Charlotte FC Is Missing a Star. Chicago Showed Us Why.
Robert Lewandowski only needed two chances to expose what Charlotte’s attack is still missing.
I had barely finished celebrating Pep Biel’s goal before Robert Lewandowski equalized. Ninety-three seconds. That was all Charlotte FC got to enjoy its lead Saturday night in Chicago.
Pep’s goal was one of Charlotte’s best attacking moves of the game. He exchanged passes with Idan Toklomati, ran behind Chicago’s defense and finished into the top corner. It was quick and confident, the kind of goal that makes you think the attack might finally be clicking.
Then Lewandowski reminded everyone why Chicago signed him.
His equalizer came in the 20th minute, and he scored the winner in the 68th. Two goals on his home MLS debut were enough to give Chicago a 2-1 win and end Charlotte’s four-match unbeaten run.
I have gone back and forth on whether it is fair to say Charlotte is missing a star. Pep is an MLS All-Star, and he has played like one this season. His goal in Chicago was his ninth in league play and brought him to 16 goal contributions. Tim Ream and Ashley Westwood were All-Stars, too. Liel Abada and Allan Saint-Maximin carry the designated player label.
So Charlotte isn’t completely starless. I don’t think that is the real problem.
The problem is that when Pep isn’t creating the chance, I don’t know who else Charlotte can trust to change a game. He has become responsible for so much of the attack that one quiet stretch from him can make the entire team feel harmless. Pep can be Charlotte’s best attacking player. He cannot be the entire attack.
Here is the number I can’t get past from Saturday: one shot on target.
Pep’s goal was it.
Charlotte and Chicago both attempted 14 shots, but the Fire put five on target. Charlotte had plenty of possession and moved the ball into decent areas. Still, I never really believed a second goal was coming.
Maybe that sounds harsh after a fairly even performance. Charlotte wasn’t played off the field, and there were parts of the first half I genuinely liked. Pep, Luca de la Torre and Nathan Byrne combined well on the right side. Pep moved inside, Byrne supplied width and de la Torre found space around them. Dean Smith called it de la Torre’s best performance for Charlotte, and I would agree.
The opening goal came from that chemistry. Pep said after the game that his connection with Byrne and de la Torre feels natural. He also talked about wanting to play quickly because defenders have less time to react. That is exactly what happened on the goal.
But the second half felt different. The passing became slower, the midfield pushed too far forward and Chicago started finding open space whenever it won the ball. Pep called it a loss of concentration rather than an energy problem.
“We just disconnected in the second half,” he said. “We have many minutes disconnected, so the other team can do whatever they want.”
That is a pretty honest description of what happened.
Smith called Chicago’s goals poor from Charlotte’s perspective. On the first, Andrew Morrison stepped forward and allowed the ball to travel over him. Lewandowski finished the move through Morrison’s legs, something Smith described as one of his “pet hates.”
The second goal came after Charlotte allowed the match to become “a bit basketballish,” as Smith put it. The midfield crashed forward, the defensive protection disappeared and Harry Toffolo didn’t stop the counterattack when he had the opportunity near midfield.
Chicago eventually completed more than 25 passes in the buildup. It was a good move, but Charlotte also made it far too easy for Lewandowski to arrive unmarked in the penalty area.
That is what bothered me most about his two goals. Lewandowski only needed Charlotte to lose concentration twice. When those chances arrived, he buried them.
Charlotte didn’t have anyone who could do the same at the other end.
Abada struggled to have much influence. Toklomati produced a smart assist, but I still wanted him to be more selfish around the penalty area. There were moments when he appeared to be searching for another pass instead of turning toward goal.
That doesn’t mean Toklomati played poorly. It means Charlotte needed someone besides Pep to force the issue, and nobody did.
The current roster situation makes that problem more noticeable. Kerwin Vargas has left the club, while immigration issues have delayed Allan Saint-Maximin’s arrival. Charlotte entered the match short on natural options out wide, forcing Pep to spend more time in those areas.
Pep called it a difficult challenge but added that roster decisions were not his business. Smith sounded frustrated about the delay as well, saying that “some clubs seem to get it done quite a little bit quicker.”
It might sound like paperwork happening far away from the field, but it mattered Saturday. Chicago’s newest star was playing and scoring twice. Charlotte’s newest designated player was still outside the country.
Smith also said Charlotte is “not an L.A.” that can simply bring in a collection of famous players. I understand what he means. Charlotte is not going to build its roster the same way Los Angeles or Miami does.
I don’t completely accept it as an excuse, though.
Charlotte doesn’t need five global superstars. It needs another attacking player who can decide this type of match. Saint-Maximin was signed to be that player, and his ability to run at defenders should add something this attack currently lacks. Until he arrives and proves it, the burden stays with Pep.
The result also made Charlotte’s road problems harder to ignore. The Crown is now 2-5-1 away from home and has lost four of its last five road matches. At some point, encouraging stretches of possession have to turn into points.
I’m tired of coming away from these games talking about how Charlotte played well enough to deserve more. A team with playoff expectations cannot keep making basic defensive mistakes and then point to possession or passing numbers as proof that everything is fine.
There is another game coming quickly. Charlotte opens Leagues Cup against Pumas on Tuesday, and Pep made it clear that the team doesn’t have much time to sit with this loss.
“It just takes me today,” he said. “Tomorrow is another day.”
That is the mentality the players need. As someone watching this team, though, I’m not ready to dismiss Saturday as one unfortunate result.
For 93 seconds, Pep gave Charlotte the lead and a glimpse of what this attack can look like. Lewandowski took it away almost immediately.
I don’t expect Charlotte to find its own Lewandowski. I do expect the club to find someone capable of sharing Pep’s burden and punishing opponents when the opportunity arrives.
Chicago had that player Saturday. Charlotte didn’t.