Charlotte FC gets one goal (an Olimpico!) and revenge against Atlanta United

Charlotte FC scored in the 11th minute and held on to even the ledger with a 1-0 win over Atlanta United in front of 32,496 fans at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday

Jordy Alcivar scored directly from a corner kick from the left side. His right-footed cross-turned-shot swerved wickedly as it approached the goal over the outstretched arm of goalkeeper Brad Guzan. It came shortly after he had taken two corners from the right side during a period of concerted pressure on the Atlanta goal by Charlotte.

It was an impressive showing by the now 3-0-4 Charlotte against the 2018 MLS Cup champions, who rewrote the standard by which first-year teams are measured after a strong debut in 2017.

“The first half was a show,” said Charlotte coach Miguel Angel Ramirez. “We deserved to go into the halftime with more goals.”

Just a few weeks back, Charlotte went into Atlanta and played them evenly until losing 2-1 on a goal in added time.

He said he learned from his coaching time in Brazil, that any team can beat another on a given day. “It happened in the past for me when I played against giant clubs like Flamengo and the amazing players that they have. This is the magic of football.”

Ramirez acknowledged the strength of Atlanta and how they came at Charlotte to the very end.

“They have top players on the bench, able to make a difference, and they pushed us but we were able to compete, to suffer. We stayed well organized, always composed. This group was simply amazing how they compete.”

Here’s what Sunday’s match taught us:

The shape

Charlotte is better when they are aggressive on offense. Coach Miguel Angel Ramirez returned to a four-back defensive setup from the five he lined up last week against the Philadelphia Union. The 4-4-2 paired Karol Swiderski and Daniel Rios up top.

Charlotte was sluggish off the start with passes not connecting and players not reading each other well, turning when they should’ve checked back, not making an anticipated run, and so on.

That changed after the goal as an energized Charlotte started taking the match to United with aggressive play and passes finding their mark. Atlanta’s compact shape up the middle also allowed Charlotte to find space on the wings, especially on the right for Alan Franco and Jaylin Lindsey.

Twenty-five minutes in, the MLS stats were still showing Atlanta with a lead in possession time but it didn’t feel like that. The first 10 minutes were mostly in the Charlotte end but Alcivar’s goal woke up everyone dressed in blue, on the pitch and in the stands.

“Our defensive shape was very organized today and I think we did a good job shutting them down,” midfielder Brandt Bronico said.

Charlotte FC finished with a slight possession advantage, controlling the ball 50.8 percent of the match.

Control and patience

For a first-time observer, it would have been hard to tell which team was a first-year club and which was the MLS champion in 2018. The defense didn’t over-react to offensive moves and limited Atlanta’s chances. On offense, Charlotte waited for plays to develop and consistently looked for the best pass to make.

When asked to describe Ramirez’s system for the team, Bronico said, “Brave, patient, and clever.”

Indeed, only seven games into its history, Charlotte has demonstrated consistent growth and improvement. Ramirez’s desire to play out of the back, even under pressure, has required all of those traits, especially patience after last week’s second goal given up to Philadelphia after a miscue by Kristijan Kahlina, who has been exceptional otherwise.

It’s also fun to watch for the fans whether they are new to the sport or long time lovers of what has been called, “the beautiful game”.

“I can speak for the whole team in saying, I enjoy how we play soccer.”

An Olimpico

Alcivar’s goal, scored directly by the player taking a corner kick, is known as an Olimpico, not because it was first done in an Olympic game but because Argentina’s Cesareo Onzari scored that way against reigning Olympic champions Uruguay in 1924 and the name stuck.

Megan Rapinoe famously scored one for the USA against Australia in the bronze medal match at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

In describing the goal, Ramirez said that Alcivar had a quality of “Sinvergüenza,” a Spanish word that translates roughly as shameless or brazen. Essentially, the coach was saying Alcivar has a quality that makes him willing to take a chance if he sees the opportunity. Or, as the Roman playwright Terence wrote, “Fortune favors the bold.”

No Swi-goal-ski, no problem

After scoring four goals with a pair in each of the previous two home matches, striker Karol Swiderski was held without a shot in this match. The Polish national team player won’t be happy with that, but he was instrumental in Charlotte’s offense, consistently working off the ball, making himself a conduit for teammates in numerous build-ups, and applying critical pressure on Atlanta’s back line to deny long balls for counter attacks.

Numbers can be deceiving

Atlanta finished with an edge on shots (16-15) and shots-on-goal (6-4), with much of that coming in the waning minutes as the Five Stripes pressed to find an equalizer. Those numbers are deceiving, though, as their attempts went wide of the posts or straight into the arms of Charlotte’s Kristijan Kahlina, who did not have to make any of the dramatic saves he had in previous matches.

It was a balanced attack for the Blues with Alcivar and Rios finishing with three shots apiece along with 2 each for Bender and Franco. Five others had one shot.

Home field is an advantage

Playing at home makes a difference in MLS. Atlanta, Portland, and Seattle have been among the best in proving the value of an engaged audience, and many other MLS teams benefit from not just a vibrant supporters section but an entire arena of fans staying in the moment and expressing their pleasure… or displeasure with the play or referee calls at great volume.

“The supporters are amazing,” said Bronico. “They make this a fortress for us. Other teams come here and are intimidated by how loud the crowd really is. It’s just an amazing atmosphere.”

This story was originally published April 10, 2022 at 3:39 PM.