials.
As for the tifo that was unfurled? Committee member Heidi Underhill offered a great explanation of the collaboration between Charlotte FC fans and graphic designers from Highland School of Technology and what it meant, in this thread:
What to know about new MLS deal with Apple TV
In case you missed it, MLS dropped a doozy this week, announcing it had signed a new broadcast deal with Apple TV. Starting next season, and extending 10 years in all, every MLS game will be streamed on Apple TV exclusively. That means no more MLS games on linear — a.k.a. regular — TV. Every MLS game will be available to stream on smart TVs, computers, iPhone and iPads from anywhere worldwide. And games can be watched in English or Spanish and for teams with Canadian ties, in French.
A subscription to Apple TV is $4.99 a month.
All MLS season ticket holders will be given free subscriptions to Apple TV, which will include comprehensive coverage, highlights and pre- and post-game content.
There will be lots to unpack with this in the coming months, but for now, here’s Charlotte FC president Joe LaBue’s take on how it’s good for Charlotte FC fans:
Apple will have no blackouts, absolutely zero blackouts. That is a game-changer for fans access here domestically and abroad. Right now, there is very little consistency associated with match scheduling, and we’ve found it to be challenging for our fans and partners. With the Apple partnership, fans can make plans around a consistent schedule that is made up mostly of matches on Wednesdays and Saturdays. You’ll know when and where to find us every week, and it will become a routine.
LaBue called the deal a massive win for MLS, which is breaking new ground for professional sports leagues, and stepping up the global reach of its brand.
“We have an audience that is more tech-savvy and likely to consume their programming through streaming services compared to other major sports leagues in North America,” LaBue said. “There isn’t a better partner for the league over the next 10 years as we work to grow the visibility and reach of our league.”
As for what this will mean for Charlotte FC broadcasters? That’s a big question for fans who have already grown attached to Eric Krakauer and Lloyd Sam on the English side and Jaime Moreno and Antonio Ramos on Spanish broadcasts.
“Eric and Lloyd have been an integral part of this club and our inaugural season,” LaBue said. “Not just them, but also Jaime and Antonio on the Spanish side of the TV broadcasts. All four are very talented and should absolutely be considered for any broadcast duties at a national level. We’ll be their biggest advocates in any conversations we have with the league regarding broadcast talent.”
Charlotte FC broadcaster Eric Krakauer holding his daughter at Saturday’s game vs. Red Bulls. (Photo by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project.)
Up Next: Charlotte FC (6-8-1) vs. Columbus Crew (4-5-4)
When/Where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Lower.com Field, Columbus, Ohio
How to watch: WAXN (Channel 64), Telemundo, or live stream at www.charlottefootballclub/live or on the Charlotte FC app. Local restrictions apply.
Notable:
In the second game under interim coach Christian Lattanzio, Charlotte FC is still on the hunt for its first win on the road in MLS play this season. Charlotte is 0-6-1 on the road, compared with 6-2 at Bank of America Stadium.
Winger Kamil Jozwiak returned from international play with Poland this week, and striker Karol Swiderski was expected back late in the week as well. Lattanzio sounded like he wasn’t expecting to start either one, given their lack of practice time since he’s taken over. Lattanzio said Thursday it was still “under consideration.”
Fuchs is questionable again with a sore ankle and given how solidly Charlotte’s defense played last week behind center back Guzman Corujo, the team doesn’t need to rush him back.
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Previous editions of Fútbol Friday
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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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