Charlotte FC beats RBNY for biggest win of season to get back in MLS playoff picture
Charlotte FC defeated the New York Red Bulls 2-0 in a win that propelled it back into position for the sixth seed and a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
Saturday marked the first match for Charlotte under interim head coach Christian Lattanzio, and it was rookie Ben Bender who scored the game-winning goal during stoppage time before the end of the first half. (Titi Ortíz assist.)
“I took it down, moved it forward, and then I just put my head down and struck it as hard as I could,” Bender said of his third goal of the season.
The shot was deflected by Red Bull’s defender Thomas Edwards, a happy accident, the rookie said after the game.
“Maybe it’s a lucky deflection but keep taking those shots and sometimes those go in,” Bender said.
Charlotte’s second goal came from a pair of substitutes. It started with a slick feed from Sergio Ruiz, who slithered past a pair of defenders and slid the ball over to Derrick Jones for a tap-in during stoppage time in the second half to put the game away.
Charlotte FC improved to 6-8-1 with the victory and is 6-2-0 at home.
Here’s what else we learned from Charlotte FC’s match in front of a home crowd of 32,064 at Bank of America Stadium.
OPEN OFFENSE FOR CHARLOTTE FC
After a slow first few minutes, Charlotte consistently tilted the play in its favor.
While it didn’t have as much sustained offensive possession time, Lattanzio’s squad consistently got out into the open field and found itself with a host of opportunities.
Bender noted after the game that the new coach’s system allowed a bit more freedom while attacking.
“Little bit more fluid movement going forward and a bit different style with the wingers,” he said. “The wingers can drop back a little bit more and in (former coach Miguel Angel Ramirez’s) system, the wingers would stay super high and wide.”
Charlotte fired 11 shots, five of which came on goal. New York goalkeeper Carlos Coronel made three saves in the game, including stopping solid scoring chances for Daniel Ríos and Andre Shinyashiki.
Even without a host of players, the Charlotte offense flowed well, connecting on 79.5% of its passes.
In his opening press conference on Thursday, Lattanzio stressed the need for a more aggressive attack inside the box.
“Whatever is in the boxes, in the two boxes, is what very often determines the results,” he said.
His team heeded that in front of the home crowd, connecting on efficient plays that allowed them to create scoring chances.
“We have a certain structure that we want to use when we play,” Lattanzio said Saturday. “And again, the boys are also left when you play in a certain structure to see where the space is and protect the space.”
LIMITING DEFENSE
In that Thursday press conference, Lattanzio said his team needed to be more compact on the defensive end. That showed against New York as Charlotte FC limited New York to just one shot on goal.
The Charlotte defense had 24 clearances and won 16 tackles en route to the shutdown performance. Joseph Mora finished with nine tackles to lead Charlotte in that category.
“We tried to be more compact, more like a block,” Ruiz, who had an assist on the second goal, said. “When we are defending, try to be more together, (keep) the lines close.”
Lattanzio credited his team’s defense to its spirit rather than any tactical adjustments. New York opened with an aggressive press and the coach praised his team’s ability to counter that with long passes.
“When the team presses you, you need to be able to go long and you have to have a guy that can do that,” he said.
Behind them, goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina had a shaky start, nearly mishandling a ball straight to a Red Bulls player.
But he steadied himself, including making a key save in the 43rd minute. He stopped the initial shot and dove to secure the rebound, earning a kick in the face while doing so.
He stayed in the game to a host of cheers and recorded his fifth shutout of the year.
FIRST GAME ADJUSTMENTS
Charlotte played shorthanded against New York due to injury and international play. Christian Fuchs and Yordy Reyna were questionable with right- and left-thigh injuries, respectively. Neither played in Saturday’s match.
Karol Swiderski and Kamil Józwiak, both designated players, were also unavailable as they competed for Poland in the Nations League tournament. (Poland earned a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands.)
Charlotte FC plugged the holes in its lineup with Anton Walkes, Ortiz and McKinze Gaines.
“I believe a lot in Titi, I think Titi is one of the best technical players that could be in this league,” Lattanzio said.
He also gave Daniel Rios his eighth start of the year over Jordy Alcívar, who didn’t see the pitch Saturday.
“I think the game was going into a direction that we needed different players,” Lattanzio said. “We have many good players and not everybody can play … Jordy is a player I rely on and he needs to keep working and improving and he will be involved.”
This story was originally published June 11, 2022 at 2:35 PM.
