Charlotte FC notebook: Path to the postseason, possibility of Lionel Messi playing Saturday
Four days, two matches, and plenty of sub-plots.
That’s life for Charlotte FC, which opens the final stretch of its MLS season Wednesday night on the road against Inter Miami FC.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. at DRV PNK Stadium, with the Queen City team still in the race for a playoff spot in its second MLS season.
There are all kinds of potential twists and turns for Charlotte FC, but the bottom line is simple:
▪ If Charlotte beats Miami on Wednesday and again Saturday in Charlotte, the Queen City team will finish eighth in the MLS East and will host the wild-card playoff match against the No. 9 finisher.
▪ If Charlotte loses both matches to Miami, the season will be finished.
What about two ties? Or a win and a tie?
With five teams in the battle for two playoff spots, it’s just too complicated to figure out.
As Charlotte FC coach Christian Lattanzio said Tuesday, “We have to focus on one game at a time. It’s unusual to play the same team twice in four days, but we have to focus on the next match.”
So here are four things to know about Charlotte FC’s final week of the regular season:
No Messi on Wednesday, but …
Inter Miami FC striker Lionel Messi, generally regarded as one of the best to play soccer, will not be in the Miami lineup Wednesday. He was scheduled to play Tuesday night for his home country, Argentina, in a World Cup qualifier against Peru.
With travel constraints, he can’t get back in time for Wednesday’s match.
But according to some reports out of South Florida, Messi could play Saturday night in Charlotte.
“Obviously, Messi is the icing on the cake,” Lattanzio said. “If he is not the best player in the world, he is not far from it.”
Since signing with Miami during the summer, Messi has scored 11 goals and eight assists in 11 matches.
He has not played since being injured in a Sept. 21 match but was cleared to play Tuesday against Peru.
It’s not just Messi
Miami has plenty of other standouts, such as Jordi Alba, Messi’s former teammate in Barcelona.
Alba is expected to play for Miami in both matches this week. And the Florida team also has Leonardo Campana (nine goals, two assists) and Josef Martinez (seven goals, one assist).
Despite being eliminated from the MLS playoff race, Miami will be a dangerous foe this week.
“They have a lot of good players,” Lattanzio said. “It will be difficult.”
Swiderski is back
Charlotte FC striker Karol Swiderski is back in the United States and will travel with the Queen City team to Miami for Wednesday’s match.
Swiderski had been playing with Poland’s national team in international matches over the weekend.
“We’ll have to take into consideration the travel he’s had, but he will be with us,” Lattanzio said, when asked whether Swiderski will play Wednesday night.
What will it take?
Just what is the mathematics behind the MLS playoff race?
Nine playoff spots are available in the MLS East. In the race are eighth-place Montreal (41 points), New York Red Bulls (40), Chicago (40), Charlotte (39) and New York FC (38).
Charlotte has two matches remaining, and the others have one.
With victories worth three points and ties worth one, Charlotte could finish with 45 points and eighth place, by winning twice this week. Losing one of the matches against Miami means Charlotte would need help from the other teams.
Something to keep in mind: the MLS breaks ties by the number of victories a team has.
Charlotte, with a 9-11-12 record, has the fewest victories of the teams in contention. So winning Wednesday and Saturday is by far the easiest path to the playoffs.
Watch party planned
A watch party for Wednesday’s match in Miami is planned at Bank of America Stadium. Admission is free, but fans must reserve tickets in advance. Fans will sit either on the field or in the lower bowl, and the match will be shown on the stadium’s video screen. Tickets can be found at this link.
This story was originally published October 18, 2023 at 5:00 AM.