Charlotte FC sets a new club record for goals in rout of Nashville. How they did it
Karol Swiderski had sole control over Charlotte’s goal-scoring leaderboard for half an hour before Andre Shinyashiki took it back.
The two forwards scored as Charlotte FC recorded a 4-1 win over Nashville SC in a Saturday night home contest in front of a national television audience.
The four goals were the most the club has scored in an MLS match in its inaugural season. (Charlotte scored 5 against Richmond in the US Open Cup.)
Swiderski, Shinyashiki, Christian Fuchs and Sergio Ruiz scored for Charlotte, while Hany Mukhtar had the lone Nashville goal off a penalty kick.
Karol Swiderski capitalizes on third try
Swiderski entered Saturday night’s contest mired in an 11-game goalless drought. Throughout the first 60 minutes of the match, it looked like that number would grow to 12.
A couple of key opportunities died on the 25-year-old’s foot.
The first came off a pass from Harrison Afful, as Swiderski launched a soft turnaround shot that Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis stopped. Later, he stood at the top of the box and had a chance to make a play, but an incoming pass exploded off his foot and out of dangerous territory.
Swiderski made up for those missed opportunities in the 61st minute, heading a Yordy Reyna cross to the left of a lunging Willis for Charlotte’s second goal of the night.
“This moment was important for me because if you’re a striker, you need to score,” he said.
The Polish forward said he went “crazy” after the game, climbing up stairs from the field into the supporter section as Carolina-blue smoke billowed around him.
“I hope I can score more goals because of course I’m (a designated player), and I need to score,” he said.
Guzman Corujo exits game
Corujo, who came into Saturday having played every minute of every MLS contest for Charlotte this year, exited after the first half for Christian Makoun. Late in the first half, he came to the sideline, where a team trainer put a blue wrap on his left thigh.
The defender felt something in his hamstring, interim head coach Christian Lattanzio said after the game. The team didn’t want to risk playing him against a dangerous Nashville attack, one that loaded up with attackers such as Teal Bunbury to kick off the second half.
“He was not 100 percent, we couldn’t risk (keeping him on), especially against this team; we know how dangerous they are,” Lattanzio said. “And they made changes straight away in the second half, bringing on another big striker with a lot of power.”
The move pushed Fuchs back into a full defensive position, where he slotted in alongside Anton Walkes and Makoun in a unit that gave up some chances but limited Nashville to just one goal with some timely saves from goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.
Fuchs also scored the first goal of the game, knocking home a penalty kick after Ruiz drew a foul. Fuchs jogged up before firing a slow, low shot to the left side of the goal.
With the keeper diving the opposite direction, his shot found the back of the net and gave Charlotte an early lead in the 26th minute.
The goal marked Fuchs’ second tally of the year and first since late April. He’s now 2 for 2 on penalty attempts this year.
“Christian is Christian,” Lattanzio said. “ We know how important he is to the team … the penalty, it takes a responsibility. He’s one of the leaders of this team and we are so lucky to have him.
Substitutions prove pivotal
Lattanzio kept Ben Bender and Shinyashiki on the bench in favor of Reyna and Quinn McNeill, employing the same starting lineup he did in the team’s win over Houston.
Lattanzio noticed that his team had fallen back too far in an effort to protect their slim lead, prompting him to put Shinyashiki, another striker, into the lineup at the 73rd minute. After the game, he praised the forward’s versatility.
“Obviously, he can score goals. He’s got this confidence about himself,” Lattanzio said. “He’s intelligent, he can play many different positions … For me Andre is a complete player.”
The coach then substituted Bender at the 80th minute to give the team more energy and physicality, he said. Those moves worked perfectly, as the pair directly helped on Charlotte’s final two goals.
Bender caught up to a long pass down the right sideline and came to a sudden stop before finding a surging Sergio Ruiz for a goal. Minutes later, he’d set up Shinyashiki.
Shinyashiki played alongside Swiderski in a departure from Lattanzio’s strategy in the Houston matchup and tied his fellow forward in goals (5) with a rocket from outside the box off Bender’s feed.
In his rookie season, Bender has five assists and three goals. His recent emergence as a bench threat gives Lattanzio a weapon to throw at tired teams late in games.
“I wanted a little bit more energy,” Lattanzio said, citing the caliber of opponent and the humidity as factors. “That’s why I wanted Ben … when he comes … he comes like a hurricane.”
This story was originally published July 9, 2022 at 5:27 PM.
