Match Preview: Huntsville City FC vs Carolina Core FC
After a three game home stand that saw them pick up seven points of nine, Huntsville City FC hits the road once again, this time to High Point, North Carolina to take on Carolina Core FC.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
Match Details
Date: Saturday, May 10th, 2025
Time: 7PM EST (local), 6PM CST (Huntsville)
Location: Truist Point Stadium, High Point, North Carolina
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+
The History
I promised to reserve these sections mostly for the independent clubs, well here’s one of them. Huntsville City and Carolina Core are two of the newest teams in MLS Next Pro, nonetheless they played three times last year.
These results were split evenly, with Huntsville winning one, Carolina winning one, and one shootout, which went the way of Carolina also.
The two meetings at Truist Point Stadium last year were also split evenly, with Huntsville winning the first 4-1, and Carolina winning the second 2-0. The remaining two matchups in this fixture this season will be played in Huntsville on August 10th and October 5th respectively.
Lineup Prediction
I’m calling my shot here. For the first time all season, Huntsville sees a totally unchanged lineup from the one that drew with Atlanta United 2 a week ago.
Erik Lauta stays in goal, with Jordan Knight, Kevin Carmichael, Zach Barrett and Blake Bowen ahead of him. In midfield it’s a double pivot of Ethan O’Brien and Pep Casas.
The front four ahead of them is Alan Carleton, Gunnar Studenhofft, Christian Koffi and Damien Barker John.
Prediction
Huntsville has been on a tear recently, to put it incredibly lightly. They sit in fourth in the East with a +11 goal differential, having scored 18 and allowed just seven. Carolina Core sits in 13th with an even differential, scoring and allowing 14 a piece.
Carolina also hasn’t been very good of late, having not won a game in any sense, 90 minutes or shootout since April 18th. I get the inkling these teams are heading in opposite directions in their respective seasons.
Thus, I’ll take Huntsville 3-1, goals from Koffi, O’Brien and Studenhofft.