Titi Ortíz dyed his hair, then Charlotte FC won. Now he says it’s good luck.
Cristian Ortíz, who goes by his nickname Titi, has scored twice for Charlotte FC in the team’s last three matches, netting one goal against the Greenville Triumph last Wednesday to help lift the club to its first win in the U.S. Open Cup tournament.
The Argentine midfielder has played more than 400 minutes for the Major League Soccer expansion club and was even — for a few moments — celebrated by Charlotte FC fans as the player who scored the team’s first-ever goal.
That was during Charlotte FC’s inaugural match against D.C. United in February when Ortíz sent the ball into the net, then ran to the corner of the field to celebrate in front of the traveling Charlotte crowd. But Ortíz was quickly called offside, and no goal was awarded.
Since then, his goals have stood.
He spoke with The Charlotte Observer about those moments, lessons from the match at Colorado and lucky hair.
This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity. Answers were translated from Spanish with assistance from Charlotte FC communications coordinator Gwen Hernandez.
Alex Andrejev: How is the team feeling about Saturday’s draw in Colorado? How are you feeling physically since it’s been a busy few weeks of play?
Titi Ortíz: The game was difficult. We knew going into it that Colorado would be a tough game, but we came with great energy to try and get the results in Colorado. It worked. It was the first point we got away and we want to keep getting better, to get three points away. In terms of how I feel personally, it’s great to compete often with a couple of games in the week. Especially if we win, I feel like I’m gaining more confidence. And whatever I can do to help the team, if that’s playing two games, I will do so.
AA: You’ve scored in two of Charlotte’s last three matches, most recently against Greenville. What makes you such a threat by the net?
TO: I’ve been working hard every game and during training, trying to get better and better, and I knew that eventually, I would score goals. The first goal I wasn’t able to enjoy much because we were coming from behind, but in the game for the U.S. Open Cup, I was able to enjoy it much more. You can gain more confidence and feel good when you help out the team.
AA: So what was the feeling of scoring your first official goal for Charlotte FC (against New England) and did you think back to the D.C. United match at all?
TO: When I scored the first goal that was then taken away, I remember celebrating a lot with the fans who traveled to D.C. It didn’t end up the way I wanted, but as I said, I knew I had to keep on working because I knew at any moment, I was going to (score). When I did my first goal, I didn’t think anything. I wanted to tie the game, then win and I hope to keep scoring.
AA: What did you take away from Saturday’s match to apply to this weekend against Orlando, if anything? What did the team learn?
TO: (Colorado) was very good. They competed well. I think we had better chances. We missed being cleaner with our finishes to goals, but for circumstantial reasons, we weren’t able to make it happen. For Orlando, it’s to come in our best form and get the three points.
AA: Other players have talked about MLS playoffs being their objective for the season. Is this also how you feel? What’s your goal for the season?
TO: Yes, our goal is to get to the playoffs and eventually win the Cup. We are prepared for that. We are on a good path and we need to continue down that path to clinch a playoff spot, so why not dream about winning the Cup.
AA: What’s the story behind dying your hair? I noticed that a few guys on the team, like Daniel (Ríos) and Jordy (Alcívar) and you, changed your hair around the same time. Did you all do that together?
TO: I dyed my hair before them, but sometimes there are conversations around dying our hair in the locker room. I thought, let me dye my hair, and maybe it’ll change the team’s luck. I did it before our first win, and now I will keep it, so we keep doing well.
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
