Beat the Break

Two 2-0 wins at home to start the season. Fortitude.

Charlotte FC said they mean business this year and are living up to that. They have two straight victories and two straight clean sheets at home. The Fortress is strong. That's seven points out of a possible 12 against four clubs that are all favored to threaten for titles this season. Not only that, they are off to their best start in club history. So the schedule should start to be a little more favorable, right? Not so fast...

Major League Soccer is playing through the international break. What does that mean for Charlotte FC? They are missing three starters: Tim Ream and Patrick Agyemang are with the USMNT, and Liel Abada is with Israel. This will be the first time Charlotte has had to worry about testing its depth with a serious lineup rotation this season. Add in welcoming the San Jose Earthquakes to Queen City for the first time, and we have a potentially hectic match on Saturday.

Depth will be tested, but that really means Dean Smith's mantra of Togetherness will get a chance to shine.

Here are the Ingredients of the Match for Charlotte FC to keep their home win streak alive on Saturday:

Good teams win, no matter the circumstances. It's a long season with a lot of matches. And the MLS calendar always has its challenges.

But that's no excuse; Charlotte will feel confident about attacking this challenge. Depth is key in this league and will be the first test. We will likely see Idan Toklomati make his first start at the nine. Kerwin Vargas is likely to rotate in at the wing. The question mark will be what the squad looks like with Tim Ream out and who slots in at left-back. Souleyman Doumbia was just acquired for this reason, but we are waiting to see if he is eligible to play this weekend.

So it's next man up. Dean Smith has repeatedly stated that he wants his players to test each other and push for minutes. There is no better opportunity than now to see those players fighting for minutes step up. Beat the international break chess match.

Of note, San Jose Earthquakes will also be without striker Josef Martinez who is with the Venezuelan National Team. He has started every match so far this season.

Consistency

Regardless of the scenarios, the standard remains. Be hard to beat. Attack with pace and get in behind the defense.

Will some of the approaches and tactics change with new personnel? Likely. However, that consistent approach to the core Dean Smith style of play will remain. The more the team can show they can play with consistency, no matter the XI, the better they will be this season. The Gaffer has been very forthright in valuing the Supporter's Shield highly. Why? It rewards the most consistent team throughout the entire season—and it's a very long season at that.

Charlotte still has the U.S. Open Cup in May and the Leagues Cup in July. Rotation, depth, etc., will all be a consistent challenge at some point. So now is the perfect opportunity to work on that game plan. See what you have across the roster. Be consistent. Win at home.

Seat at the Counter

San Jose is bringing a very aggressive, high-attacking structure. In the last match, they peppered Colorado with 28 shots, 13 on goal. They just ran into the brick wall that was Zack Steffen and lost 2-1.

On the season, they are T-3 in goals, 5th in xG, 1st in scoring attempts, 1st in on-target scoring attempts, and 2nd in shots on target. They are going to attack. Josef Martinez being out might change some things for them. However, they are still set up to push for goals while also only allowing 4 goals on the season. Bruce Arena has completely revamped this attack. This is a totally different side than 2024.

What does that mean for Charlotte FC? Bring it on. Charlotte welcomes attacking pressure. They know they can defend it with precision and tenacity. Then you can look for the counter. That's the bread and butter. Pat and Liel being out does change some of that approach. But we have already seen from Idan Toklomati in his substitution appearances this season that he is just as quick and dangerous in pushing backlines back. Same with Kerwin.

If the Crown is to see a result in this one, it will take weathering the Earthquakes' attack, staying disciplined in the back, looking for an open seat at the counter, and ordering some goals.