Charlotte FC aims for record against Miami

It’s time for Fútbol Friday, The Charlotte Ledger’s weekly newsletter getting you up to speed on Charlotte FC.

➡️ Need to sign up for Fútbol Friday and other Charlotte-focused email newsletters from The Charlotte Ledger? You can do that here.

➡️ Ledger subscribers can add or drop individual newsletters on their “My Account” page.

You could sponsor this email newsletter and reach 8,300+ engaged Charlotte soccer fans. Find out more.

It used to be when Charlotte FC played Inter Miami, the buildup was all about Lionel Messi. This time, Charlotte’s eight-game winning streak and their own star player at the heart of it are sharing the spotlight.

Wilfried Zaha and Charlotte FC have a chance to tie the Major League Soccer record for consecutive wins in a season in front of a sell-out lower bowl crowd of 35,000 at Bank of America Stadium.

Zaha spoke with local media for 36 minutes Wednesday afternoon at Atrium Health Performance Park. The word “Messi” was not brought up until 23 minutes, and about 3,500 words, into it. And when it was?

“As much as I appreciate Messi and I know he’s a G.O.A.T.,” said Zaha, who played 10 seasons in the English Premier League and will face Messi, whom he considers one of the “greatest of all time,” for the first time. “He’s still G.O.A.T. It’s Ronaldo and Messi. But as soon as I’m playing against you, I couldn’t care less about all of that stuff. I know what we want to do, and we’re trying to get the ninth win, so that’s what I’m fixated on.”

There’s a lot of other stuff to “fixate” on: Miami striker Luis Suárez will not play while serving a three-game MLS suspension for spitting at a Seattle security staff member in a fracas following Miami’s loss to Seattle in the Leagues Cup final. Charlotte FC coach Dean Smith won’t be on the sidelines, either, serving a one-game suspension for accumulating three yellow cards.

If Charlotte can block out the distractions and find a way to neutralize Messi, they would match the Seattle Sounders’ nine-game winning streak of 2018. This recent run of results is nearly a 180-degree turn from the stretch before it, when Charlotte lost nine of 11 games, mostly on the road, in May and June.

“We just needed to hit rock bottom to understand what it takes to win these games,” Zaha said. “We had to understand that it’s going to take all of us.”

Interestingly, that’s something Zaha began to figure out for himself after Charlotte played Inter Miami in March. Messi did not play in that game because Miami was managing his minutes in the midst of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Charlotte lost 1-0 despite playing much of the game with a man advantage, after Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari received a red card for fouling Zaha.

Zaha was playing in just his second MLS game after arriving on loan from Galatasaray in Turkey. He spent much of the game surrounded by two and three Miami defenders, trying to dribble out of trouble on his own.

“It was a lot of me just trying to showcase what I can do,” Zaha said. “Now, it’s us as a team. … Early on, everyone’s trying to see what Wilf does. At the same time, for the team, they’d pass me the ball and watch what I’ll do. But now, I’m not just by myself on the pitch. Everyone does their little bit. This game coming up, that’s a totally different team to the Charlotte team they faced before.”

The return of fullback Nathan Byrne has helped solidify the defense during this stretch of nine games unbeaten, including a tie with Orlando. Charlotte has played six of those nine games at Bank of America Stadium, where the club is now 11-2-1 and leads MLS in home wins. And Zaha is now thriving in a role that emphasizes his playmaking as much, if not more, than his scoring. Zaha recorded an assist in six consecutive games. He has nine on the season, which trails only midfielder Pep Biel for Charlotte FC.

During this win streak, Zaha has four assists along with two goals, which has helped Charlotte endure the departure of Patrick Agyemang and the hamstring injury to Biel, who has been out for nearly six weeks but is available to return Saturday.

Zaha, a winger, isn’t limited to patrolling the sideline as he did much of the game in Miami. He moves both centrally and further back to help develop play up the field. He’s a distributor, not just a finisher. A good recent example is his diagonal pass to Kerwin Vargas, who headed a cross to Brandt Bronico for Charlotte’s first goal in a 2-1 win over New England Aug. 30.

What Charlotte FC has now, the British Zaha explained, is “proper unity.”

“I haven’t come here to try and grab all the glory,” he said. “All of us are doing this together.”

—

Among the questions posed to Zaha on Wednesday were whether he’d like to stay in Charlotte long-term. Zaha, who turns 33 in November, is under contract with Galatasaray—and on loan with Charlotte FC—until June 30, which coincides with the break for the 2026 World Cup.

He said Charlotte has not approached him about a possible extension, which the club wouldn’t likely do until the offseason anyway. (Players can sign pre-contracts within six months of becoming a free agent, which would be January.)

When asked if he had an interest in staying in Charlotte beyond his loan, Zaha said:

Smith’s third yellow card of the season, which he drew in the final moments of the 2-1 win over New England on Aug. 30, left him suspended for Saturday’s showdown against Miami with an eight-game win streak on the line.

Smith said he’ll watch the game from owner David Tepper’s box. By rule, he can’t have in-person communication with the team, but he will be able to send messages, with supporting video clips, to the team through a third party. Associate head coach Miles Joseph, who spent six years as assistant head coach in Portland, will be his point of contact on the sideline.

“The gaffer definitely does make a difference,” Zaha said. “But the older players like me, Ash [Westwood], Nate [Byrne], Tim [Ream], we’re going to have to be the gaffer’s voice on the pitch.”

Smith is not one to dwell on potential negatives leading up to a game. He has made light of his suspension in interviews and said he wants to join fans in the stands to do the pre-game “Poznan” cheer at Bank of America Stadium. (We gather he seriously is considering doing that, by the way, if he can work it out logistically.) But when pressed on the subject of his suspension Thursday, Smith acknowledged that it will bother him not to be on the sideline Saturday. It’s only the second time he’s been suspended in 15 years as a head coach.

“I’m really disappointed,” Smith said. “Unfortunately I’ve got to sit in the stands for a reason that I don’t understand fully.”

Smith got his first yellow card of the season March 29 in Colorado after pointing out that Rapids coach Chris Armas had left his technical area to argue that Zaha should be carded. His second yellow came April 26 for arguing New England’s lone goal in a 1-0 win should have been ruled offside. He acknowledged Thursday that he’d let “emotions get the better of me” that time.

But the last yellow was different, Smith said. He was upset a New England player had jumped into center back Adilson Malanda without looking toward or playing the ball (almost like pass interference in American football). He was told he got a yellow card for “shouting onto the pitch.”

“I'll be looking for the rest of the season for consistency, to see if other coaches shout onto the pitch whether they get a yellow card as well,” Smith said. “… Unfortunately, in this league, there’s no appeals process. You’ve got one for players and you haven’t got one for coaches.”

The only other time Smith has been suspended as a coach was with Aston Villa in the EPL. He argued an offside call against Manchester City, which he said led to a rule change just days later.

After getting just two yellow cards in more than 600 games in the English ranks, he has three yellow cards in 29 games this season, his second in MLS.

“I don’t think I ever intentionally get targeted,” he said. “I do feel the interpretation of my sarcasm can get the better of me and they not quite understand it.”

Saturday’s game is a sellout, with more than 35,000 fans expected in the lower bowl at Bank of America Stadium. The first two times Miami came to town with Messi on the roster, Charlotte FC opened the upper deck. Not anymore.

A club spokesperson indicated this week that the team will no longer open the upper deck for regular season MLS games, including home openers. The spokesperson cited two primary reasons:

Charlotte FC has opened the upper deck 13 times for regular season games during the first four seasons, including its inaugural home opener in 2022, which broke a then-MLS record attendance with 74,479 fans. The team spokesperson said the upper deck could conceivably open for postseason matchups.

When/Where: 7:30 p.m., Bank of America Stadium

How to watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Find information about how to subscribe for the season here.

How to listen: WFNZ 92.7 in English, WOLS 106.1 in Spanish.

Notable:

Carroll Walton is a longtime baseball writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution now in her fourth season covering Charlotte FC. She would love to hear from you. E-mail her with questions, suggestions, story ideas and comments!

—

Need to sign up for this e-newsletter? We offer a free version, as well as paid memberships for full access to all 6 of our local newsletters:

The Charlotte Ledger is a locally owned media company that delivers smart and essential news. We strive for fairness and accuracy and will correct all known errors. The content reflects the independent editorial judgment of The Charlotte Ledger. Any advertising, paid marketing or sponsored content will be clearly labeled.

◼️ About The Ledger • Our Team • Website◼️ Newsletters • Podcast • Newcomer Guide • A Better You email series◼️ Subscribe • Sponsor • Events Board • Merch Store • Manage Your Account◼️ Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn