Charlotte FC saw a league-leading 69,345 fans show up for the Club’s season opener in what was an overall special night soured by the result on the pitch. It was an even affair against the New England Revolution where both sides showed grit, determination, and fight but resulted in the Revs getting the edge.
For the most part, aside from the expected instances of disconnection and sloppiness that comes with early season matches, Charlotte defended well and was able build up from the back. However, their downfall came in the final third where delivery and end product fell short.
“I think we got into positions where we could create those chances and when you deliver the ball in the box with quality, things normally happen,” said CLTFC Head Coach Christian Lattanzio. “I thought the quality of delivery tonight wasn’t great.”
After showing some good final product in preseason, Lattanzio believes that the emotions of it being the season opener and playing front of a thundering crowd played in a role in the inconsistency of delivery.
Lattanzio previously mentioned that Anton Walkes was his special assistant with whom he shares dialogue with and following the match said, “he’s not going to be happy.”
“I don’t want this to be doom and gloom. We are obviously very, very disappointed. Me first because we wanted to give this unbelievable crowd something to cheer for, also for us, and to honor Anton in the best possible way.”
In the grand scheme of things, it was only the first 90 minutes of a long season ahead. The great thing about sports is that there is always that next game you can look ahead to in order to bounce back from a loss. A team can learn more about themselves through a loss or bad performance than they can from a win.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves, we have to move on. There are lessons to be learned in this game. That every ball I important, every moment is important, concentration at this level is vital because you make a little lapse and all of a sudden you are chasing.”
The MLS season is a battle of attrition so dwelling on results doesn’t do a team any good. Charlotte looks ahead to the next match against new expansion side St. Louis who will be hosting the Crown for their inaugural home match.
“It’s the beginning of the journey, it’s the first game, and we have 33 more so we need to move on and focus on the next one.”
