Union crushed by Charlotte FC, 4-0, in worst loss of season
Daniel Ríos scored all four goals for Charlotte as the Union conceded four goals for the first time in over three years.
The Union’s quest to finish atop the Eastern Conference was extended a while longer, thanks to a 4-0 loss at Charlotte FC on Saturday.
Daniel Ríos scored all four goals for Charlotte in front of a crowd of 43,860 fans at Bank of America Stadium, as the home team kept its faint playoff hopes alive and dealt the Union their first loss since Aug. 17.
A rare sight
The Union (18-5-10, 64 points) conceded more than two goals for only the fifth time this year, three goals for only the second time, and four goals for the first — the first time at all since July 27, 2019. They trailed at halftime for just the third time this year. They had a 5-2 advantage in shots in the first half but only one went on target, a 32-yard blast by Dániel Gazdag in the 34th minute.
The shots total in the end was 13-10 to the Union, but it didn’t matter. Ríos and his colleagues carved up the Union’s defense on Bank of America Stadium’s artificial turf, with the first two goals coming from the kind of tight passing in the attacking third that the Union rarely allow.
Subs’ lack of impact
Jim Curtin made a double substitution in the 59th minute that changed not just the lineup, but the tactics. Cory Burke came in for Mikael Uhre, and Paxten Aaronson came in for Jack McGlynn, which changed the Union’s formation from a diamond midfield to a box with two attacking midfielders.
Fifteen minutes later, Quinn Sullivan replaced Julián Carranza. Matt Real for Jack Elliott was the last swap, in the 81st.
None of the moves produced a goal, which is concerning on a few levels. First, the Union have now gone two straight league games without scoring. (You were warned weeks ago in this space that the blowout wins couldn’t continue forever.)
Second, as Danny Higginbotham pointed out on the Union’s TV broadcast, going scoreless after two weeks between league games doesn’t bode well for the playoffs. If the Union are able to hold on to first place in the Eastern Conference, their first-round bye will give them anywhere from nine to 14 days between the regular-season finale and the conference semifinals.
» READ MORE: JP Dellacamera says farewell after 13 years as the Union's lead TV play-by-play broadcaster
Bad to worse
Kai Wagner drew a yellow card in the 39th minute for a foul, then another yellow in the 71st for an obvious handball in the Union’s 18-yard box that gave Charlotte a penalty kick. He will thus miss next Sunday’s regular-season finale against Toronto FC (2:30 p.m., TV TBD). Real likely will start at left back, which is part of why he came into the game when he did.
Another rare sight
If you tuned in late (or didn’t read The Inquirer’s pregame coverage), you might have wondered why a soccer game was played on a NFL gridiron. Charlotte (13-17-2, 41 points) shares a stadium with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, and both teams have the same ownership.
Heading into the weekend, weather forecasts had Hurricane Ian hitting Charlotte on Saturday morning. With the Panthers set to play a home game on Sunday, stadium staff decided to paint the gridiron lines on the turf on Friday, instead of Saturday night as they usually would.
It turned out that the storm arrived earlier and left earlier than predicted. By kickoff time Saturday evening, there was no rain, and the temperatures were in the 60s.
» READ MORE: More on how Hurricane Ian affected the Union's weekend
On to the finale
The Union’s hopes of winning the Supporters’ Shield for MLS’ best regular-season record aren’t officially gone yet. But they will need Los Angeles FC (20-8-4, 64 points) to lose or tie on Sunday at Portland (3 p.m., 6abc and ESPN Deportes), then do better than LAFC’s result on Oct. 9, the final day of the season. A tie on points at the end of the season will not be enough, because the Union will have fewer wins.
The Union host Toronto FC, long since out of the playoff race and next-to-last in the East. LAFC hosts Nashville SC, which likely will be playing to earn a first-round home game.
We’ll know Sunday night whether the Union-Toronto game is selected for national TV coverage on FS1 and Fox Deportes. Those channels will carry one of the seven simultaneous Eastern Conference games set for 2:30 p.m. ET. ESPN and ESPN Deportes will carry one of the seven Western Conference games at 5 p.m., and LAFC-Nashville is a leading candidate.
A reminder
If you’re panicking about a Phillies-style collapse by the Union, don’t. They clinched their playoff berth on Aug. 31, and can finish no worse than second in the East. Their magic number to finish first stands at two points — i.e. one win — after CF Montréal (19-9-5, 62 points) beat D.C. United, 1-0, on Saturday.