LAFC Effaces Charlotte FC 5-0
LAFC Effaces Charlotte FC 5-0
Silver Lining: Charlotte Played a Great First Half
Charlotte’s first match without defensive leader Guzmán Corujo started well. Charlotte led the attack and controlled the game against LAFC for the first 15-20 minutes, and had multiple opportunities to go ahead against the strongest team in Major League Soccer. As LAFC warmed up in the second quarter of the match, they outpaced Charlotte, but the Crown Club was still able to go into the locker room at half time with a clean sheet.
Snoop Dogg, Will Ferrell, and other celebrities in the stands probably weren’t expecting their home team to struggle to score, and (rational) Charlotte fans certainly wouldn’t have been disappointed to come home with a point.
Then, fewer than four minutes into the second half, the likely 2022 Supporters’ Shield winners showed up. With a total of 25 shots on goal and 9 shots on target, LAFC saw goals from four different players in the second half. The highlight reel from this match should come with a content warning for Charlotte fans, especially for LAFC forward Carlos Vela’s nutmeg against goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.
“We need to pick ourselves up and keep going,” said interim head coach Christian Lattanzio in a post-match interview. “I think we had a good first half … in a difficult environment I thought we did well. Unfortunately, some mistakes against a team like that you pay, [you pay straight away], and tonight we saw as soon as you drop your guard or make a mistake you get punished.”
Charlotte almost escaped with a 4-0 loss, but an own goal from Charlotte Captain Anton Walkes in stoppage time was the final insult. Walkes was in the wrong place at the wrong time as a Kahlina save rebounded off his body and into Charlotte’s goal during stoppage time.
“LAFC were good and ready to capitalize on our mistakes,” said Lattanzio.
LAFC added injury to the insult when in the 70th minute, Charlotte defender Harrison Afful left the match on a stretcher after breaking up an attack. I asked Lattanzio about Afful’s condition after the match, and while Afful told Lattanzio last night he “was fine” as of press time there are no additional details; losing another defensive option after Corujo’s season-ending injury and Makoun’s departure would be another blow to a back line that has had a tough inaugural season.
Nevertheless, one of the few bright spots for Charlotte came from the play of Polish defender Jan Sobociński, whose blocks prevented additional goals. Unfortunately, a good half and a great performance don’t win soccer matches. Charlotte’s passing and trapping continued to be an issue, and the midfield continues to struggle to get the ball in scoring position.
When I asked Lattanzio about the passing and ball control issues, he said “You just have to find the balance between playing and containing the opponent. We are working towards that. … at one point I didn’t think it would have gone this way, because the boys were well in the game and created danger.”
Charlotte doesn’t have much time to practice as they fly directly from Los Angeles to New York to play New York City FC on Wednesday.
Shinyashiki “will have his chance like everybody else.”
With 5 goals for Charlotte FC and 6 total goals on the season, Andre Shinyashiki is second in scoring for the club despite playing fewer minutes than any player with multiple goals. His absence from the starting lineup (as well as the entire LAFC match has been conspicuous), and he has been late to come in on multiple occasions. As the only reporter to attend the 12:30 AM EDT post-match press conference, I asked Lattanzio if there was a bigger reason behind Andre’s absence.
“No, there is no big reason behind [Andre not starting]. Andre is a guy that we value, that I personally value a lot … he will have his chance like everybody else,” said Lattanzio. He added that Yordy Reyna, McKinze Gaines, and Kamil Jóźwiak were all players he wanted to see start. Reyna has three goals and two assists for the team, while Gaines and Jóźwiak have no goals and one assist between the two.
“It was in my plan to play Andre, but then the game went in a way that I decided to make different changes, but Andre is very much in my plan,” Lattanzio concluded.
Other matches from around the world
It’s been a busy weekend in world football as the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, and German Bundesliga (among others) are all playing again. Here are some quick takeaways:
Manchester United lost its first two games by a total of five goals, putting them in last place in the EPL table. Manchester City sits in first, so we had no choice but to post this meme:
Speaking of the bottom of the EPL table, West Ham United F.C. joins Man Utd in the relegation zone after the recently promoted Nottingham Forest F.C. win their first EPL match in decades off of a Taiwo Awoniyi goal.
Charlotte FC striker Karol Swiderski’s Polish National squad teammate Robert Lewandowski recently left a dominant Bayern Munich for FC Barcelona. However, his first appearance with the team didn’t go to plan as Rayo Vallecano forced a draw in Barcelona in the first week of La Liga play. Real Madrid plays later today.
Bayern, by the way, is playing as I write this. The score is nil-nil against VfL Wolfsberg and their star striker Max Kruse.
Over the course of 2022, 1. F.C. Union Berlin lost attackers Kruse, Awoniyi, and recently Andres Voglsammer to second-tier English club Millwall. Without these offensive weapons, the Eisern Union still started the season well, with a derby win against Hertha at home and a draw against Mainz away.
Millwall, of course, will join Nottingham Forest in celebrating West Ham’s loss today as they are traditional rivals.
