Charlotte FC’s game against Chelsea on Wednesday allows the expansion squad a chance to test itself against one of the premier clubs in the soccer world.
However, the match comes at an inopportune time for a team that just blew a 2-0 lead and lost 3-2 to Miami last Saturday. Charlotte sits just one point behind No. 7 Cincinnati for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot and faces a mere three-day turnaround before flying to Canada to take on Toronto FC, one of the worst teams in Major League Soccer.
The contest against Chelsea bisects the two games but won’t change Charlotte’s position in the MLS playoff picture. One of its few meaningful impacts exist in players getting hurt or tired ahead of a postseason push.
Interim head coach Christian Lattanzio announced that he’d try to limit his players’ playing time to around 45 minutes but that the team would use the outing as an opportunity to grow against one of the best soccer teams in the world.
“We will try to play our game, even against Chelsea, with respect and with dignity and and they will do the same because there are different objectives,” he said. “But when you are on the football pitch, you want to do your best, you want to play your best.”
Lattanzio wants to give his entire roster a chance to play against Chelsea, he said, but the coach doesn’t know if that’ll be possible due to the substitution rules in effect. The team remains in talks with organizers to see if he can make as many substitutions as possible without disrupting the game.
“Very likely we will do two halves and then maybe to have some more substitutions in the second half,” he said.
Lattanzio said that he hoped the game prepared his team for the matchup against Toronto and that what seemed to be a difficulty became an enjoyable experience.
The team will try certain things they’ve been working on, he said. Midfielder Brandt Bronico echoed that sentiment, saying that while the team won’t be experimenting too much, the match provided a good chance to test “what we’re made of” against a quality opponent.
Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel noted that Charlotte would want to show their best against a large European team like his own and that he expects the hometown team to see this as more than a mere friendly and prepare accordingly.
A trademark of the best teams in the world is high intensity, Lattanzio said, something that he’d like members of his team to experience.
“Even though it’s preseason for them, I”m sure that the intensity is inbuilt inside them … it’s in their DNA,” he said.
Lattanzio indicated his players would not look past this game in an effort to get to Toronto, saying it’s a blessing to play against the best teams in the world, especially for an expansion team:
“If you love football and if you live and breathe football like all of us here … to have this opportunity is great.”
Brandt Bronico plays against his favorite childhood team
Bronico grew up watching longtime Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, supporting him and even emulating his play style.
He adopted Chelsea as his team because of Lampard and while his once-intense fandom has subsided into an appreciation for the squad and its players, he still roots for them.
“I definitely still support them and want them to win,” he said. “Except for tomorrow.”
“It’ll be an extremely unique experience that I’m definitely looking forward to,” Bronico added. “Obviously having supported Chelsea my whole life … tomorrow will be an amazing experience.”
Bronico recalled watching them as an eleven-year-old when his youth team went to London for a tour. The team took a trip to Chelsea’s home stadium, Stamford Bridge, and watched them win over Bolton.
His favorite moment as a Chelsea fan came in 2012 when the club won the Champions League Final. He and a friend watched the team win on penalty kicks before sprinting out into the street and chanting in glee.
While he isn’t nervous about Wednesday’s outing, he did say the team held an important space in his life and that he eagerly awaited the game.
“You get to play against some of the best players in the world and a team that I grew up supporting so I’m looking forward to embracing the opportunity,” he said.
Christian Pulisic on Charlotte Soccer
United States soccer phenom and Chelsea star Christian Pulisic praised Charlotte’s soccer atmosphere, saying that he’s “thrilled’ to play in the Queen City.
“I think it’s cool to see how far the sport has come here,” he said.
He said that having an MLS team in a city is “huge” to help grow the sport.
“Before they didn’t have a massive soccer team to go and support and know that there’s gonna be thousands of fans at the game watching and now they have that,” Pulisic said. “Which I think is going to bring people out and get Americans watching the games, and it’s just a great thing to see.”
This story was originally published July 20, 2022 6:15 AM.