Charlotte Looks To Keep Their Hot Form As Salt Lake Comes To Town
With the Leagues Cup behind Charlotte FC, the boys from the 704 look to keep their form as MLS Western Conference foe comes into the Fortress looking to take down a hot team. Looking at the table, Charlotte comes into tonight's match sitting in seventh in the east on 41points and one point behind Miami and three points behind the Columbus Crew. On the flip side, Real Salt Lake finds themselves in tenth place out west on 31 points. With a win or draw tonight, Salt Lake could start a push for a playoff spot while Charlotte could improve their playoff spot by picking up points. Will the home team keep their momentum or will the visitors get back on track?
Getting into the lineup, I think it will be similar to the one we saw against Cincinnati last week. Of course the big name missing is Pep Biel who will be out for about a month. Losing Biel definitely hurts but the squad has so much depth that I have faith in Dean and the coaches to find a lineup that fits the team without disrupting too much chemistry.Â
Two new faces have joined The Crown in the past couple weeks. First, striker Archie Goodwin comes to the Queen City after tearing up the Australian league while defender Harry Toffolo brings Premier League experience with him as he begins his next chapter in Charlotte. Could either of these players make their debuts tonight? I’m not sure but I do think if the new guys find the pitch, it will be as second half substitutions. If Idan Toklomati starts to look tired after 60 minutes, I could see Dean bringing the new guy on as some fresh legs and for a debut with less pressure. I think it’s the same situation with Harry, if Tim Ream begins to look tired, I could see the man with Premier League experience getting his first minutes as a Charlotte FC player. Best of luck to both guys and welcome to Charlotte.
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Now let’s get into my prediction. I think Charlotte will win 2-0 with goals coming from Toklomati around the 30 minute mark and Zaha adding another before the halftime break. The defense will hold firm and when the final whistle blows, Charlotte will have three more points.
One thing I think will be different tonight is when the goals come. We’ve seen it this season where Charlotte finds magic in the second half. However, I think tonight will be different. I think the boys will come out fast and put pressure on Salt Lake and the visitors won’t be able to hold up for 90 minutes.
Thank you for reading and remember to stay Locked in with the Southeast Soccer Report for your Charlotte FC coverage.Â
Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm tonight.