By leaps and bounds, Copetti paces Charlotte FC’s victory vs. New York City FC
Enzo Copetti smiled when he was asked how it felt to score his first goals at Bank of America Stadium.
“It’s my job,” he said with a chuckle.
Actually, there was a bit more to it than that.
There was, for example, the dash to the New York City FC goal and the lunging header that provided Charlotte FC with its first goal in a 3-2 victory Saturday night.
And there was the athletic leap above defenders that led to the team’s second goal.
“When I move, I try to move in a way to give myself an advantage,” Copetti said. “I like to have the defenders panic.”
On Saturday night, Copetti showed the explosiveness that Charlotte FC had hoped for when it spent a reported $6 million to acquire him in January from Racing Club, a first-level Argentine team.
His performance put a happy ending on an otherwise forgettable week for the Crown.
That week began with a 3-0 loss at D.C. United last Saturday and was followed by off-the-pitch problems that had coach Christian Lattanzio complaining that he was tired of “dealing with distractions.”
All of that was forgotten Saturday night before an announced crowd of 30,454.
For a few weeks, Lattanzio has been talking about the growing bond between his two standout strikers, Copetti and Karol Swiderski. Add the experience of recently-acquired forward Justin Meram, and Charlotte FC’s attack looked plenty strong against a New York City FC team that won the MLS championship two years ago and arrived in Charlotte in fifth place.
“It’s going well,” Copetti, who scored 22 goals in Argentina’s top division last season, said of his growing bond with Swiderski. “Naturally, it’s going to take some time. But I think it will work out well.”
His first goal came in the eighth minute, as McKinze Gaines lofted a perfect centering pass to Copetti, who lunged and headed the ball past New York goalkeeper Luis Barraza.
New York’s Gabriel Pereira beat Charlotte centerback Jan Sobocinski in the 37th minute and beat Crown goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina fromt point-blank range for a tying goal.
But two minutes later, Copetti got the ball about 10 yards in front of the New York goal, leaped over a defender, and got off a strong right-footed shot that flew through a group of defenders and into the goal.
That still wasn’t enough, though.
This was a game that got chippy at times.
In the first 30 minutes, there were 10 fouls, three yellow cards, and a pushing incident between Gaines and New York City FC’s Richard Ledezma.
And another foul – this one in the goal box, against Charlotte’s Adilson Malanda – gave the visitors a penalty kick in the 57th minute. Santiago Rodriguez converted, and it was 2-2.
Lattanzio said his team’s reaction to that second New York City goal was heartening.
“It meant the world,” he said. “You could see New York feeling the momentum. But we responded.”
The response came from Swiderski, who didn’t score in the match but was “the man of the match,” according to Lattanzio.
In the 75th minute, Swiderski earned a corner kick. His right-footed blast skipped off Ledezma and flew past Barraza for an own goal.
“This is the base,” Lattanzio said of the two comebacks from his team. “You can have all the quality in the world, but that determination is gold. We showed that.”
Another key in the match, according to Lattanzio and Copetti, was Meram, a veteran of more than 350 MLS matches.
“Justin is a player I have long admired,” Lattanzio said. “Not only does he help us technically, but he helps our other players.”
Lattanzio said he felt Swiderski, Copetti and McKinze all played better Saturday night because of Meram.
“With Justin, I can tell him whether I want the ball high or if I want it low,” Copetti said. “And I know I’ll get it that way.”
The victory wasn’t all roses.
Malanda was injured on the play that led to a penalty kick. He appeared to over-extend his leg and after trying to play a few minutes afterward, he left the match. Charlotte FC is already short- handed defensively, and Lattanzio said afterward that it was too early to know if Malanda will miss any matches.
What’s next?
Charlotte FC heads for the suburbs Tuesday night, hosting Orlando City FC in a Round-of-32 U.S. Open Cup match. That is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Matthews SportsPlex.
The Crown’s next MLS competition is next Saturday night, on the road against Atlanta United.
Charlotte FC returns to Bank of America Stadium for matches May 17 (Chicago Fire) and May 20 (Nashville FC).
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
