Eighteen months ago, Matt Edwards was enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a Tar Heel for the men’s soccer team, he was matching up against attackers from Clemson, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech.
Saturday’s matchup for Edwards was a little different.
As competitive as ACC soccer can be, it’s not quite the same caliber as what we saw in Saturday’s contest between Atlanta United and Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium. Wilfried Zaha, the designated player who signed with Charlotte this offseason, made his club debut against Atlanta. Zaha’s experience in the English Premier League built a lot of hype for the newcomer and was a big reason why he was considered one of the more high-profile signings this winter.
The task of defending Zaha fell to Edwards. Making just his second career MLS start, Edwards put up an incredible effort and showed tremendous determination taking on a player with more than a decade of experience in one of the top-flight leagues in the world.
“He played a fantastic first half,” Atlanta United head coach Ronny Deila said in his post-match press conference. “I didn’t see Zaha. I don't know if you see it. He didn't do anything [until] the second half."
Edwards kept up with Zaha, limiting him to just one shot on the day. Per MLSSoccer.com, Zaha was successful on just one of his five dribbles. He logged only three touches inside the box, was dispossessed six times and lost 18 of 22 duels.
Edwards even appeared to frustrate the winger at times, and a play in the 26th minute led to a tense moment between the two players. After Charlotte sent a ball forward into space, Edwards and Zaha raced to track it down. The Atlanta United fullback kept pace with the Charlotte winger and beat him to the spot. Edwards shielded Zaha from the ball until it ran out of bounds over the endline for an Atlanta United goal kick.
Zaha shoved Edwards in the back out of frustration. And Edwards didn’t back down.
Saturday’s match in Charlotte was just the third total appearance for Edwards in his MLS career. His first start came a week ago in Atlanta United’s 3-2 thrilling win over CF Montréal. After the match, his head coach gave him positive marks:
“He defended well," Deila said. "I like his aggression. That’s what we want defending. He’s very fast and also good to jump on the header. He’s controlling that well, but we need even more from him for a long time.”
Offensively, Edwards contributed to Atlanta’s 10 shots in the first half against Charlotte. In the 18th minute, he received a pass from center back Stian Gregersen and carried the ball up the flank. Edwards found Bartosz Slisz right outside of the 18-yard box, who ticked the ball forward to Miguel Almirón.
Miggy’s shot with his left foot required a save from Charlotte’s goalkeeper and was the first shot on goal of the match.
“Also offensively, he switched to play through the center,” Deila said. “We put [Kristijan] Kahlina in situations he didn’t like, over and over again. We come in from that side and we created chances.”
With Atlanta United down three defenders, Edwards was the lone fullback in Saturday’s starting XI. Atlanta United’s three seasoned fullbacks – Pedro Amador, Brooks Lennon and Ronald Hernández – were all out due to injury, which left the 22-year-old as the most experienced player at that position.
Deila is hopeful the team will get Amador back for the March 8 match against New York Red Bulls. Given the situation, veteran center back Derrick Williams has encouraged Edwards to showcase his abilities and work hard to earn more playing time.
“The way he prided himself in preseason, he's really improved,” Williams said. “He's taken on board what the manager wants, and he just needs to keep going.”
As balanced as Atlanta United was and as fine as Edwards played in the first half against Charlotte, there is room for improvement. Atlanta United conceded twice in the second half to Charlotte, both goals coming out of transition moments. Zaha recorded two goal contributions, both in the second 45, and Atlanta United lost the second match of the season and first road test.
The Atlanta United defense ultimately couldn’t hold a clean sheet, but the first half showed a good performance in a difficult and rowdy environment. If Edwards can grow into a player who can extend that fantastic first half into a full 90 minutes, he’ll be well on his way to becoming a more complete MLS defender.
“He has a lot of potential,” Williams said. “You can see his build. He's fast. He's decent on the ball. A lot potential. He just needs to keep working hard and keep progressing.”
