Rodolfo Aloko

It's really the right side where I do continue to still stand on question.

Liela Bata and Rodolfo Aloko for me are just not.

It's not solid enough unless one of those two players just continues to kick on and shows me something drastically more stable than I have seen.

One position I'm not worried about, Andrew, goalkeeper still seems really solid for Charlotte FC.

We had maybe the only interesting thoughts are at the top.

We had Abada starting over Aloko

across from... uh maxi

and then our midfield of gianni westwood bl and then backline schnegg ream kessler cleary anything surprising interesting jump out to you something you were concerned with when you saw it before the match started any kind of thoughts on that that lineup

But right now, I think this is the combination that works.

And then rotating, like you said, to the end of the match as needed to get some of those folks in.

I think we're going to talk more about him, but how do you feel about Abada getting the start over Aloko after how Aloko's played recently?

Um, I liked the way a local played the game before, uh, you know, had a lot of hustle, had a lot of grit.

He steps on his foot, which again, that didn't get called before, right? So it doesn't get called for Idan, but it does get called for DC and that's when they score.

And then also Idan and Aloko, they like went for the same ball.

you know and eloko's still learning so unfortunately that that one happened but i thought the other opportunity where um the only opportunity where idan got the ball and could like do something with it he can't get around the man so he's got to be able to do that Because it's Maxie who beats multiple men.

Crossed it to Edon at the top of the box.

Alan Maximan was getting heavily pressured any time he had the ball and was either forced to the wing and denied that area to cut in.

And then Charlotte also responded by trying to play long balls into Will Cleary and Rodolfo Aloko because there was more space on that right side.

Again, that was quickly abandoned as we got to the 35th, 40th minute to go back to that more normal midfield shape with Luca De La Torre playing closer to Ashley Westwood.

What did you see in that first half that... didn't quite work or why do you think dean uh pulled this ripcord was it specifically to get luca del toro closer to gold do you think

No, I think the first half was just jarring.

Cheryl had much more of the ball, but three total shots, one on target.

It got to the point where I was thinking the only chance they have to score a goal in this half, if Will Cleary or Rodolfo Aloko is going to whip into a cross and it's going to have to... bang off someone's face and go in inadvertently.

That's really how it felt in the first half.

I think it's Westwood intercept and then slots forward.

And Rodolfo Aloko is...

Top of the 18, dead center on goal as he receives this, turns beautifully and just smashes a right footer into the corner past Luka Gavran.

Eighth minute and Charlotte FC are up 1-0.

We saw a lot of really good things from Rodolfo Loco.

The concerns or the opportunities that he has in his game are all things that can be worked on.

And the best cure for what has ailed Rodolfo Aloko is experience.

Getting more time on the pitch, just getting the minutes, doing the work, being there and training with the rest of the team.

And so, Brian, do you want to touch on him a little bit?

Yeah, I think the one trait that really stood out to me in that Toronto game was the through ball that he put in to Aloko that put him in for that second goal when he made then the pass.

The vision for Kessler to make that play, I think that's what now you have.

I mean, ideally Ream doesn't get stuck 1v1, but when you have both of them kind of able to keep the game in front of them and they can make the passes like that on either side.

I think, I think there's going to be some fight back and forth and I think this is going to be a high scoring affair.

Three, two Charlotte BL for sure is going to get one.

Uh, I think I'll go to Oklahoma.

He got one against Atlanta in Atlanta last year, I believe as well.

Let's see who scored on this one.

We had Aloko, Toklomadi, and Tesler score for Charlotte.

And then it looks like Walker Zimmerman got a red card in the 56th minute.

Look at that.

It definitely felt like it was on Ashley's mind.

And you could also see from the photos of Rodolfo Aloko, it definitely also hit him pretty hard that he missed his looks in that game and they had a chance to win.

So at some point this ceiling does have to get questioned about Dean Smith's era and just like how far can they actually go.

Yeah, for sure.

And then Columbus pulled one back near the end of that first half to make it 2-1.

And when you talked about, Brian, a little bit about seeing like a different Charlotte FC, I think this time where I'm like, oh, this feels like a game that could end 2-2.

And they're actually able to win this with a magical goal by Pep BL, right? And so just to set up Cleary, Aloko, like you mentioned, setting up Pep for a perfect strike to make it 3-1.

um, really good overall, I like the positivity from this team, right, kind of being able to bounce back, that's important, right, and so I do want to first talk about the fullbacks, right, since you've already touched on them a little bit, you know, starting is Nathan Byrne and Harry Toffolo, Toffolo's been out with an injury, Nathan Byrne's been out of the injury, but Like you mentioned, clearly looks up to par, if not right there, to be a starting right back.

With Cleary making a run on his right, he lays it off to him.

He plays a low-driven ball that just gets past Zawadzki's feet and into the box where Aloko finds space in front of Marrera, drops the pass back with his first touch to Biel right near the penalty spot.

He runs onto it, shoots it past Schulte into the corner of the net.

3-1 is the final.