By Billy McGee
April 4, 2025
Charlotte FC had a disappointing performance on the road against the Colorado Rapids, suffering a 2-0 loss and dropping all three points. The Crown struggled in the attack throughout the match, dealing with the wind on the pitch during the second half.
“I don’t think we dealt with the conditions really well,” said Dean Smith in the postgame press conference. “It was a bobbly pitch. I thought our first touch at times let us down, it was poor passes and it was very unlike us.”
When Charlotte managed to enter the final third, they struggled to create meaningful chances, registering just three total crosses and 0.8 expected goals for the match. One of their best opportunities came in the 52nd minute when Pep Biel played a pass across to Patrick Agyemang on the left side of the box. Agyemang took a couple of touches before firing a shot, but Zack Steffen made a diving save at the far post to deny him.
Charlotte’s defense held off Colorado for the entire first half and much of the second before conceding two goals in a three-minute span. They limited Colorado to six shot attempts in the first half, but the Rapids ramped up the pressure after the break, taking 12 shots — seven of which were blocked by Charlotte defenders — before finally breaking through with their 13th attempt of the half.
The first goal came in the 78th minute when Omir Fernández found Djordje Mihailovic unmarked in the middle of the box, and Mihailovic scored with his first touch. Just two minutes later, Mihailovic played a through ball to Rafael Navarro, who got behind Adilson Malanda and went to the ground after contact, drawing a foul in the box and earning a penalty. Kristijan Kahlina guessed the wrong way on Mihailovic’s kick, giving Colorado a 2-0 lead and securing a brace for Mihailovic.
The Crown struggled to create chances in attack, managing just 10 shots in the match — only three of which were on target, none particularly dangerous. While Charlotte hasn’t taken many shots in their three wins this season, they have been more threatening in attack, capitalizing on quick transitions and counterattacks — an area where they have struggled in their losses. Against Colorado, they controlled nearly 55% of possession and completed 502 total passes, their highest tally of the season so far.
The Crown will look to bounce back at home this weekend against Nashville SC. Charlotte and Nashville are tied in their all-time series with two wins apiece and one draw. Nashville currently sits sixth in the Eastern Conference (one spot behind Charlotte) but both teams have the same number of points, with Charlotte holding the tiebreaker on goals scored.
Nashville is coming off a 2-1 loss to FC Cincinnati in a fairly even match, where both teams managed 15 or more shots and six or more shots on target. They took the lead in the 39th minute with a goal from defender Josh Bauer after a shot was saved and bounced out to him after an attempted clearance. Cincinnati evened the score in the 43rd minute with Evander scoring from a bending free kick in the top corner at the near post after taking a slight deflection off the Nashville wall.
Nashville was awarded a penalty kick in the 47th minute after Kévin Denkey pulled Walker Zimmerman down during a corner, sending him to the ground. After a VAR review confirmed the decision, Hany Mukhtar stepped up to take the penalty in the 49th minute. He struck it well, but Roman Celentano guessed correctly and got a hand to the ball, making the save to keep the score level. Cincinnati earned their own penalty in the first minute of stoppage time after a handball in the box. Denkey converted from the spot to give Cincinnati a 2-1 lead and the win.
Charlotte will need more from their attack against Nashville if they hope to extend their home winning streak. The front three of Wilfried Zaha, Patrick Agyemang, and Liel Abada have combined for just three goals this season, leaving room for improvement. However, The Crown have been one of the league’s best home teams — eight of their 10 goals this season have come at The Fortress, including a four-goal showing in their most recent home match against San Jose.
Andrew Privett will be available for the match after serving his red card suspension, giving head coach Dean Smith a decision to make on the back line between Privett, Souleyman Doumbia, and Tim Ream. Charlotte will need to limit Nashville’s shot attempts after allowing 22 against Colorado and 27 against San Jose. While Charlotte has a similar defensive lineup to last year, the unit has not been as solid this season. The most shots they allowed in a single game during their first six matches of 2024 was 17 against FC Cincinnati. This season, they have already allowed 17 or more shots in three of their first six matches. They have also conceded two penalties, compared to just one during the entire 2024 regular season.
Charlotte should also look to give Idan Toklomati more playing time against Nashville. Toklomati impressed in his start during Agyemang’s absence against San Jose but was limited to a 78th-minute substitution against Colorado. If the attack isn’t working, they could bring Toklomati on earlier as a substitute for Agyemang, as he offers a different playing style at center forward. While both players use their athleticism to get on the end of long passes, Agyemang relies on his size and physicality to win aerial duels and draw fouls, whereas Toklomati is a stronger passer, boasting the best accurate pass percentage rate on the team at 92.6%.
Charlotte FC will take on Nashville SC at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 5, streaming on Apple TV MLS Season Pass. Tickets for the match are available through Ticketmaster and Gametime.
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