In 66 hours, the Bank of America Stadium scoreboard lit up twice with a 4-0 Charlotte FC win.
The Crown beat Orlando City SC 4-0 on Saturday after defeating CF Montréal 4-0 on Wednesday, giving Charlotte FC back-to-back four-goal shutouts.
“Really pleasing because I thought that was a really good team performance today,” Head Coach Dean Smith said. “There's not one player that stands out and you go, ‘He was the outstanding player that made us tick today.’ I thought it was a really good team performance and that's important.”
While a Liel Abada hat-trick highlighted the match against Montréal, Charlotte FC had four different goalscorers against Orlando City.
Henry Kessler, Allan Saint-Maximin, Abdoulaye Doucouré and Rodolfo Aloko all found the back of the net and five different players assisted on the scores. What was a crucial performance for The Crown in solidifying its playoff position became a showcase for Charlotte FC to display the unison of its attacking prowess.
A player from every position group – defenders, midfielders and attackers – scored against Orlando City and did it from a variety of situations.
Kessler scored the opening goal for Charlotte FC on an Ashley Westwood free kick that started at the top corner of the box. Maxi dribbled from midfield all the way into the box for his first home goal as a member of The Crown. Doucouré rebounded Maxi’s saved penalty to score his first-ever goal for Charlotte FC. Finally, Aloko scored on a cross from Tyger Smalls with a first-touch volley that was fired into the back netting and shook the goal frame.
Simply put, no one player or group of players was responsible for Charlotte FC’s dominating performance – it was a total team effort from all over the field.
“Orlando is a good team, they're on a good run,” Westwood said. “Going forward, we looked like we were always going to score. I think today's all-round performance was outstanding. That's what we've been asking for and we've produced.”
Aloko and Doucouré came off the bench for The Crown, providing the Club with dynamic players to provide a second life.
Aloko has had his time both being in the starting XI and coming off the bench. After he started against Montréal and came off for Abada in the Israeli forward's big night, the roles were reversed against Orlando City as Aloko came on for his winger counterpart and scored.
The Beninese forward has provided a high-energy set of legs for Smith, whether that’s him on the field at the opening whistle or coming on late in a match. The latter can also be said for Doucouré who has come off the bench in the 80th minute and later while he continues to get fitter after six months away from match action.
When the French midfielder has come on, he’s brought his Premier League pedigree from the bench to make sure Charlotte FC holds onto the momentum while holding a multi-goal lead.
The Gaffer has also been able to use other players like Smalls, Luca de la Torre and Brandt Bronico to come off the bench to aid tired legs or to step in and help Charlotte FC come back or close out matches.
“I think everyone in the team wants to play,” Doucouré said. “We've got very quality players. Obviously only 11 can start, but the players on the bench, they're just ready to make an impact, and I think that's very good for the team. Obviously, to score four goals again today is amazing and we just have to keep this together.”
While the offense had a second consecutive four-goal performance, Kristijan Kahlina and the defense had a tougher matchup at hand. After needing to save just one shot against Montréal, they were tested with multiple shots from one of the most high-powered offenses in MLS.
Orlando City had scored the fifth-most goals in the league (62) heading into the match but came out of Bank of America Stadium scoreless in 90 minutes, the first time they’ve been shut out since May 9.
Part of that is the adjustments that Charlotte FC made internally. The Crown wanted to ensure they didn’t give the opposition easy chances or leave Kahlina exposed to a barrage of shots. Instead, Charlotte FC focused on limiting Orlando to low-quality attempts that a goalkeeper of his caliber could handle.
“We've been far too open; it's been easy to score against us,” Westwood said. “The lads have worked on it with a collective effort, and it's shown what we can do and we’re firing up front as well, so we're going into the playoffs in a healthy spot.”
What has also helped Charlotte FC defensively has been starting fast. Smith emphasized the message before the Orlando City match, given the opposition’s attacking prowess.
Kessler scored in the sixth minute and helped give the momentum to The Crown early. The goal quelled the opposition and enlightened the crowd, giving Charlotte FC the home-field advantage in a place where they won 10 times this season.
“Once we get goals, it takes the pressure off everyone,” Kessler said. “So, you get three, you get four, the game becomes a lot easier. It takes the pressure off the back line, takes the pressure off everyone really, gives us confidence to get another one. So, I think we've been taking our chances recently.”
Against Orlando, that confidence was evident in every phase of play, with the Club linking up seamlessly to both score and shut down the opposition. The same collective energy that powered the dominant win over Montreal carried straight into Saturday’s match, with every player contributing to another statement performance.
As Charlotte FC locks in a playoff spot and prepares for a pivotal clash with Miami, the unity and belief driving the team will help Charlotte FC deliver when it matters most.
“It's a togetherness,” Westwood said. “You can see it in the performances. Everyone's working hard for each other. There's a real collective group in there. The squad is a great bunch of lads. No one dislikes anyone. No one's got an ego. Everyone's down to earth. We're in a good place, especially the last two performances help going into the playoffs, going into Miami. We still want top four. We were satisfied with playoffs. That was the bare minimum, but top four is our aim.”
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