Preview: Charlotte Hopes To Keep The Streak Alive As The Red Bulls Comes To Town
As the regular season begins to wind down, Charlotte FC is looking to improve their playoff position. The boys will have another chance tonight as the New York Red Bulls come to town for a 7:00 showdown at The Fortress. Looking at the table, Charlotte sits in seventh in the east on 44 points while the visitors find themselves in ninth on 39 points. Charlotte also comes into the match as one of the hottest teams in the MLS, winners of six straight matches while New York defeated first place Philadelphia on August 16th. Two teams coming off good performances makes for a great showdown.
Now let’s get into the lineup. The transfer window is closed and one mainstay of the roster has found a new home. Adilson Malanda is joining Patrick Agyemang in the Championship after both sides agreed to terms and he will remain with Charlotte until the end of the season.
 Now I think the lineup we saw against Salt Lake will be a consistent one for the rest of the season. The top three I don’t see much change except with Abada and Vargas. The midfield however gets a bit tricky with Biel being out but I think Westwood, Bronico and Diani will work along with the strong bench to rotate the squad. On the defensive line, Byrne, Ream, and Malanda are the three that won’t be changed and I think we could see new signing Harry Toffolo slotting in opposite Byrne on the flank. In goal, I think Kristijan keeps his spot for this match but don’t be surprised if new signing Drake Callender gets a few matches in goal.
Now for my prediction, I think Charlotte keeps the streak alive with a 2-0 win. The first goal will come from Toklomati in the 16th minute as Zaha set’s him up and he puts one in the top right corner. That score will hold until the half and the boys from the 704 will come out hot and aggressive. The second goal will come in the 66th minute as Vargas whips in a cross to Zaha who taps it in to give Charlotte a 2-0 lead. That lead will hold and when the whistle blows, Charlotte secures three more points and keeps moving on up the table.
Kickoff is set for 7:00 tonight.Â
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