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By Brian Maurer Images courtesy of Charlotte FC The 2022 MLS All-Star game is just over a month away. It will be played in Minnesota, and Minnesota United’s coach, Adrian Heath, will be the MLS All-Star Team coach. Heath will be leading the team against the Liga MX All-Star Team. The question I wanted to look a little deeper into was whether Charlotte FC could have a representative at this year’s event. There are a few aspects of how the All-Star team is constructed that should be addressed before comparing any statistics. First, the roster is partially constructed around popularity. The first twelve players are voted on by fans, media, and players. The fans and media votes will likely have a strong pull towards more popular players in the league. Popularity is something that Charlotte FC is short on. Outside of Christian Fuchs, most people did not know who many of the players on the roster were before the season started. On popularity alone, Charlotte FC were going to receive a pretty limited amount of votes. There also has not been a player on Charlotte FC who has stood out so remarkably that they have boosted their popularity at the national level. All this means that Charlotte is unlikely to get a player voted in by the fans, media, and players. Image courtesy of Minnesota United Second, Heath will be selecting twelve all-stars for the match. Perhaps he has kept an eye on Charlotte FC, but since Charlotte are not playing Minnesota United this season I would not bank on him keeping to close an eye. This is just speculation, but unless something really stood out to Heath about one of Charlotte’s players so far I do not think that Heath will likely be selecting a player from Charlotte as things currently stand. Third, Don Garber is making the final two all-star selections. These picks, to me, are interesting, as Charlotte FC have had a solid start to their expansion campaign off the field, especially with ticket sales and team promotion. Garber might be interested in providing a boost to that promotion by sending a Charlotte FC representative to the match. Garber’s two picks are where I think a Charlotte FC player could be selected. Image courtesy of MLS The chances of a Charlotte FC player getting selected will also depend on how the following month goes. July could be a great opportunity for a few of Charlotte FC’s more consistent contributors to push themselves into the conversation for either Heath or Garber. Since the voting for fans, media, and players ends July 1st I don’t see any Charlotte player’s being voted in by then. Unless Ben Bender grabs a hat trick and an assist against Austin FC on Thursday. Over the next month, I think Kristijan Kahlina, Guzman Corujo, Brandt Bronico, and Bender could all make a claim from the fringes if they can continue to perform consistently and elevate their overall production. A few wins would also help solidify a claim, since winning will draw the interest from outside of Charlotte, and validate the production of the players. Kahlina got off to a very strong start, making many clutch saves which helped Charlotte FC secure points early on. His play has dropped slightly, and the defense has improved, which has meant Kahlina has had to make fewer saves. A good thing for the team, but not for padding his stats as an all-star candidate. Kahlina has stayed in the top ten in MLS in save percentage (76.8%) and in post shot expected goals minus goals against (PSxG-GA)* showing that he is capable of hanging with some of the better keepers in the league. However, players like Andre Blake, Dayne St. Clair, Sean Johnson, and Steve Clark are all having solid seasons this year. St. Clair, specifically, is having a breakout year, which could make it difficult for Kahlina to find a place on the all-star team. However if he goes on a heater and gets two or three more clean sheets, with a couple wins, that could change things. Corujo is another Charlotte FC candidate who could make a push if Charlotte FC’s defense continues to maintain its stability, and Charlotte can continue to grind out results. Several of his defensive actions stats are strong and hold with several other center back all-star candidates. Corujo currently averages 6.59 successful defensive actions** per 90 minutes. When comparing his defensive stats to other quality center backs like Aaron Long (7.58), Alexander Callens (5.86), and Walker Zimmerman (6.75), he can clearly hold his own. Whether he can make a bid, I believe, will be whether the team can continue to get results and hold another couple of clean sheets. Corujo is essentially in the same situation as Kahlina. Bronico and Bender are both in difficult situations. They have both performed well in their positions, but their positions are also where some of the best producers in the league play. Bender has arguably no shot, at this point, of making the roster regardless of how he plays because he is competing with players like Sebastián Driussi, Carles Gil, Dániel Gazdag, and Hany Mukhtar. All of these players, and more, are competing for the MVP award. Bender, as a rookie, has little to no shot of competing with this strong production group of central midfielders. Of course, an extremely productive July could at least add him to the conversation. Bronico puts in a strong shift every time out. Unfortunately, his work rate does not come attached with a lot of final production, which several of his defensive midfield counterparts have. Bronico has solid defensive statistics that can compete with many defensive mids, however there are several players who provide a ton of ball progression going forward. Players like Marco Delgado, and Ilie Sánchez are brilliant at progressing the ball up the field. In the modern game, ball progression stands out far more than strong defensive play. Which, in this case, could hurt Bronico’s potential all-star stock. Overall, I would say these four players have been Charlotte FC’s most consistent performers, and the most likely to get a nod towards the all-star game, depending on how July goes, and what traits Heath and Garber are looking for when making their selections. Images courtesy of Charlotte FC Others who could also be on the fringe, and who have received a top ten in their positions' share of votes since MLS last updated the voting tally on June 22nd, are Fuchs and Jaylin Lindsey. However both Fuchs and Lindsey have seen limited minutes over the past few weeks, so time will tell whether or not they can join the all-star candidate conversation. The upside, when it comes to July, is there are several games where Charlotte FC could get some much needed points, and provide some production which could help boost their stock towards being represented in the all-star game. If there was a stretch of games to make a claim to both solidify a position in the playoff hunt, and to prove to Garber and Heath that Charlotte deserves an all-star representative, this stretch of games through July is the time to make it happen. *PSxG-GA is probably the best advanced stat currently available to analyze how well a goalkeeper is playing. This stat takes the total amount of probable goals faced and subtracts it from the actual goals allowed. A positive number signifies a keeper giving up fewer goals than expected, while a negative number indicates a keeper giving up more goals than expected. This stat plus a few others, such as save percentage, help indicate how well a keeper is doing regardless of their teams overall performance. **For the successful defensive actions stats I took the successful defensive pressures per 90 minutes, interceptions per 90 minutes, and tackles won per 90 minutes and added them all together. The purpose of this stat was to see how many times a defensive player takes an action that leads to a positive outcome (regaining possession) per match.

By Jorge Gonzales Image courtesy of Charlotte FC Charlotte FC are looking to cut short Cristian "Titi" Ortiz year loan with the Black and Blues this transfer window. The Argentine has found life difficult at Charlotte, in 15 MLS appearances the playmaker has just managed to register 1 goal and 2 assist. When Interim head coach Christian Lattanzio was asked about the exclusion of Cristian in the 27 men squad that featured against Chelsea his response was "I prefer not the talk about that and let the club" further adding to the speculation of the playmakers eminent departure. In January, Charlotte FC signed Cristian Ortíz from Mexican side Club Tijuana on a year loan with an option to purchase. At Tijuana Titi made 17 appearances in Liga MX after joining from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle, where he scored 19 goals and provided 10 assists. Cristian Ortiz will become the second player to depart Charlotte FC after Ecuadorian International Alan Franco’s loan deal was also cut short with the player signing for Argentine side Talleres de Cordoba. With the departure of Ortiz another International slot will also open up in the Crowns roster. It is to note that no additions have been made to this squad but we are beginning to see changes in this inaugural roster as two men that Miguel Angel Ramirez requested are no longer part of the plans moving forward.

By Brian Maurer Image courtesy of Charlotte FC The roster build at Charlotte FC has been one of the most discussed topics during their inaugural season. Understandably so, as this is the first roster in the team’s history. Now that the Black and Blues are just over halfway through the season, and the summer transfer window has been open for nearly two weeks, it feels like the first pivotal moment in the club’s young tenure. Fans and pundits will be keeping a close eye on Charlotte’s sporting director, Zoran Krneta, throughout the remainder of the transfer window, which closes August 4th. Here is a chronological look at the different discussions Krneta has had with the media regarding the summer transfer window. What the discussion was like back in March, and what is being discussed now. By looking at a timeline of summer transfer window discussions that Krneta has had, there is a chance of better understanding Charlotte’s transfer window approach over the last couple weeks of the transfer window. Creating Roster Flexibility A couple days after Charlotte FC lost their inaugural home match to the Los Angeles Galaxy, MLS insider, Tom Bogert, wrote an article about a discussion he had with Krneta regarding the roster building process. One of Krneta’s main points in his discussion with Bogert back in early March was roster flexibility. The method of creating roster flexibility that Krneta discussed was by keeping a designated player (DP) slot open that could be used to sign a high-level player in the summer transfer window. “It’s good flexibility, I like that. We still don’t know what we really need. Maybe we have an idea, but after 10 games we’ll know exactly what we need” Krneta told Bogert. The initial goal to start the season was to see how the initial roster played and grew together. After watching the team play, Krneta and his staff would be able to get a sense of the types of players they would need to sign during the summer transfer window. By leaving openings in the roster, Krneta allowed Charlotte FC to have the flexibility to sign players for possessions of need. The Roster And Where More Pieces Could Be Added After twelve games, Krneta had a press conference where he discussed his thoughts on the start to Charlotte FC’s season. “I think our season has gone well. I’m proud of the players. At the beginning, we said our aim for year one is to be competitive, and I think we have proved that” Krneta told reporters. Krneta also discussed positions of need during the press conference. “I don’t want to commit whether it will happen in the summer transfer window which is our aim, or whether it will happen in January simply because of the business of transfers and deals is unpredictable but we are looking to add an attacking midfielder as our third DP, that is our primary aim” Krneta said. After the first third of the season, Krneta identified the position of need, and that there was a plan in place to acquire that player using a DP spot during the summer, or January if the summer window did not go as planned. This press conference was the first time Krneta mentioned the DP strategy leading towards the summer transfer window. His statements in May showed a clear objective; acquire a high-level attacking midfielder. They also showed a willingness to remain both patient and cautious with their approach leading into the summer window. Thoughts On Roster As Is When the summer transfer window opened on July 7th, Krneta was interviewed by radio broadcasters on WFNZ. “To be honest the squad is in good shape right now, the balance is right, I mean we might need one or two pieces, we are openly looking at them, we have our targets, we are evaluating them” Krneta told The Mac Attack Podcast regarding his thoughts on the transfer window. The response by Krneta, in early July, was similar to how he approached his presser in May. Be patient and cautious, look at targets and see what happens. This approach is able to be maintained by Krneta because of his thoughts on the roster as it currently stands. “I think it’s a playoff roster, there is no doubt about it, with a bit of unluck as you mentioned with the referees, and generally a bit of unluck at the beginning of the season when we lost some games, I think we should have a few more points” Krneta stated to The Mac Attack Podcast. This mindset, and current feelings about the roster is an important reason for why Krneta is discussing such a patient approach transfer window strategy to the public. Looking At Targets Tuesday, Krneta discussed the summer transfer window again with one of the hosts of the Crown Corner, Will Palaszczuk. “The key thing for us is to find the player that is the quality and the difference in the team. This transfer window, the secondary transfer window, is not a window where you gamble with a player. This is the window where you get a player that is a finished article and can come in and start making a difference in the team. We will only move if we can find that kind of player” Krneta told Palaszczuk regarding the summer strategy. “We are trying to see which player or two fits the team and can go straight in the first eleven…there’s a midfielder we are looking at, there might be a help at fullback as well, so there’s a couple positions we are looking at”. Krneta said regarding the level of players that his staff are evaluating, as well as the positions that are being evaluated. In Tuesdays interview, Krneta discussed the current summer transfer window strategy in far more detail than he had a couple weeks before. He clearly stated that the type of player they are looking to sign is a “finished article”, a player who will be capable of jumping right into the starting lineup. His answers to specific positions of interest, midfielder and fullback, appeared to be far more narrowed down than when he was discussing the transfer window on The Mac Attack. This could mean that the front office has made some progress regarding their transfer target evaluations, and that it will depend on whether they can get some of their evaluated targets across the line and signed before the deadline. Something that is never a guarantee, as many Charlotte FC fans likely remember from the winter window. Down To The Wire One of the consistencies in Krneta’s discussions throughout the season from March till now in July, is that his staff is going to take a patient and cautious approach. This is because they are confident in the team they have already put together, and are only willing to add a player that can help the team immediately, who could push them into a more competitive position in the table. A second point that seems more clear by Krneta’s discussion with Palaszczuk is that it appears they have narrowed down their list of targets to two positions and that they are the caliber of player who would be able to start immediately upon signing. Having clear targets will only benefit the club if they can get the deals done before August 4th. The next couple weeks will tell whether the patient approach Charlotte is taking can get new signings in time for the final stretch of the season.

By Tyler Trent Image courtesy of Charlotte FC Charlotte FC’s play has picked up under the leadership of interim manager Christian Lattanzio, but will the black and blue still be able to make the playoffs? After Saturday’s heartbreaking loss against Inter Miami, Charlotte currently sits at 8th in the table with 26 points. Last year’s cutoff in points to make the playoffs with 7th place in the Eastern Conference was 48 points. With only 13 games remaining, Charlotte would need to average 1.69 points per game over the rest of the season. Throughout the season so far, they are averaging 1.24 points per game. The full TopBin90 writing team of Jorge, Brian, and Tyler, along with special guests Lee (CLTFC Fan TV), Vaughn Pollman (Guesting on all your favorite Charlotte FC podcasts), Carroll Walton (Charlotte Ledger), Kyran (QC Soccer Report), and Matt Swift (Mint City Soccer Show) give their takes on the remaining games on the schedule, result prediction, final point tally, and the big question – do we make the playoffs? The Remaining Games 7/23 - Toronto FC (Away) Jorge: Draw Brian: Win Tyler: Win Lee: Draw Vaughn: Win Kyran: Win Swift: Win Carroll: Win 7/30 - Columbus Crew (Home) Jorge: Win Brian: Win Tyler: Win Lee: Win Vaughn: Draw Kyran: Win Swift: Win Carroll: Win 8/3 - DC United (Home) Jorge: Win Brian: Win Tyler: Win Lee: Win Vaughn: Win Kyran: Win Swift: Win Carroll: Win 8/6 - Chicago Fire (Home) Jorge: Win Brian: Win Tyler: Win Lee: Win Vaughn: Win Kyran: Win Swift: Win Carroll: Win 8/13 - Los Angeles FC (Away) Jorge: Loss Brian: Loss Tyler: Loss Lee: Loss Vaughn: Loss Kyran: Loss Swift: Loss Carroll: Loss 8/17 - New York City FC (Away) Jorge: Draw Brian: Draw Tyler: Loss Lee: Loss Vaughn: Loss Kyran: Loss Swift: Loss Carroll: Loss 8/21 – Orlando City (Home) Jorge: Win Brian: Win Tyler: Draw Lee: Win Vaughn: Draw Kyran: Draw Swift: Win Carroll: Win 8/27 – Toronto FC (Home) Jorge: Win Brian: Win Tyler: Win Lee: Win Vaughn: Win Kyran: Win Swift: Win Carroll: Win 9/3 – FC Cincinnati (Away) Jorge: Loss Brian: Draw Tyler: Loss Lee: Draw Vaughn: Draw Kyran: Loss Swift: Win Carroll: Draw 9/10 – New York City FC (Home) Jorge: Draw Brian: Loss Tyler: Draw Lee: Draw Vaughn: Loss Kyran: Loss Swift: Draw Carroll: Draw 9/17 – Chicago Fire (Away) Jorge: Win Brian: Draw Tyler: Win Lee: Win Vaughn: Win Kyran: Win Swift: Win Carroll: Win 10/1 – Philadelphia Union (Home) Jorge: Draw Brian: Win Tyler: Draw Lee: Loss Vaughn: Loss Kyran: Loss Swift: Loss Carroll: Loss 10/9 – New York Red Bulls (Away) Jorge: Draw Brian: Loss Tyler: Loss Lee: Win Vaughn: Loss Kyran: Loss Swift: Loss Carroll: Draw Total Points: Jorge: 49 points Brian: 50 points Tyler: 47 points Lee: 45 points Vaughn: 44 points Kyran: 45 points Swift: 51 points Carroll: 50 points Image courtesy of Charlotte FC Team End of Season Awards: We thought it would be fun to look at three end of season awards as well to see if there was any consensus on the three main postseason awards for the club. Jorge Leading Goal Scorer: Karol Swiderski Assist Leader: Yordy Reyna Player of the Season: Guzman Corujo Brian Leading Goal Scorer: Karol Swiderski Assist Leader: Yordy Reyna Player of the Season: Karol Swiderski Tyler Leading Goal Scorer: Karol Swiderski Assist Leader: Sergio Ruiz Player of the Season: Guzman Corujo Lee Leading Goal Scorer: Andre Shinyashiki Assist Leader: Ben Bender Player of the Season: Guzman Corujo Vaughn Leading Goal Scorer: Karol Swiderski Assist Leader: Ben Bender Player of the Season: Guzman Corujo Kyran Leading Goal Scorer: Karol Swiderski Assist Leader: Ben Bender Player of the Season: Kristijan Kahlina Matt Leading Goal Scorer: Karol Swiderski Assist Leader: Ben Bender Player of the Season: Brandt Bronico Carroll Leading Goal Scorer: Karol Swiderski Assist Leader: Ben Bender Player of the Season: Guzman Corujo The Bottom Line Jorge (@Bellatorisjorge) Charlotte will be in and around playoff spots the rest of the season. The reality is that the squad build isn't as bad as Miguel portrayed it to be, but it also isn't as good as as a top contending team. Charlotte’s reality is 7th-10th and with a few good away performances and maintaining a good home form, I can definitely see Charlotte finishing 7th in the East. Charlotte have to capitalize on the recent form Yordy Reyna has displayed, the goals from Andre Shinyashiki, and hopefully a revitalized Karol Swiderski to continue to make their push. The away points are far and few now but I think the resilience this team has shown all season will get them the necessary results. Brian (@BAMaurerMedia) Thinking they can get themselves on a heater to end July and to start August. Predicting they grab their longest win streak of the season (4 games in a row) starting this weekend in Toronto. Also predicting Charlotte FC get a couple signings at the end of the transfer window to help provide some depth needed to get some extra points during the tough stretch of games at the end of the season. Overall, my bold prediction is that Karol Swiderski comes into strong finishing form, resoundingly becoming the team’s leading goal scorer, and player of the year. With Swiderski leading the way with his goal scoring the team sneaks into 6th place in the conference and a playoff spot on the road against CF Montreal with a chance to get some revenge. Tyler (@ttrent4) With 47 points, it will be hard to tell if Charlotte FC will make the playoffs. The magic number in past seasons has been 48. I think I have a pretty optimistic take on the above games, but points could easily be dropped in matches I predicted a win. With a potentially impending midfield signing, who knows what could change for Charlotte FC and their playoff hopes. Despite my 47 points prediction, I still have high hopes and belief that Charlotte can make the playoffs in their inaugural season. I think Swiderski will pick up his scoring and finish the season with 10-12 goals. Sergio Ruiz has a solid chance of passing Bender as the assist leader on the team with his recent run of starts and good performances under Lattanzio. Team MVP was a tough pick for me between Bronico and Corujo and I think both are deserving, so it was truly a coin flip for me. Vaughn (@VIPollman) 1.4 points per game. History tells us that’s the rough target for maintaining pace to be a fringe playoff team. Looking at today’s MLS Eastern Conference standings there are 6 teams vying for the 7th and final playoff spot who are chasing that 1.4 ppg target, and we’re among them. Projecting where we finish all depends on our ability to earn more wins on the road and I see our best opportunities to do that at Toronto, Cincinnati, and Chicago. Anything less than 7 points from those games and we will see ourselves on the wrong side of the playoff line unless we can earn some marquee wins against tougher opponents down the stretch. I have us finishing on 44 points, or 1.29 ppg, painfully short of a playoff spot. We’ll have to do better than I project to squeak into the playoffs, and as I predicted before the season, this isn’t necessarily a reflection of us and more so that we are part of a very strong and balanced Eastern Conference. Hopefully I’m wrong (the jinx is on), we can go on a run, and pick up 4 to 6 additional points by finding our scoring boots and finishing with a positive goal differential and a playoff appearance. Kyran (@QCSoccerReport) It will go down to Decision Day, but Charlotte, in my opinion, will miss out on playoffs by a point or two. We can compete against anyone at home, but away matches against LAFC, NYCFC, and Red Bulls will be tough. However, picking up maximum points against clubs at the bottom of the standings (CHI, DC, & TOR) is realistic. I think if there's a club we will pass it will be Columbus, therefore the match against them at home will be crucial. I don’t think we will catch Cincinnati because they are an improving side who we will lose to and 7 of their last 13 matches are against clubs that are not in a playoff spot right now. Swiderski will pass Shinyashiki to end up with 11 goals, especially if we bring in a midfielder to help supply him with chances. Bender will end up with the most assists. Reyna is going to continue to emerge as another playmaker. It’s not a coincidence that the matches where we dominated at home (vs NSH, FCC, & NER) all included Bender assists. Also, I feel McNeill will flourish as a supersub. For Team MVP, I chose between Corujo and Kahlina. Corujo has brought so much stability in our centerback situation. I have more concerns about our fullback situation. I went with Kahlina though. He’s had 3.3 saves per 90 and a save percentage of 72%. Matt Swift (@160_Swiftly) First and foremost, we were never "screwed," and fans will see just how much depth we have in this squad this second half of the season. With an in-form Yordy Reyna, a revitalized Karol Swiderski, and weapons off the bench, I can see us finishing with around 51 points, good enough for 6th place in the East. We have a favorable three-game home stand that should propel us forward and get us where we need to be to finish strong. Carroll (@CarrollRogers) To me, the next four games determine if Charlotte FC makes the playoffs. Do they carry the momentum of the Chelsea win into Toronto and pick up only their second road win of the season? Then they come home to play three games in a week at “the fortress” - all “winnable” games at Bank of America Stadium against Columbus, D.C. United and Chicago. If they win those four - is it possible?! - hold their own against some tough Northeast opponents down the stretch, Swiderski hits his stride, the team continues to grow under Lattanzio, and possibly adds another midfielder, Charlotte makes some more history this inaugural season. Buckle up! Final Thoughts Opinions are divided between the writers of TopBin90 and our guests. This seems to point toward what we all expect going into the end of the season: a team capable of making the playoffs, but still suffering from growth spurts and some poor results early in the season. We all hope Matt Swift, Carroll, and Brian's predictions are the most correct as their point totals would most certainly guarantee playoffs for the inaugural season. TopBin90 wants to give a special shout out to all our collaborating guests. Each of these individuals has put forth an incredible amount of time and dedication into supporting the team, creating content, and making the Charlotte FC community as special and inviting as it is. Please reach out and give each of them a follow and check out their work. Each guest's twitter profile is hyperlinked in the bottom line section above.

By Brian Maurer Image courtesy of FC Porto Charlotte FC are signing José Tavares from Porto's development program to be their first ever MLS NEXT Pro coach. Tavares was Porto’s U19 coach this past season and has been involved in various different positions in Porto’s development program for over a decade. He has also been an assistant coach for Luís Castro, who currently coaches for recently promoted, Brazilian side Botafogo. What Is MLS NEXT Pro? MLS NEXT Pro is the new developmental league for MLS teams. It is a professional league, considered a tier below MLS, but higher than the academy level. One way to look at MLS NEXT Pro is that it is a bridge for players from the academy level to MLS. 2022 was the inaugural season for the league. Charlotte FC will be joining MLS NEXT Pro for the start of next season. Tavares’ Developmental Background One of the great recent achievements was Porto’s U19 team winning the 2019 UEFA Youth League. At the time Tavares was the academy manager. Some of the players on that cup winning side have gone on to become big time prospects around the world. Here is a list of some of the elite talent that came from that team and whom Tavares has helped develop: Diogo Costa, who is now the starting goalkeeper for Porto’s senior team, and who helped them become the 2022 Portuguese champions. Fábio Vieira, who is now a regular contributing midfielder for Porto’s senior team, and also helped them win the Portuguese title this past year. He was sold to Arsenal this summer for a reported 35 million euros*. Fábio Silva, a highly touted prospect who is currently on loan with Belgian side Anderlecht from Premier League team Wolverhampton. Wolverhampton paid** a reported 35 million pounds for Silva in 2020. João Mário, starting defender for Porto’s senior team and 2022 Portuguese champion. Vitinha, starting midfielder for Porto’s senior team that won the 2022 Portuguese championship. Vitinha was transferred*** to Paris Saint-Germain this summer for a reported 40 million euros. What is clear from this recent crop of players is that Tavares is experienced at progressing players successfully through the youth ranks into being regular contributors for the first team. If he can provide a similar leadership role for the players on Charlotte FC’s MLS NEXT Pro team, then Charlotte should see players who are developing from the academy through to the first team using the MLS NEXT Pro team as a bridge to help get them the professional experience they need to succeed. Style Of Play: A Look At Castro’s Shakhtar Donetsk Based on Tavares being an understudy for Castro, Charlotte FC should expect a coach with a similar coaching philosophy to current head coach Christian Lattanzio. Based on an analysis done by Niklas Hemmer-Hiltenkamp on Total Football Analysis⁺, Castro used an attacking style 4-2-3-1 which would transition into a 4-1-4-1 when defending while he was the coach for Shakhtar Donetsk. Hemmer-Hiltenkamp reported that Castro would have the fullbacks push up into the wide spaces and have his midfield stay compact in central areas to provide multiple methods of progressing the ball through the middle. Here is a diagram below to provide a visual example: This is one example of the shape that Castro used to progress the ball through the middle, according to Hemmer-Hiltenkamp. While there were several different methods that Castro used in attack, the main focus was to progress the ball centrally. This is a similar approach to how Lattanzio likes to set up attacking phases. As you can see in the above visual it looks similar to how Lattanzio establishes Charlotte FC’s shape. A difference being that Lattanzio would have a fullback pull inside to become a pivot alongside a single defensive midfielder. Philosophy and Development Tavares looks to be an ideal match to be Charlotte FC’s inaugural MLS NEXT Pro coach. He has over a decade of experience working in the developmental program at Porto, which is one of the best programs in the world. He has success developing players from the academy into high level senior prospects earning big time transfer fees to some of the most famous clubs in the world. This fits with Charlotte’s desire to develop stars in the Carolinas. Based on the attacking philosophy of Castro, who Tavares was an assistant under, it appears that Tavares will be preaching a similar philosophy with the MLS NEXT Pro team that Lattanzio preaches with the senior squad. *Transfer fees and stats were found in articles and links on transfermarkt.us, unless otherwise mentioned. **Found on theathletic.com; article was written by Steve Madeley ***Found on ESPN.com; article was written by Adriana Garcia. ⁺I highly recommend Total Football Analysis, they have a ton of different analytical breakdowns from many different writers from around the world.