A 'Zaha' moment hinders playoff opener
Plus GM Zoran Krneta says Biel's injury will not affect his long-term status with Charlotte FC
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‘The red mist’ leads to red card and Zaha suspension for Tuesday night’s MLS First-Round playoff opener at home against NYCFC
Zaha has shown his feistiness all season long, including here in Leagues Cup action against Juarez. (Photo by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project.)
Oh, Zaha.
Charlotte FC fans have now seen a full Major League Soccer season’s worth of superstar Wilfried Zaha living, and thriving, on the edge. The slick-footed winger has taken prickly to new places, plowing his way under the skin of opponents and into the books of officials — both cautions for and against — while racking up 10 goals and 10 assists to help bring Charlotte FC a coveted top-four finish.
But in the waning moments of Charlotte’s regular-season finale against Philadelphia to secure it, Zaha went over the edge. And it cost his team its most valuable player for the playoff opener Tuesday against New York City FC.
With Saturday’s game approaching the 90th minute, Zaha dribbled into traffic and got kicked, as is often the case. Not only is Zaha the most fouled player in MLS this season, but in any season in MLS history with 125 drawn against him. The player with the second most this season, Carlos Gil of New England, is 23 fouls behind Zaha.
But the extracurricular interaction to follow made the moment exponentially worse. After being swatted on his hand by Union midfielder Jesus Bueno, away from the ball, as the two turned upfield, Zaha responded with an open-handed swipe at the back of Bueno’s head. The move, which Smith said Zaha characterized to him as an attempt to “push him away,” didn’t land with much force. But the intent was obvious and the call for a yellow card simple. Zaha had two yellow cards for the game, which added up to a red card.
The disqualification meant an automatic suspension for Zaha in Tuesday’s first-round best-of-three series opener against New York City FC. The MLS Disciplinary committee tacked an undisclosed fine onto Zaha later in the week. It was notable that the suspension remained at one game, when it could have been extended to two games under MLS’s “violent conduct” rule.
Charlotte had four minutes to burn off with a 2-0 lead against the Supporters’ Shield winners. Now they’ll go 90 minutes-plus without Zaha in a game they need to win at home to avoid facing elimination in the awkward configuration at New York’s Yankee Stadium four days later.
Hey, at least Zaha will have fresh legs for Game 2?
“Sometimes the red mist will come down on you,” Charlotte FC coach Dean Smith said after the call put a damper on Saturday’s “Decision Day” celebration. “He’s human.”
Smith came under fire for not pulling Zaha sooner, knowing the temperamental veteran was already on yellow and the lead was two goals. Smith pointed out that both Tyger Smalls and Archie Goodwin were warming up behind him, preparing to come in, when the call was made.
In Smith’s defense, a great Kristijan Kahlina save and the crossbar prevented two Union scoring opportunities between the 85th minute and when Zaha picked up the red. Philadelphia is dangerous. And Zaha had played the full 90 minutes in 25 of his first 30 MLS games. He doesn’t like or want to come out.
But the situation and what was coming next were undeniably huge: the playoffs and the homefield advantage you’ve been working all season to attain. If ever there was a time to turn the other cheek, this was it.
Shortly after the game ended, Smith pointed out to the press that Charlotte FC had to play without attacking midfielder Pep Biel because of a red card in the first-round opener against Orlando last year. Biel picked up that red card in the 90th minute of Game 1 — another huge example of a costly mistake at a bad time. Charlotte FC had to play at home, facing elimination, in Game 2 without him and managed to defeat Orlando in a shootout to force a Game 3 in Orlando. They eventually lost the series.
The difference this time around is that Charlotte FC is already playing without Biel because of a knee injury. Combined, Biel (10 goals, 12 assists) and Zaha account for 20 of the 54 goals Charlotte FC has scored this year and 22 of the 54 assists.
Next man up: Abada? Charlotte can start by looking to two of its best remaining attacking players in striker Idan Toklomati and winger Kerwin Vargas. Toklomati leads the team with 11 goals since taking over for departed Patrick Aygemang. He doesn’t normally create his own shot but has proven to be a dynamite finisher, which means if Vargas, and midfielder Ashley Westwood and new left back addition Harry Toffolo, can find him on some through balls or timely crosses, Toklomati can convert. Vargas, who might be Charlotte FC’s most improved player this season, had a goal and an assist against Philadelphia and showed he’s not afraid of the big moment.
As for who immediately fills Zaha’s spot on the wing, the most obvious choice is Liel Abada. (Otherwise, it’s Tyger Smalls, who has had limited playing time, or perhaps even Jahkelle Marshall-Rutty playing out of position.) Abada is the club’s other designated player. He has lost his starting job, and footing with the club, to Vargas about halfway through the season. If ever there was an opportunity to salvage his season, this is it.
🎧 Listen to a discussion about Charlotte FC
Zaha, Biel, Abada and the playoffs were all topics covered on WFAE’s Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins Thursday morning in a discussion featuring Charlotte FC general manager Zoran Krneta, the Charlotte Business Journal’s Erik Spanberg and me. (Also available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.)
Biel update on injury, future with Charlotte FC
Charlotte FC hoped to have attacking midfielder Pep Biel back for this playoff run, but as he neared a return from six weeks out with a hamstring strain, he suffered a tendon injury. An MRI on Oct. 3 revealed the tendon tear, and Biel underwent a minimally invasive procedure to repair it Oct. 16.
While it was clear that meant Biel wouldn’t be available in the short term, there were lingering questions about what it would mean long-term for the player who came to Charlotte on loan from Greek club Olympiacos in August of 2024.
Biel was having an MVP-caliber year before he injured his hamstring in Leagues Cup action against Chivas in early August.
Charlotte FC had announced in late June that Biel’s loan, which was set to expire Aug. 1, was extended through the end of the 2025 season with an option to purchase his contract if performance metrics were met. The club never announced if those metrics had been met, but in a meeting with select media Tuesday, general manager Zoran Krneta said they had been, which triggered Biel’s return to Charlotte on a multi-year contract.
“Pep is our player,” Krneta said. “Pep will be joining us in the preseason next year as a Charlotte FC player.”
Krneta declined to say whether Biel is signed with the status of a designated player. In previous arrangements, Biel played on a TAM (targeted allocation money) contract, allowing Charlotte FC the roster flexibility to sign other designated players.
“It’s a complex deal, because it’s not easy to get a player who is scoring goals and assists, right, left and center, for the club that owns that player to just let your player stay for no money,” Krneta said. “So it took some persuasion.”
Krneta said he relied on his long relationship with Evangelos Marinakis, who owns both Olympiacos and Nottingham Forest of the English Premier League, to get the deal over the line.
“I spent time in Greece and London with Mr. Marinakis,” he said. “And we managed to get a deal in a way that he would stay with us until the end of the season, but if certain performance-based triggers are met, then he would then be our permanent player, and then we’ll pay the fee for it.”
Krneta said contract terms then had to be negotiated with Biel, which took time as well.
“We couldn’t give you a straight answer because we didn’t have the straight answer, but now we have, and we will see Pep Biel next year,” Krneta said. “I think Pep Biel is an elite number 10 in this league, so he’ll be fit and ready.”
Krneta left open the outside possibility that Biel might be able to return if Charlotte FC advances deep into the MLS Cup playoffs.
Up Next: Round One Game 1
No. 4 Charlotte FC (19-13-2) vs. No. 5 New York City FC (17-12-5)
When/Where: Tuesday 6:30 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium
How to watch: FS1 and FOX Deportes. MLS Season Pass and Apple TV. Find information about how to subscribe here.
How to listen: WBT Radio 1110 AM and 99.3 FM in English, WOLS 106.1 in Spanish.
Notable:
Miami and Lionel Messi got the Friday night time slot, and Sunday wasn’t an option for a team sharing Bank of America Stadium with the Panthers, so Charlotte FC opens the playoffs on a Tuesday night.
The benefit of the extra time is it allowed both Ashley Westwood (back spasms) and Brandt Bronico (quadriceps tightness) to work back into action after missing practice early this week.
Coming Tuesday: a special edition of Fútbol Friday advancing the Round One opener.
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!
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