Charlotte FC had the difficult task of traveling to a scorching Frisco, Texas to kick off their Leagues Cup journey against MLS original, FC Dallas. While having mixed results throughout the regular season, Dallas came into the match having the sixth ranked defense in the league.
If Charlotte FC managed to score the first goal against Dallas, it would compel them to come out of their defensive shell, creating more scoring opportunities. On the other hand, if the home side secured the first goal, it would only reinforce their defensive formation, making the already challenging task of scoring even more difficult.
Well, the worst-case scenario for Charlotte happened.
They conceded first and did so right before going into halftime. Despite the adversity, Charlotte showed great resilience in the second half, not just equalizing once but twice to level the score. The match eventually went into a penalty shoot-out, and Charlotte managed to come out on top, earning two points and securing the top spot in their group for the time being.
“I think our boys deserve at least win in the shootout based off their performance,” said Christian Lattanzio following the match. “I am very proud of the way our boys played away from home against a team like Dallas.”
Despite the favorable outcome, Charlotte FC continued to struggle with counterattacks, which remained their Achilles heel. Both of Dallas's goals were a result of transition opportunities, catching the visiting side, who were without defenders Guzman Corujo, Bill Tuiloma, and Adilson Malanda due to injury, off guard and scrambling to recover defensively.
Recognizing this weakness, Lattanzio is well aware that improvements are necessary in this aspect of their game but believes the team can also draw positives from other areas of their performance, which can help boost their confidence moving forward.
“We needed to make sure that Dallas didn't find [Jesus] Ferreira in between the lines so that he could start counterattacks. That was one of the tactical things that we needed to improve. Other than that, I think we managed to move the opposition side to side and create chances with the ball. In my opinion, we could have scored, we should have scored more goals but Dallas have good defenders. And we come from a moment that, again, I hope that this performance as well as the result can give confidence to our boys.”
The team's hope is to utilize this result as a launching pad, propelling them towards the high potential that Lattanzio believes they are capable of reaching.
“Regardless of the result, I think that the performance of the boys would have made me proud even if we came when zero points to one. I think that we would have deserved the points and sometimes you don't get what you deserve -- they did tonight. But that's what I told them. I am very proud of them and the way they played. I hope they start to realize what a good team they can be.”
2023 Leagues Cup
All of the clubs from MLS and Liga MX will compete in a completely reimagined Leagues Cup: an annual, month-long tournament. In the group stage, Charlotte FC will play FC Dallas from MLS and Necaxa from Liga MX.
