Tag: Charlotte FC

Caleb Porter guarantees last-place Revs will beat Charlotte FC

This one could really backfire on the Revs coach

The pressure is already growing on Caleb Porter just a couple months into his tenure as New England Revolution head coach.

Now, Porter has taken a step that will undoubtedly ratchet that pressure up even more.

In an appearance on a Boston radio station, Porter guaranteed the Revs would defeat Charlotte FC at Gillette Stadium on Saturday.

The promise was notable, given the Revs are currently the worst team in MLS on a points-per-game basis. Porter’s side has one draw and four defeats in five games thus far, with a league-worst goal differential of -7.

New England is also coming off a dismal 4-0 home loss against Club América on Tuesday, essentially ending their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal tie after just one leg.

Porter appeared on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Thursday, and closed out his interview by saying: “We’re going to get a win Saturday. I promise that.”

Word of Porter’s guarantee quickly reached Dean Smith, whose Charlotte  side currently sits six places and seven points above the Revs in the table.

“He shouldn’t make promises he might not be able to keep,” the coach fired back.

Whether Porter’s guarantee ends up being suicidal or a brilliant bit of motivation, we have to give the coach credit for turning a nondescript early-season matchup into a game MLS fans will now be closely monitoring.

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This MLS playoff race is an absolute mess

Put on your boots, because we’re about to wade into a mess

The race for the MLS playoffs is promising that Decision Day will be as bonkers as it ever has been.

The final day of the regular season is less than a month away, with 28 of the league’s 29 teams set for two breathless rounds of simultaneous kickoffs, one for each conference (sorry D.C. United, you’re just going to have to follow along at home).

There’s an old MLS truism that a team just needs to stay in touch until late August or so, and that if said team can start to heat up around Labor Day, you’re looking at a major threat coming from what on paper is a low playoff seed. Plenty of teams with multiple MLS Cups in their trophy case have at least one season where they followed this plan to a tee.

However, in 2023 it’s not so much about getting hot at the right time as simply ending up next to an empty seat during a poorly-played game of musical chairs. Seven teams have clinched their playoff berths already, and two more are simply abysmal.

That leaves 20 teams vying for 11 postseason spots in what is an extraordinarily forgiving set-up. The problem is that almost none of this group seems able to get a solid hold on their invite to the big dance.

Put on your boots, because we’re about to wade into a mess:

Messi barely had to run as Inter Miami smashed Charlotte FC in Leagues Cup

Messi’s not even having to try very hard at this point

Inter Miami’s move to add Lionel Messi is going so well, the Argentine icon barely even has to run for them to win.

Miami made light work of a Leagues Cup quarterfinal against Charlotte FC, winning 4-0 in a game where Messi was able to more or less just hang out. One of his rare runs resulted in yet another goal, but for large spells Messi…let’s say he was conserving his legs for future matches.

Why run if you don’t have to, right? The guy has done plenty of work drawing Apple TV subscribers, he’s earned an easy day at the office. The visitors poured everything into preventing easy passes to Messi, but unfortunately for Charlotte, Miami had 10 other players who had plenty of room to keep the good times rolling at DRV PNK Stadium.

Miami has scored early in every match the legend has started, and sure enough, it was just 12 minutes before Josef Martínez fired home a penalty kick. Messi wasn’t directly involved — Miami’s Dixon Arroyo got chopped down after Charlotte struggled to clear for a long spell — but the entire sequence began with Messi dropping deep to find Jordi Alba’s penetrating run.

Robert Taylor doubled the lead in the 32nd minute, and again Messi just had to generally be in the area rather than getting truly involved. His run did distract Charlotte enough to give DeAndre Yedlin a big opening to roll the ball to Taylor for an easy finish, but Charlotte’s willingness to go all-in on cutting Messi out of the game seemed to backfire as the rest of Miami’s players were given acres of space.

With Charlotte bringing some attackers on and opening up a bit, Messi occasionally got himself into the mix, eventually helping to compound Charlotte’s misery in the 78th minute.

Seconds after Patrick Agyemang bounced a header down and up over the bar at one end, Messi finally had room to operate between the lines. He pushed forward, drawing defenders before slipping Diego Gómez wide left, and the Miami newcomer’s low cross was diverted over the line by the unfortunate Adilson Malanda.

Finally, Messi got himself a goal that required a little bit of a jog. Having noticed that the visitors had absolutely nothing left to give, Messi trotted forward after his attempt to play Leo Campana through didn’t quite pan out.

Charlotte just stood by and watched Campana go recover the ball after their intervention, and the Ecuador striker fed Messi — somehow once again unmarked despite being, you know, Messi — to send Miami fans home with one more goal.

That casual finish made Messi the competition’s leading scorer, with eight in five games, and has the Herons within sight of a trophy that seemed completely impossible just a few weeks ago.

In the semifinal against the Philadelphia Union on Tuesday night, he might even have to sprint a few times.

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Inter Miami vs. Charlotte FC: How to watch Lionel Messi’s Leagues Cup run

Charlotte FC looks to slow down Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in the next round of the Leagues Cup

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have been cruising along in the Leagues Cup, but experienced some real turbulence against FC Dallas in the round of 16.

But in large part because of Messi’s heroics, Inter Miami defeated Dallas in a penalty shootout. It was their bumpiest road to date, but it didn’t start out that way.

Jordi Alba connected with his former Barcelona teammate for the opening goal, giving Miami an early lead. But Miami and their star trio of Messi, Alba and Sergio Busquets saw near disaster by going down 4-2 with just 20 minutes to play.

No problem.

Inter crawled back, winning in penalties after Messi’s second goal of the contest tied the game late. That sent Miami into a quarterfinal matchup with Charlotte FC.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Inter Miami vs Charlotte FC on Apple TV” link=”https://apple.co/3QxZQ3L”]

Charlotte faces a huge challenge in hoping to become the first club to slow Miami’s roll, with Messi emerging victorious in all four games with the club thus far, scoring seven goals.

The big three in Inter’s lineup have yet to play in Major League Soccer action, and thus, Miami remains at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, this same Charlotte team sit only a few places above Miami in 12th place.

Here is everything you need to know to catch all the action:

Inter Miami vs. Charlotte FC (Leagues Cup)

  • When: Friday, August 11
  • Where: DRV PNK Stadium
  • Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: Apple TV

Leagues Cup Starting Lineups

Inter Miami possible lineup:
Callender, Yedlin, Miller, Kryvtsov, Alba, Arroyo, Busquets, Gomez, Messi, Martinez, Taylor

Charlotte FC possible lineup:
Kahlina, Lindsey, Malanda, Privett, Byrne, Westwood, Jozwiak, Arfield, Bronico, Vargas, Swiderski

Leagues Cup Odds and betting lines

MLS odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Odds were last updated Tuesday 3:35 PM ET.

Inter Miami (-195) vs. Charlotte FC (+430)

Draw: (+320)

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Messi and Inter Miami on Apple TV” link=”https://apple.co/3QxZQ3L”]

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Messi’s MLS debut postponed amid Inter Miami Leagues Cup success

Messi will now likely make his U.S. Open Cup debut before his MLS debut

Lionel Messi’s Leagues Cup run is going so well that his MLS debut has been postponed.

Messi’s first foray into life with Inter Miami could not be going better, as the Argentine star has a remarkable seven goals in just four Leagues Cup games — all of which have been wins.

The 36-year-old’s latest salvo came in a brace against FC Dallas in the round of 16, with a late free kick tying the game at 4-4 before Inter Miami advanced on penalties.

Inter Miami has now reached the quarterfinal, which will be against Charlotte FC on Friday at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

The same two teams were scheduled to meet at the same location on August 20, in what was set to be Messi’s first MLS game. But due to both teams reaching the last eight of the Leagues Cup, that match has been postponed.

Per a league statement:

Major League Soccer (MLS) announced today that Inter Miami CF’s MLS match against Charlotte FC originally scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 20 at DRV PNK Stadium has been postponed to a later date to be announced.

As both Inter Miami CF and Charlotte FC have advanced to the 2023 Leagues Cup quarterfinals, one of the two clubs will be playing on Aug. 19 in either the Leagues Cup final or third place match.

Tickets originally purchased for the Aug. 20 MLS match will be honored for the new date in which the game will be played.

Messi will now likely make his U.S. Open Cup debut before his MLS debut, with Inter Miami set to face FC Cincinnati in a semifinal on August 23.

Inter Miami will then take on the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on August 26, putting Messi’s possible MLS debut in the country’s largest media market.

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Stadium agreement between Panthers, Charlotte officially expires

The Carolina Panthers’ stadium agreement with the City of Charlotte has now ended. So what does that mean for the team’s future?

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The Carolina Panthers are no longer contractually tethered to the city of Charlotte.

On Friday, the 10-year agreement that has kept the franchise in its hometown officially ended. So, no the Panthers are not currently tied to Bank of America Stadium.

What does that mean? According to spokespeople from both sides, probably not much.

Here, via WBTV investigative reporter David Hodges, are the following statements from both sides regarding the expired pact:

Tepper Sports and Entertainment Spokesperson: “The Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC are integral to the fabric of Charlotte and the Carolinas. Bank of America Stadium serves as a community asset that delivers world-class sports and entertainment to the area and we are proud to be a primary driver of economic development in uptown Charlotte and throughout the region.”

City of Charlotte Spokesperson: “Tepper Sports and Entertainment have proven their commitment to Charlotte over the years by investing in our communities and bringing Charlotte FC to our city and making upgrades to Bank of America stadium. The Teppers and their organization have been outstanding allies, with investments in Charlotte that reach far beyond the field. We are optimistic about the future of our partnership.”

The lapsing of the stadium agreement does not mean that Panthers owner David Tepper, who also owns Charlotte FC of Major League Soccer, is planning to move the team. But it does mean that such a move would bring lesser financial penalties for Tepper. Any relocation would have to be voted on and approved by three-fourths of the league’s owners.

Per Hodges, if the team relocates between now and 2027, Charlotte taxpayers would be allowed to buy the stadium from Tepper Sports at “fair market value.”

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U.S. Open Cup shock as Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Birmingham Legion both stun MLS foes

What’s better than one cupset? Two cupsets!

Wednesday night’s U.S. Open Cup fixtures couldn’t have gone better for the USL Championship, or for upset-loving neutrals.

The last two remaining lower-division teams in the tournament both defeated MLS opposition. First, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds shocked the Columbus Crew 1-0 at Highmark Stadium. Just an hour later, Birmingham Legion matched that scoreline in eliminating 10-man Charlotte FC.

That makes it three Open Cup tournaments in a row where at least two lower-division teams have advanced to the quarterfinal round. St. Louis FC and New Mexico United made that run in 2019, while last year Union Omaha of USL League One went to the quarterfinals. Sacramento Republic FC went even further, going to the final before falling to Orlando City. The Open Cup wasn’t held in 2020 or 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In Pittsburgh, the Riverhounds showed the organization that has long been their hallmark under veteran coach Bob Lilley. The home side held a heavily rotated Crew side to just seven shot attempts in 90 minutes, despite the visitors holding 75% of the possession and completing over 700 passes on the night.

Despite those stats, the Riverhounds had the better chances throughout, and only needed to make one count. USL Championship Golden Boot leader Albert Dikwa was unsurprisingly the man for the job, sprinting in alone to fire past Evan Bush after a midfield turnover from the Crew.

Pittsburgh would see substitute Edward Kizza sent off deep into stoppage time, but still managed to keep Columbus at bay for what is the deepest run in their Open Cup history.

Down in Alabama, the scoreline was the same, but the path to it was a bit different. A Birmingham side starting eight players with MLS experience spent the first half largely pinned back by Charlotte, only for the visitors to lose center back Adilson Malanda to a second yellow card early in the second half.

From there, the Legion sensed their opportunity, changing their posture and making Charlotte work hard to hold them off on a hot night. That helped set up their goal, with Charlotte not recovering quickly enough to prevent Prosper Kasim from isolating Derrick Jones before pinging a low shot into the bottom corner.

The rewards for the the final two non-MLS teams left in the tournament are a bit different. Birmingham will be a popular pick to keep their run going, as they host a quarterfinal match against a stumbling Inter Miami side that managed to beat Nashville SC on Tuesday. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, has a far more daunting pairing, as they will head to Ohio to take on high-flying FC Cincinnati.

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Shinyashiki says he’s clear to play after no charges filed in alleged sexual assault

The forward was linked to a sexual assault case filed in March

Charlotte FC forward Andre Shinyashiki has said he fully cooperated with police and MLS in their investigations into an alleged sexual assault, and that he’s been cleared to play.

The Charlotte Ledger reported on Tuesday that it found a police report by searching with Shinyashiki’s name and date of birth, though the player’s name was not on the report itself due to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police policy.

The report, dated March 8, stated that a 23-year-old woman said she was sexually assaulted in the early hours of February 26.

The Athletic reported that a second Charlotte FC player, Nuno Santos, was also linked to the same police report by searching his name and date of birth.

Neither player has been charged with a crime. The case is listed as open but inactive, meaning police are no longer actively investigating the incident.

Following the report from The Charlotte Ledger, Shinyashiki released a statement on Twitter saying no charges have been filed and added that he would have no further comment.

Shinyashiki, 25, has been left off Charlotte FC’s matchday roster for four straight games since his most recent appearance on April 8.

The Brazilian-born striker was acquired in a midseason trade from the Colorado Rapids last season, and scored six goals in 21 appearances for Charlotte FC in 2022.

Nuno Santos, 24, was signed from Benfica in his native Portugal last year. The midfielder has made nine appearances for Charlotte FC and is currently on loan with Crown Legacy FC of MLS Next Pro.

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Christian Benteke, bicycle fan, delivers unreal goal for D.C. United

Benteke’s bicycle kick stunner has to be seen to be believed

Bicycles are popular in the District of Columbia, and Christian Benteke just wanted to do his part.

The D.C. United striker scored what is surely an MLS goal of the season contender, producing a bicycle kick against Charlotte FC in United’s 3-0 win Saturday night.

In a tense game of relatively few genuine chances, United’s biggest name — who in 2023 has looked more accustomed to life in MLS than in 2022 — made sure the Black-and-Red picked up a fourth straight win in all competitions.

United held a 1-0 lead and hadn’t given Charlotte much of anything after a loose opening 25 minutes or so, but some wasted chances (none more glaring than Taxi Fountas sending a sitter wide in the 70th minute) left the game up for grabs.

However, on a recycled set piece, the longtime Belgium target man produced one of the best goals in Audi Field’s short history. It started with Andy Najar swinging the ball back into the box, picking out Derrick Williams.

The Irish center back’s attempt to float a header towards Benteke didn’t quite work out, as Harrison Afful got to the ball first, but the veteran’s header away ended up being an unintentionally perfect set for Benteke to spike the ball past Charlotte goalkeeper George Marks.

Speaking to reporters at Audi Field, Wayne Rooney immediately pointed out that he’s been on the wrong side of a Benteke bicycle kick, when he was playing for Manchester United back in 2015.

“It was a pretty cool goal,” Benteke told reporters with incredible understatement after the match. “I was just hoping to have a good contact with the ball and hit the target.”

Benteke kept the jokes rolling when asked if he gave any thought to letting the ball fall for Donovan Pines or Ted Ku-DiPietro, who were both lurking.

“There was no way! There was no way I was going to let them shoot,” laughed Benteke. “I knew I wanted to do, and thank God it went through somehow.”

Watch Benteke’s incredible bicycle kick goal

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Federico Bernardeschi doesn’t need any help on corner kicks, thanks

Olimpico alert!

What does a traditional corner kick goal look like? Some absolute unit holding off their marker, getting an edge at the near post and powering a header home, right?

There’s just one problem: What if your big hulking center back gets marked or blocked off by their big hulking center back?

You’ve tried short corners. You’ve set picks. You’ve even pulled up those Japanese high school team clips for inspiration. Nothing works!

Federico Bernardeschi is here to tell you that there’s a new way to score on corner kicks where you don’t need any extra equipment to score on corners! You just need a ball, some audacity, and extravagant levels of talent, and you too can score an olimpico.

Just six minutes into Toronto FC’s Saturday night contest against Charlotte FC, Bernardeschi looked at a sea of blue-clad visitors and teammates in gray and red, and decided none of them needed to matter. Instead, the Italy winger just wrapped his left foot around the ball from the corner, bending the ball directly into the upper corner at the back post.

Charlotte goalkeeper George Marks seemed to read a possible chance to punch, but with the winds swirling on the banks of Lake Ontario and Bernardeschi’s ability, the ball swerved around him before dropping gently into the net.

TFC would pick up another goal from a corner — Brandon Servania’s service to Michael Bradley was far more old-school, with the ex-U.S. men’s national team captain heading home in the 44th minute — but would still end up letting a win slip away. An early finish from Ben Bender got Charlotte back into the match, and struggling Designated Player Kamil Józwiak would stab home a second as the Carolinians fought back for a road draw.

Next week, for Toronto to snag a win rather than continuing on as MLS’s draw kings (they have four from six games already) Bernardeschi will just have to figure out how to get more corner kick chances from the right wing.

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