Karol Świderski gets airborne to finally show Charlotte FC again what makes him valuable
Karol Świderski beamed as he sat in the light-up throne, amidst flashing blue and white lights and fans clamoring to get a picture. The forward flashed a thumbs-up for the camera as he sat in the throne, his reward as Man of the Match in Charlotte FC’s 4-1 win over Nashville SC last weekend.
His seat marked the second time that night Świderski joined Charlotte supporters in the stands, the first coming after he scored his fifth goal of the year and sprinted from the field up into the seats to celebrate with the fans.
The celebration, with him and his teammates making a desperate dash into the stands, felt like a release for a player who’d gone over two months without scoring.
His goal broke an 11-game scoreless streak and rejuvenated a player who’d looked weary after an extended stretch of soccer without a break.
“I know this season will be difficult for me because I (haven’t had) holidays in the last one and a half, two years,” Świderski said.
Between playing for Charlotte, his previous club PAOK Salonika and the Polish national team, Świderski has made 110 appearances across the last two years.
“It’s a lot,” he said. “But I will try to keep my best … keep my maximum in every training.”
The cumulative effect of those games may have affected the Polish striker. He started off Charlotte’s season strong, with back-to-back two-goal games in the team’s fourth and fifth matches of the year, momentarily becoming the top scorer in Major League Soccer.
Świderski then began a prolonged goal drought that spanned 11 MLS games. His scoresheet didn’t feature a single goal or assist from the end of March through mid-July.
The forward did create scoring chances in that time. For the season, Świderski’s 23 on-target scoring attempts rank fourth in MLS. Through his 11-game cold spell, the forward created 2.6 expected goals but couldn’t put any of them home.
After one of those matches, a frustrating 1-0 loss to Austin on June 30, interim head coach Christian Lattanzio said that the skill to convert chances to goals is what makes strikers so valuable.
“They have to do a difficult job and to play where the spaces are congested,” he said. While he didn’t explicitly criticize Świderski, he called the game “a wake-up call” for the team to build an attack and then finish the job with a goal.
Andre Shinyashiki, who’s tied with Świderski atop Charlotte FC’s goal leaderboard with 5, made a similar point after that game as he called for his team to be better in the attacking box.
“I think we need to be better in the final third. I think everybody, the wingers, the striker, the midfielder, I think it’ll come with time,” he said. “But it doesn’t just come, you have to work on those things. So we’ve got to get working.”
A few days later, Shinyashiki said Świderski wasn’t a true striker. He didn’t offer it as a critique, instead saying that the forward feels more comfortable playing with the ball on his feet rather than on aerial challenges.
“I feel like he doesn’t like aerial challenges and things like that,” he said. “He can do it but I feel like he prefers the ball to his feet because he’s a very technical player.”
Świderski showed no hesitancy to get airborne for his goal against Nashville, placing himself between SC’s Dave Romney and Walker Zimmerman, the latter of whom is a two-time defending MLS Defender of the Year.
He then out-jumped both as Yordy Reyna’s cross arrived, deftly heading the ball to his left and into the goal to score the game-winning tally.
“I know (it) will be difficult to go with Zimmerman, because he’s (a) strong guy,” Świderski said. “ … I don’t care if I need to play in the aerial duels, OK, sometimes it’s more difficult but sometimes it’s easy.
“Of course, it was not (an) easy ball to score but I’m happy to be back to scoring,”
The goal concluded a 25-pass possession for Charlotte, which crisscrossed the ball around the field to build space and time for the game-winner. It’s the exact kind of play Lattanzio wanted, using strong play in the box to capitalize on the hard work done in the midfield.
It wasn’t Świderski’s only highlight of the night, as he kicked off the match with flair. The forward received a pass before using a pair of wicked crossovers to twist Nashville midfielder Brian Anuga into knots before moving upfield.
He then dished off a pass for Brandt Bronico before shrugging off Sean Davis and sending him to the ground, using every bit of his 6-foot frame to do so. As Mint City Analytics outlined, Świderski then drove hard to the net, realizing that doing so would create space on the back end for Reyna.
While the play didn’t result in a goal, it showed the advantage Świderski creates from his presence, using gravity to draw defenders inward.
His dynamic offensive play allowed him to create chances for himself and others. Now, after a scoring slump, he’s back to putting those chances in the net and diving into the supporters’ section with glee.
“I go crazy,” he said. “This feeling was fantastic for me, to score in our stadium in front of our fans, I’m so happy.”
This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 10:53 AM.
