FC Cincinnati, coming off two straight in the win column, will travel to a Charlotte FC side that is just looking for points.
THE CROWN
Ahead of Dean Smith’s third season at the helm, the Crown made some good in-league moves to go with their talented core. They made the two-year loan of Pep Biel permanent, added a proven left-back in David Schnegg, a backup goalkeeper in Tyler Miller, one of the top league CMs in Luca de la Torre, and another CB in Henry Kessler to further bolster the backline.
Like most of the teams in the East, the Crown have had a mixed record to begin this campaign. They have conceded almost as many goals as they have scored, and with 4 wins have come 5 losses and 2 draws. Many of those poor results have been in their recent matches, with 4 losses and just 1 win in their previous five.
Charlotte fell flat in their last match with a 0-1 loss to New England Revolution, via a penalty kick from Carles Gil late in stoppage time. To Charlotte’s disappointment, they had more big chances and as many shots on target as their opponents, but simply weren’t able to put them in the net.
That has seemed to be an issue with this Charlotte team. They have scored more goals than most teams in their conference, and the attack has a few players already on three or more, but they have still missed far too many big chances—20, which is T-5th in MLS.
It is that recent form which has truly been Charlotte’s main issue. Despite starting the season fairly well with just one loss in their first 6 matches, and racking up a respectable amount of goals, they have now suffered four straight losses. They have deteriorated on both ends of the pitch: scoring 3 goals in that span while conceding 11.
Much of this can be attributed to Tim Ream’s groin injury which has kept him out since mid-April. Ream is hoping to return in some form for this match, which will allow Charlotte to be much more formidable at the back. But what will the attack do to overcome their stale form?
THE ORANGE & BLUE
The Orange and Blue have been forced, due to injuries, to shake up the starting lineup and experiment with new tactical setups. The end result has been an unexpected net positive for the team. FCC is now in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and they are 2 points off the top four. FCC will hope to keep it on the up and up.
FCC’s previous match was a last-minute 3-2 victory away to the Chicago Fire, with a penalty scored late in stoppage time by Evander to cap off a hat trick. This being their 5th multi-scoring thriller was another example of the newfound determination in the offense, but not so much on the defense.
Still, it has not been all bad on the injury-ravaged defensive end. Andrei Chirila seized his starting role and looked like the ball-progressing CB the club has been missing. When he was paired with Samuel Gidi and Kyle Smith, two makeshift CBs who had more experience in other areas of the pitch, the defense finally had the passing prowess to be a springboard for the midfield.
Now that several starting center-backs are available again, it is a question of how you choose to balance the rotated CB trio that unlocked the team’s dormant ball circulation and the starting ones that provides a bit more security. One thing is certain: Chirila is in the conversation.
If the Orange and Blue want to truly go higher in the table, they will need to not win by such high-scoring, close margins. The offensive side has been improving each week in this regard, but the defense has continued to leak goals. The ideal match setup for Noonan would keep the top end of the pitch more unpredictable, while trying to choose a CB trio that is possessive enough, but not leaky.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Cincinnati’s player to watch is, of course, Evander. He has regained the form that made him an MVP finalist in the previous two seasons; after his penalty against Chicago got his tally started, he has racked up four in his last three matches. With him on this hot streak, who else could all eyes be on?
Charlotte’s player to watch is Kerwin Vargas. Of the players on their team, he has scored the most against Cincinnati with two—one of which was a match winner. He is hungry for goals and might see a chance for himself with this defense that has not prevented many attempts.
PREDICTED LINEUP:
MATCH INFO
WHERE: Bank of America Stadium
WHEN: 7:30 PM
WATCH: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+
LISTEN: ESPN 1530 iHeart Radio w/ Tommy Gelehrter and Kevin McCloskey
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