CHARLOTTE – Charlotte FC were without 13 of their players due to injury but mostly health protocols in their last match against Montreal. Interim head coach Christian Lattanzio says the situation is still developing on who will be available for Austin FC on Thursday.
“At the time, we are monitoring the situation on a daily basis. We have a few guys back, I don’t want to go too much into the names, but we have a few guys back. A few others we are waiting, but little by little I’m getting all the squad back.”
Due to the heavily depleted squad, Lattanzio had to rely on his American youngsters, who three out of the four made their MLS debut. He was proud of their performances but not surprised by them.
“Very good, I felt very good about them, I felt very good about them before. And they just confirmed the impression I had and that the coaching staff had before and the Club. We know that we have very good young players here that have potential but also are ready to contribute now as they showed.”
“They train well, they behave well, they are ready. As I say to them all the time, they have to keep working hard every day because opportunities will come, how and when, we don’t know. But they have to be ready to take those opportunities when they come.”
Lattanzio may have to rely on them once against as Montreal was just the start of a long week for the Crown. Five days after Montreal they will be playing against Austin, and then just three days later they’ll be in Houston to play the Dynamo.
“It’s one of those situations that happens in football clubs that you have to play two games in five days and we have to be ready. We are monitoring a number of options with the coaching staff.
"We have a good squad with good players. We rate all of them and everybody has got a role to play in this squad. As long as they work hard and make themselves ready everybody will be given an opportunity. Their job is to work hard and be ready for it.”
“It’s important that we rotate the squad well but also to give a certain continuity to our game at the same time.”
