Charlotte FC Stock Up, Stock Down: Cambridge makes MLS return, Bronico stands out, Abada struggles to make an impact

By Sam Vanolinda and Brian Maurer

(Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/TopBin90)

Charlotte FC returned to MLS play back home at the Bank versus New York Red Bulls on Saturday night.

The closely contested game ended in a 1-1 draw, with a Karol Świderski penalty, followed by a goal by the Charlotte killer, Elias Manoel. 

The Brazilian has seven goals in six games against the Crown, more than any player in the league; it’s safe to say he enjoys matching up against Carolina Blue.

In Tim Ream's debut and Pep Biel's late substitute debut, Charlotte fans were left underwhelmed by the summer window signings. The team still lacks a catalyst and a finisher, which is evident from all the wasted chances.

That being said, a point is a point against a very talented Red Bulls side.

Here is the stock up/down for Saturday night’s game:

Stock Up

Brandt Bronico

Bronico was one of the few players in Charlotte who looked lively on Saturday. The majority of the team looked rusty which Head Coach Dean Smith also stated during the post-match press conference.

Bronico's ability to show up as himself in games regardless if the team has had time off is a testament to his training regimen. With every passing game, it seems Bronico earns more and more trust from Smith as the coach opted to sub off Djibril Diani for Biel's debut.

This makes it seem like Bronico could be the midfielder who maintains a starting spot once Smith puts Biel in the starting XI.

Brandon Cambridge

Cambridge earned his first MLS minutes of the season after suffering a preseason injury.

Cambridge even looked lively in his almost 10 minutes of game time. He looks like another winger who could situationally come on and make an impact.

The game ended with a complete Crown Legacy front three of Iuri Taveres, Patrick Agyemang, and Cambridge. It's great to see how much the development in this club has produced exciting young players.

Jere Uronen

Sometimes I feel the need to point out how consistent Uronen has been on that left side this entire season. He may not be very flashy, but he gets the job done week by week for this Charlotte FC team.

The Finland international is reliable on both ends of the field. He was one of the few bright spots for Charlotte against NYRB.

He had 84 touches, four passes into the final third, three tackles won, three clearances, three recoveries, and seven duels won.

While Byrne had trouble holding back Lewis Morgan, who I thought was NYRB’s best player in the match, Uronen shut down Dennis Gjengaar, who was subbed off in the 60th minute after little impact.

Stock Down

Liel Abada

Abada is not making the impact that a record-signing DP should be making on a team as of late. Maybe he will repeat his last performance against Atlanta in the rematch this Saturday, but his performance against NYRB was lackluster.

He seems to not have the dribbling ability and right decision-making when he begins to run at defenders. He very often runs straight into the opponent and is easily dispossessed. 

He was only 71% on passing had 0 accurate crosses from the right wing, and only had 34 touches the whole game. A star player should be putting his stamp on every game he plays, but Abada looked lost Saturday Night.

Djibril Diani

Diani was the midfielder Smith opted to sub out early to let Biel make his debut. This could be the writing on the wall that Charlotte’s new DP will be taking minutes away from the French midfielder more than Bronico.

More time is needed to see if this is definitively the case but it appears that Bronico’s workrate is winning the trust of Smith which would leave Diani as the odd man out in the midfield.

Summary

If Charlotte can somehow increase its creativity up front and start making the most of chances, their ceiling is a deep playoff run, but as of now, the ceiling feels like an early playoff exit.

To win games you have to learn to create and convert chances consistently, and the attacking third right now is just confusing.

That being said, Atlanta has been a struggling team this year. On Saturday Marco Reus made them look silly in his debut; I think Charlotte can right the ship with a solid result against their fierce rivals on August 31 back at the Bank.