In this edition of Oppo Research, Hudson River Blue spoke with Daniel Bramlette of the Charlotte Soccer Show to learn more about Charlotte FC, New York City FC's playoff opponent on Tuesday night. Here is your NYCFC versus Charlotte preview.
• League Form: W-L-L-W-W
• Record: 19W, 2D, 13L | 59 points, 4th place
• Scoring Leader: Idan Toklomati, 11 goals
• Assist Leader: Pep Biel, 11 assists
1. The vibes are good for Charlotte
Hudson River Blue: After NYCFC snapped Charlotte’s nine-game winning streak on September 20, the Crown ended the season with a loss and two consecutive victories heading into the playoffs. What’s the vibe surrounding Charlotte following a club-record fourth-place finish in the East?
Daniel Bramlette: The vibes are strong, but not quite immaculate. The Montréal loss shook the confidence of the fanbase, but The Crown bounced back with a very impressive Decision Day victory over Philadelphia, scoring two very classy goals in the process. Losing Zaha for the first match vs NYC is a big blow, but I'm not sure many fans have internalized that reality because the second Yellow came so late in that match, and most of us were already partying pretty hard at that point. Overall, with the memories of the record win streak still in our minds to go with a Top 4 finish, it's fair to say that fans have big expectations going into the postseason.
2. Charlotte's team is stronger than ever
HRB: Charlotte lost to Orlando City in Round One of last season’s playoffs. It’s clear this year’s team is stronger, but do you think they could make a deep playoff run?
DB: In general, this squad has shown the consistent trait of playing up and down, to the level of its competition: Took 12 points of a possible 18 from the three teams that finished ahead of us in the table, but also lost to Montréal and New England at home, as well as at Kansas City. That should bode well for the MLS Cup Playoffs. It's the best Charlotte FC team we've ever seen, and we can't wait to watch them go on a run.
3. No Wilfried Zaha, up steps Liel Abada
HRB: Wilfried Zaha was sent off in Charlotte’s 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Union, meaning he won’t be available for Tuesday’s game. With Zaha suspended, who will Charlotte turn to in terms of offensive production?
DB: With one DP gone, Charlotte MUST have their other DP step up in a big spot. To say Liel Abada has underwhelmed this year is an understatement indeed. He's lost his spot in the Starting XI but will likely come back into the side to replace Wilf. If he doesn't contribute, we're in trouble.
Idan Toklomati and Kerwin Vargas have proven they can put opponents in danger in the attack, but it's been easier for them with so much of the defense focused on Zaha in most matches. It's Abada's time to shine in Game 1, and if he fails, I think calls from the many fans to sell him will only get louder.
4. The X-Factor: Kristijan Kahlina
HRB: What's the X-factor that could decide this game?
DB: As always, Kristijan Kahlina is Charlotte FC's X-factor. On the right night, he is simply unbeatable, even if you are Leo Messi from the penalty spot, and we've been blessed to have many of those nights from Kahli the last few years. He's the defending MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and should win it again this year, although he probably won't, because there have been times this year when he's been prone to a big mistake, and he suffered from a bit of a form loss and a lack of focus in the early part of the summer this season.
Two of Charlotte's playoff matches last year vs Orlando went to penalty kicks, and there's certainly potential for more shootouts in the series with NYC. Kahlina has the potential to single-handedly win this series if he has to, though we don't necessarily want it to come to that.
5. Predicted score, Starting XI
HRB: Prediction time: Starting XI? Final score?
DB: I'll go the homer route and predict a 2-0 Charlotte win in Game 1, the same result we had when the Pigeons visited in July.
Losing Zaha certainly makes things tougher, but again, in that aforementioned regular-season match, Zaha played very poorly and was subbed fairly early. Goals were scored by Toklomati and Vargas. Here's hoping they both do it again. For what it's worth, I think this is certainly a must-win match because we are horrible in Yankee Stadium, the characteristics there just don't fit our players' styles. Feels like we will need to win two home matches to advance in this series.
