Charlotte FC loses defender to ACL tear with critical MLS playoff stretch on horizon

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It turns out Charlotte FC’s loss this past weekend was more devastating than originally thought.

Guzman Corujo, a veteran central defender for the newest team in MLS, is likely out for the season with a right knee ACL tear, head coach Christian Lattanzio told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.

“He looks like he’s going to be out for the remainder of the season, unfortunately,” Lattanzio said. “He still is an important part of our team, even though he will be more occupied with his recovery. We will be there for him on that side. But also, for me, he’s an important player and person to help us develop our team. We want him to still be very close to us, to help us, to look at the defensive side of the game.”

Corujo was part of Charlotte’s inaugural roster and has started every match the team has played. He has scored once in 2,082 minutes played.

The 25-year-old went down in the first half of Saturday’s loss against Chicago Fire. Lattanzio told reporters after the Chicago Fire home match that Corujo’s injury “didn’t look good” and he since updated that on Wednesday, saying that Corujo’s timetable for surgery and related procedures is being evaluated now.

“Guzman is a leader of this team and a natural-born defender. You don’t find so many,” Lattanzio said. “I believe Guzman is going to be a big loss for us, and that’s why we want to minimize that by keeping him involved with us, in organizing certain things, in analyzing certain things. He’s a guy who can be very important on the pitch as well as off the pitch.”

Lattanzio said his defensive line’s organization and “principle of play” won’t change, and that others will fill in for Corujo in his role. On Saturday, Christian Fuchs, normally a left back, replaced Corujo by shifting to the center — and Lattanzio said he played admirably in the position.

At the same time, however, the defensive line did shift without Corujo. That was most apparent in the second-half goal, when the midfield failed to secure a ball, which led to a one-on-one with Fuchs that turned into Chicago’s go-ahead and game-winning score.

If anything, Wednesday cements what many knew on Saturday: Charlotte FC is about to embark on the toughest and most critical part of its inaugural season — a road trip to Los Angeles and then New York, two of the best teams in the league — without one of its best players.

“Maybe with a bit more luck and a bit more attention, we would’ve gotten the points against Chicago,” Lattanzio said. “It wasn’t the case. And now we have this game against LA, and we have to go there, and our focus is to see us improve as a team.”

1Charlotte Football Club’s Guzman Corujo, left, fights to gain control of the ball against an LA Galaxy defender during first half action at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC on Saturday, March 5, 2022.
1Charlotte Football Club’s Guzman Corujo, left, fights to gain control of the ball against an LA Galaxy defender during first half action at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC on Saturday, March 5, 2022.

Other updates from Lattanzio

Lattanzio provided an update on Vinicios Mello, who suffered a fracture in his left foot before arriving in Charlotte in January and hasn’t yet played a game for the club. Lattanzio: “I have been told in the coming weeks he will be reevaluated and we’ll see where we are. And we may start to see him in training in some capacity on the pitch, do some jogging and start to get ready again. But we will have to wait and see in the next few days.”

None of the three players who were acquired by Charlotte FC on deadline day will make their debuts this road trip. Lattanzio said Adilson Malanda is ready to play fitness-wise — while Nathan Byrne and Nuno Santos still need some time — but work visas are still needed for the international players to take the field.

As of Wednesday evening, Charlotte FC sits at No. 11 in the Eastern Conference MLS standings. The top seven make the postseason. Charlotte is only three points (in other words, one win) behind No. 6 Cincinnati — and the team still has 10 matches before the regular season ends — but a lack of results in the next road trip could see the team’s playoff hopes in its inaugural season pass them by.