On Sunday, the Polish national team tied with Moldova only 1-1 in the qualifying match for the European Championship 2024. Thus, the Poles practically eliminated their chances of direct qualification for next year’s tournament in Germany. Despite the disappointing result for the entire team, the Whites and Reds did not look bad in this match.
Among the players who stood out positively against Moldova was certainly Karol Swiderski, who was, according to many, the best Polish player in this match. It was the 26-year-old striker who scored the equalizer for the Whites and the Reds, and he could have finished Sunday’s game with at least another goal, as well as an assist, after perfectly placing the ball with his heel into the goal. Pawel Vszolek in the penalty area.
Swiderski, whose national team tally is 10 goals and 2 assists in 26 appearances, has once again shown that even though he is not playing for one of Europe’s top clubs, he simply deserves a place alongside Robert Lewandowski in the Whites’ and Reds’ attack.
The hero of the match against Moldova had already traveled to the United States 12 hours after the match to help the club
But just twelve hours after the end of the match between Poland and Moldova, Karol Swiderski was on a plane bound for the United States. Such a quick departure is no coincidence. The Polish national team striker wanted to return to the club as soon as possible to help him in the decisive matches this season.
Of course, we’re talking about Charlotte FC, which plays in Major League Soccer and has a good chance of advancing to the playoffs. The team, which also includes Kamil Joswiak and Jan Sobocinski, has two starting matches, as it is the last match of the MLS regular season with Inter Miami.
The first match will be played on Wednesday (2:00 a.m. Polish time tonight from Wednesday to Thursday) at Inter DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. This match will be delayed and postponed due to Inter playing in the semi-finals and final of the Summer League Cup. The two teams will meet again on Saturday, but in Charlotte.
Of these two teams, only Charlotte FC has a chance to advance to the playoffs. The Polish national team scored 39 points in 32 matches and ranks twelfth in the Eastern Conference of the American League. However, the teams from positions 9-11 (DC United, New York Red Bulls and Chicago Fire) have just one point, and eighth-placed Montreal have two more points.
In addition, all of these teams also have one or even two additional matches, meaning that Charlotte FC has a very real chance of advancing to places 8-9, where the teams will face each other in the qualifying rounds. . . These opportunities increase because Inter Miami ends the season with parsley matches, and it is certain that Leo Messi, who is in the training camp for the Argentine national team, will not play on Wednesday. Major League Soccer has no problems playing on FIFA dates, and Swiderski is taking advantage of the fact that the Polish national team has completed its two scheduled matches in October through Sunday.
Karol Swiderski is the undisputed leader of Charlotte FC. In the 2023 season, the Polish striker scored 12 goals and provided 5 assists in 29 league matches. In all competitions, his achievements include 15 goals and 8 assists, making this his best season of his career to date. If he’s healthy (he finished the game against Moldova with a bruised hand) and ready to play after the time zone change, Charlotte coach Christian Lattanzio is sure to play him in such an important game.
Especially since this may be Swiderski’s last game with Charlotte. Many European clubs are still very interested in the 26-year-old, and he himself does not hide the fact that he wants to return to the old continent. – I would like to return to Europe and play in a league that includes the top 5 teams. I do everything on the field to achieve this. “In the United States, I have nothing to complain about, but we are far from our country and it bothers us,” Swiderski said recently in an interview with Sport.pl.
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