
Keys against Charlotte FC: Go Back to the Basics
April 21, 2022 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release
It's already been an unpredictable MLS season, and we're not even yet to summer. Two coaches have been fired, the playoff standings are a logjam and MLS's newest team, Charlotte FC, have come strong out of the gates.
The expansion side are 3-5-0, and sit just one point below the playoff line in the Eastern Conference. Three wins and five losses may seem modest at best, but given the struggles and difficulties recent expansion teams have endured, the start for Charlotte should be seen as a good foundation for longterm success. It's a good beginning to an inaugural season in what could be a 100 year project for Charlotte.
They're managed by Miguel Angel Ramirez, the youngest coach in Major League Soccer. The Spaniard spent 2021 in Brazil's Serie A, managing Internacional where he went 11-4-7 with a +15 goal differential. Not too shabby. The Charlotte job however, is different. He's in charge of creating the first imprint of this brand new club.
Of Charlotte's three wins, two came against the New England Revolution and Atlanta United. The third was FC Cincinnati. The losses were to DC United, the LA Galaxy, Atlanta United, the Revolution and the Philadelphia Union.
When Charlotte play well, they play really well. When they don't play well, they really don't play well. They've been shutout three times in eight games, and they've only scored multiple goals in two instances.
As with most expansion sides, Charlotte FC enters the league with a roster that's lacking in star power, but is full of guys with something to prove, high-ceiling players with potential and MLS veterans. They've got a Premier League winner in Christian Fuchs, a couple of Designated Players and one Young Designated Player. You can do worse when constructing your inaugural roster.
Charlotte are 0-4-0 away from home in league play this season. And Saturday's match will be their longest journey, and first trip going farther West than Atlanta, Georgia. Welcome to the wild west, y'all. Here's how Colorado can sew up all three points as they look for 20 consecutive unbeaten at home.
Slow Świderski
Karol Świderski, one of Charlotte's Designated Players, has four goals in 582 minutes across seven games. The 25-year-old Polish striker is outperforming his Expected Goals of 1.5 by a pretty good clip. Either he'll regress to the mean and the goals will stop coming, or the data will catch up to him and he'll continue scoring. The sample size is too small to prognosticate about which way it will go, but there's a lot to like about his game, in my opinion. He is feisty in the box, makes intelligent runs and has clinical finishing skills. He's scored half of Charlotte's goals, so shutting down their attack begins with shutting down him.
Back to Basics
In tandem with stifling Świderski will be putting together a full 90 minutes of defending. The last two matches, away to FC Dallas and away to Minnesota United, weren't kind to the Rapids' defense. The bad news is six goals conceded in two games. The good news is the issues can be fixed. Defending is about discipline, cohesion and desire. None of that has changed for the Rapids. The players are still disciplined, have unit cohesion and want to defend. I doubt their confidence has been affected by the last couple games, but in case it has, a tidy clean sheet would do wonders to get it back on track.
Find Success Out Wide
Forward Diego Rubio is having a good start to the campaign. He has four goals and one assist in 541 minutes. That's a great clip of production for a team that needs a lethal forward. As teams adjust to the Chilean finding so much success in the middle, opportunities are going to open up on the wings. Michael Barrios, Jonathan Lewis, Andre Shinyashiki, Keegan Rosenberry and Lucas Esteves should start to pull defenses apart. Whether it's pinpoint crosses from Rosenberry and Esteves or pulling defenders out wide, taking on defenders one-on-one, the Rapids wide players can create chaos at the back for any defense. As they do this, there will be even more opportunities for Rubio in the middle.
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Major League Soccer Stories from April 21, 2022
- Timbers and Thorns FC Announce Rosters for Ptfc for Peace Match on April 27 - Portland Timbers
- Emi Ochoa, Two Quakes Academy Players Called to United States U19 National Team - San Jose Earthquakes
- Four Houston Dynamo Players Receive U.S. Youth National Team Call-Ups - Houston Dynamo FC
- Timbers Travel to Face Los Angeles FC in 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 Match - Portland Timbers
- Sounders FC to Face San Jose Earthquakes in the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 - Seattle Sounders FC
- Earthquakes to Face Seattle Sounders FC in U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 on May 11 - San Jose Earthquakes
- FC Dallas Travel to Face Sporting Kansas City on May 10 in U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 - FC Dallas
- Real Salt Lake Homegrown Goalkeeper David Ochoa Named to Mexico National Team - Real Salt Lake
- Keys against Charlotte FC: Go Back to the Basics - Colorado Rapids
- Rematch: MLS All-Stars to Face the LIGA MX All-Stars in the 2022 MLS All-Star Game Presented by Target - MLS
- Three FC Dallas Academy Players Called into U.S. U-19 National Team Duty - FC Dallas
- Orlando City SC to Host Philadelphia Union in 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup - Orlando City SC
- MNUFC Goalkeeper Fred Emmings Among Thirty-Four Players Set for New U-19 MYNT Head Coach Marko Mitrovic's First Training Camp - Minnesota United FC
- Five Chicago Fire FC and Chicago Fire Academy Players Called up to U.S. Men's Youth National Team Duty - Chicago Fire FC
- Houston Dynamo FC to Host San Antonio FC on May 11 in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 - Houston Dynamo FC
- Real Salt Lake Homegrown Goalkeeper Gavin Beavers Named to U.S. U-19 Youth National Team - Real Salt Lake
- Nashville Soccer Club to Host Atlanta United FC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 - Nashville SC
- New England Revolution to Face FC Cincinnati in Fourth Round of 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup - New England Revolution
- Sporting KC to Host FC Dallas on May 10 in U.S. Open Cup - Sporting Kansas City
- LA Galaxy Travel to Face California United Strikers FC in Round of 32 of Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup - LA Galaxy
- Inter Miami CF to Host Atlanta United FC on Sunday - Inter Miami CF
- Columbus Crew's Historic Crew Stadium to Serve as Home of OHSAA Lacrosse State Championships - Columbus Crew SC
- Atlanta United Draws Nashville SC in U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 - Atlanta United FC
- Inter Miami CF to Host South Georgia Tormenta FC in First-Ever U.S. Open Cup Match at DRV PNK Stadium - Inter Miami CF
- Colorado Rapids Draw Minnesota United FC for U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 - Colorado Rapids
- D.C. United to Host New York Red Bulls in the Fourth Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup - D.C. United
- Charlotte FC at Richmond Kickers in 4th Round of U.S. Open Cup - Charlotte FC
- FC Cincinnati Travel to Face the New England Revolution in U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 - FC Cincinnati
- New York City Football Club to Host Rochester New York in U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 - New York City FC
- Audi Field to Host Audi Football Summit Match Between European Soccer Giants FC Bayern Munich and D.C. United - D.C. United
- Atlanta United Academy Players Announce College Commitments - Atlanta United FC
- DICK'S Sporting Goods Park to Host U.S. Women's National Team Friendly with Colombia on June 25 - Colorado Rapids
- Real Salt Lake to Host U.S. Women's National Team at Rio Tinto Stadium - Real Salt Lake
- Know Your Foe: Colorado Rapids - Charlotte FC
- Real Salt Lake Falls 1-0 to Northern Colorado in U.S. Open Cup Match - Real Salt Lake
- Austin FC Suffers Extra-Time Defeat to San Antonio FC - Austin FC
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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