Charlotte FC Report: Week 32, 2022

Our hometown club didn’t have a matchup last weekend, but we have two coming up this week. Charlotte FC’s matchup against Chicago Fire FC went very well. They picked up a 3-2 win and split the season series. After giving up 2 goals in the first half, they looked down and out, but 2 goals from Karol Swiderski were the difference makers. Nuno Santos picked up the game-tying goal in minute 76 and Swiderski decided the match in injury time. Swiderski also came up big in his Polish national game against Wales when he scored the go-ahead goal to decide the match. It appeared that Charlotte’s playoff aspirations were going to be crushed in Chicago, but they’re still alive. Alive, but the road to get there will be tough. They will need a little help from others and basically win out from here. It going to be tough to get there, but I’m anxious to see if they can do it. The remaining 3 matches are going to be brutal and they’re still 4 points away from that 8-seed. Before I jump into the week ahead, I want to say that it is cool to see Charlotte FC finally make its way into the FIFA video game franchise. They’re featured on the new FIFA 23 and after a full season it’s about time. I haven’t gotten the game yet, but I plan to at some point during the next year. While BoA Stadium won’t be in the game, it will still be cool to play as our club in a video game.

Charlotte’s first matchup will be against the number one Philadelphia Union at home. Philadelphia is tied for the most points in the MLS and this will be a tough matchup. These two teams have already met this season and it didn’t go well for Charlotte in Philadelphia. Crazy things can happen, but I’m not expecting a good outcome this evening. Philadelphia have 3 goals scorers that have more goals that Charlotte top scorer. The only thing in favor of Charlotte is the fact that it is a home contest, but that only goes so far. Philadelphia leads the league in goals scored and goals allowed. So, they score the most and they have a stonewall defense. That is a recipe for disaster for Charlotte. Hopefully the home crowd can will us to victory. I would say a draw would be fine, but at this point, Charlotte really needs wins.

On Wednesday, Charlotte plays their final home game of the season against Columbus Crew. This matchup is absolutely must-win. Columbus is one the clubs that Charlotte is chasing for that last playoff spot. They also need Atlanta United to calm down, but more importantly, Charlotte needs to beat Columbus at home. The clubs drew at one goal apiece in their first matchup of the season back in June. Columbus didn’t pick up a single win in September and they only had two in August. They’re not a team that wins a lot of matches, but they will gladly take a draw. They lead the MLS in draws this season with 15. In their previous matchup, Andre Shinyashiki scored the lone goal and he really hasn’t been a factor as of late. I don’t know if he’s just not fitting into the gameplan or what, but hopefully he can get back on track in the close of the season.

Yacs