Fortress Reigns | Ingredients of the Match: CLT vs NSH

It's a little neighborly rival match to kick off the weekend. Charlotte FC welcomes Nashville to the Fortress on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. It will be hot and feisty, and both sides will come in thinking they can take points in this one.

Charlotte is coming off a disappointing loss in Colorado. They were outplayed and, unfortunately, not their best on the day. Nashville is also coming off a disappointing loss at home to Cincinnati. However, a strong performance from Nashville let a missed PK plague them from a result. Two losses, two different sets of circumstances.

Both teams sit right next to each other in the table with the same record and goal differential. This is a pivotal Eastern swing match. Are Charlotte ready to be a consistent top dog in the East? Are Nashville finding new form under BJ Callaghan and ready to push for the top spots?

Here are the Ingredients of the Match for Charlotte FC to protect the Fortress:

Stout

Andrew Privett's red card suspension has been served. Everyone is healthy.

The question is - will Privett slot back into the XI, or will Dean Smith run Ream at CB one more time? There were moments in the Colorado match where Tim Ream, sitting next to Adilson Malanda, looked sharp. Both players have the ability to break through the lines with key passes. Both understand their roles. Things got tricky when Colorado threw numbers in the attack and played through Djorde Mihailovic; there was space between the two defenders. Something we typically don't see between Malanda and Privett.

Nashville is going to do the same. They know how to get numbers forward and overload backlines. They have scored multiple goals in multiple games this season. They will look to load numbers in the middle, overlap with pace, and throw everything in the attack. So, Charlotte needs to be stout. They must return to some form and consistency of being hard to score on. It's a dangerous game to rely on Kahlina to make immaculate weekly saves, although he seems up to the task. Stay in shape, support each other, and leave no open space for Nashville. Charlotte FC can set themselves up to win this one.

Connect

Nashville are a team that you have to put them back on their heels. Consistent pressure will prevent them from playing their game in the attack.

Charlotte FC are not necessarily set up to play this way. However, they have shown they can do so, particularly at home and in the second half. In order to be successful here, the attack must start to find each other earlier and more often. And most importantly, they need to be sharper on the ball. It was a sloppy performance in Colorado, and the players admitted it. But you put that behind you and step on the pitch, ready to ball. This means Pep Biel and Wilfried Zaha must come out of the gates ready to play off each other. These two can unlock the rest of the space in the attack so that others can play their game. We don't necessarily need Zaha, or Pep for that matter, to put the ball in the back of the net every match. We need to see their connectivity open space for Patrick, Liel, and even Brandt to find space to attack the 18 and put up shots. Chemistry takes time. But to see a result against Nashville, we need to see that connectivity regain its form.

Fortress

We've said it, and we'll say it again - win your home matches.

This league will test you week in and week out. The road trip to Colorado was proof of that. That's why home matches are of the utmost importance. Charlotte knows that.

We are still seeing The Crown on a record run at home with six straight wins and going for seven. They also have a chance to move to the Top 5 all-time in terms of fastest to 100 points at home. It's a Fortress for a reason. Day game. Night game. Doesn't matter. We know the fans will bring it. They boys will see their home crowd as a welcomed sight and use it as a jolt to get over last weekends match. Fortress > Castles.