Photo: Matthew Calamari (@calamari.media)
Charlotte FC visits Toronto FC at BMO Field on Wednesday with a chance to correct one of the few things it has not solved this season: winning away from home.
The Crown enters the match after a 3-1 victory over Columbus. Brandt Bronico scored 29 seconds in and Liel Abada converted a penalty in the ninth minute. Chase Adams pulled Columbus within one before halftime, but Pep Biel restored the two-goal lead in the 73rd minute.
Charlotte still spent too much of the match defending. Columbus finished with 70% possession, 26 shots, 57 touches in Charlotte’s box and 13 corners. Columbus Crew also forced Kristijan Kahlina to make several saves.
Toronto finally won, somehow
Toronto is coming off an almost identical result. The Reds beat New England 2-1 on Saturday for their first MLS victory since April 4, even though New England had almost 71% possession, took 24 shots and won 11 corners. Toronto took three shots and did not win a corner.
Toronto will be missing Djordje Mihailovic after his red card against New England. Jonathan Osorio has a knee injury as well. Alonso Coello could join Niklas Dorsch and 18-year-old Markus Cimermancic in the midfield.
Dániel Sallói is the Toronto player Charlotte should be most worried about. He has four goals and three assists in 19 MLS appearances. Toronto will probably use Sallói and Theo Corbeanu on either side of Josh Sargent.
Matchups to watch
Bronico runs more than any other player on the field and has enough technical ability to back it up. It’s surprising he has played so few minutes this season, but the Charlotte 49ers graduate has made it count when needed. He has a lot of grit and fights for the badge, and he’s also a fan favorite.
Photo: Matthew Calamari (@calamari.media)
Toronto’s replacement midfield should not get much time to settle if Bronico starts and presses from the opening whistle. His energy could also take some of the defensive work away from Ashley Westwood.
The other matchup to watch is Abada and David Schnegg against Richie Laryea. Abada said their connection was better Saturday than it had been during Leagues Cup. Laryea likes to leave right back and join the attack, so there should be room behind him.
Allan Saint-Maximin looked great, and it’s clear he’s still getting used to the artificial turf. That’s something he mentioned in the postgame press conference. But he had sparks of brilliance in the limited time that he played, and it seems like he will only get better. BMO Field has grass, so it will be interesting to see if that makes any difference Wednesday.
Nathan Byrne is the main lineup question after tweaking the hamstring that has bothered him before. Will Cleary would be the likely replacement at right back if Byrne cannot play.
It’s unclear why Smith keeps playing Biel on the right and then has to use substitutions or tactical changes to shift him more toward the middle, because that is where he plays the best. Toronto spent most of Saturday without the ball, and Charlotte will need Biel in the middle if it has to break the Reds down.
Photo: Matthew Calamari (@calamari.media)
Biel has scored in three straight matches and leads Charlotte with 10 MLS goals. His recent form becomes especially important while Charlotte continues to rotate Idan Toklomati and Archie Goodwin at center forward.
The road problem
Charlotte has won four straight in this series, including a 3-1 victory in May. However, Charlotte is only 2-5-1 away from home, which is the main concern about this match.
Westwood has played way too many minutes, and while he is playing extremely well and has been very important to the squad, he tends to get tired toward the final 20 minutes. With that comes a chance of injury or fatigue after playing so much, so often.
Saturday’s rain delay made a four-day turnaround even shorter. Bronico can take some of the running away from Westwood, but Charlotte is still dependent on its captain when it has to control possession and stop Dorsch from carrying Toronto through midfield.
Opta gives Charlotte a 39.7% chance to win. Toronto is at 34.5%, with the draw at 25.8%.
Toronto enters short-handed and Charlotte has had its number. This should be a Charlotte win. The road record has to get better at some point, and Wednesday is a very good chance to start.
