Ashley Westwood put it simply.
“We were lucky to go in nil-nil.”
I still don’t know how Charlotte got to halftime tied. They stepped down and played to Atlas’ level, a common theme we’ve seen since the early days. Atlas should have made them pay for it.
The numbers bother me. Atlas had 63 percent of the ball. Nine shots each. Four on target each. Even the touches in the box finished 13–13. That is not what a comfortable 2–0 win usually looks like.
Miller made four saves. I keep coming back to the one before halftime. Without it, maybe none of the second-half stuff happens. Dean Smith is chasing a goal instead of changing the game on his terms.
Smith had seen enough. Liel Abada came on at halftime, with Pep Biel moving inside. Tyger Smalls, Luca de la Torre and Idan Toklomati followed in the 59th minute.
“I just felt Pep wasn’t in the game at all on the side,” Smith said. “So I wanted to get him inside and change the shape back to a 2-1 in midfield. I thought that helped us in the second half.”
Westwood saw the same problem. “We didn’t deal with the man-to-man very well, so he switched Pep inside, put him as the 10, then we dropped the two sixes. It changed the way they could press us and I think we were much better second half.”
It worked.
Smalls won the ball high and sent a low cross through the box. Abada continued his back-post run and finished it as Charlotte finally found the lead.
Smith noticed the same part of the play.
“We speak about the pass from the center back to the fullback, and he goes and wins the press and puts the great ball into the box,” he said.
Atlas, looking for a last-minute equalizer, sent goalkeeper Camilo Vargas upfield as a hail mary attempt. Charlotte were able to clear, and Smalls found himself running towards the net with lots of grass and no defenders ahead of him. 2–0.
I’ve been hard on Tyger before. His speed has never been the question. The issue has been what happens after he gets into a good position. Too many of those runs have ended with a heavy touch or a cross that never finds anyone. Friday was different.
What I liked most about the assist was that Smalls created it himself. He saw the pass going toward Atlas’ left side, attacked it early and won the ball before the defender could settle. From there, he didn’t rush. He looked across the box and played the ball into the area Abada was already attacking.
Smalls had already noticed the opening before he came on.
“I think towards the point of me coming on, there was a lot of space down the right side to exploit the left back,” he said. “I felt like it was a good opportunity for me to show what I can do and try getting behind and getting towards the box.”
The second goal was easier, but I was still waiting for something to go wrong during the run. There was too much open grass and too much time to think. Smalls kept it simple and finished it.
Smith defended him afterward.
“I think Tyger’s always got unfair criticism. I know the talent that he’s got, and unfortunately for him, as with other young wide players as well, we’ve had designated players in them positions, so it’s hard for them to break in. And when they do, they don’t get lots of minutes.”
Westwood went even further.
“Tyger’s probably won us the game tonight, which is what you ask from your subs,” he said. “They’re there to make a difference when they go on. And Tyger did that.”
I think he did. Charlotte didn’t have a goal before Smalls entered the match. By the end, he had created one and scored the other.
Smith was not all praise.
“I think sometimes it’s that focus element that he needs more,” Smith said. “There were moments today still where he probably weren’t as focused as he could have been, but for the goal, a brilliant press in action.”
That can’t be ignored. I haven’t questioned whether Smalls belongs. I have questioned whether the runs will end with something. Against Atlas, they did.
This was not Smalls’ first good night of the week. He scored against Pumas three days earlier. “A lot of times you get judged off goals and assists,” Smalls said. “It’s been good to get two in two, but most importantly, get the two wins as well.” “Obviously we’ve still got a job to do on Tuesday night,” Smalls said. “Hopefully we can go into that with confidence. Obviously it’s here as well, so yeah, looking forward to it.”
Two good nights do not erase every concern I’ve had about him. They do earn him another opportunity. Charlotte needed someone to change the pace of the match, and Smalls did it.