The Boys Hit The Road: Charlotte v Kansas City Preview
Following the heartbreak that occurred last week in Philadelphia, Charlotte FC looks to bounce back as they take on Sporting Kansas City next Wednesday at 8:30 pm. Looking at the table, Charlotte currently sits in ninth place in the east on 25 points and a goal difference of zero as they have scored and conceded 29 goals through 18 matches so far this season. On the flip side, Kansas City find themselves near the bottom of the west in 13th place with 16 points and a goal difference of minus seven through 18 matches. The road hasn’t been kind to The Crown this season as they have gone 2-7-1 away from the Tarheel State, however, Kansas City has found trouble at home going 2-4-2 infront of their loyal supporters. Which team will find their form, the team with road struggles or the team that has difficulty at home?
Before I get into the lineup, a bit of lighthearted club news for y’all. It’s no secret that revenue from jersey sales can go a long way to help a team with their finances and the MLS released a list of the top 25 selling jerseys so far this season and three Charlotte players find themselves on the list. Wilfried Zaha found himself in seventh place while his partner in attack Patrick Agyemang sits two spots below in ninth. Just missing out on the top ten in the man with the armband, Ashley Westwood found himself in 11th. With the usual suspects in the list, it was a nice surprise to find Charlotte players not only on the list but also around the top ten.
Getting back to the upcoming match, I think the lineup will look similar to the one we saw last week against The Union. With international duty, it can be tough to get guys back to speed at the club level with all the travel and games involved. I think three guys could be out of the squad or on the bench due to international duty. Both Patrick Agyemang and Tim Ream have represented the red, white, and blue this year and depending on if they get back to Charlotte in time to train with the squad I could see Toklomati and Doumbia getting another start this week. Liel Abada started last week on the bench after representing his home country of Israel while Kerwin Vargas got the start. Other than those three guys and, I think the lineup will be the same as we saw last week with the exception of the keeper. Bingham has been playing well and I could see either him or Kahlina getting the start in net.
For my prediction, I think Charlotte walks away with a 2-0 win and three points. I think a key to the game is getting a fast start. I could see Wilfried putting Charlotte up in the 12th minute after a nice assist from Pep Biel. Just as the first half is winding down, Pep Biel fires a shot from outside the five yard box after grabbing a rebound to put The Crown up 2-0. Both teams will fight in the second half but Charlotte’s defense proves too much as they hold firm and prevent Kansas City from scoring. When the final whistle blows, the boys head home with three points.