After a busy summer transfer window for the front office and a relaxed three-week breather for the team, league play starts up again this Saturday. Charlotte FC has nine matches remaining in the regular season to solidify their playoff position and create momentum heading into the postseason.
Up first is a New York Red Bulls team that is very close to CLTFC in the table. A “six-point” win would help The Crown close the gap in the standings to fourth place.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.
Match: Charlotte FC vs New York Red Bulls
When: Saturday, August 24
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV – How to Watch & Listen
Listen: WFNZ 92.7 FM (English) & WOLS 106.1 FM (Spanish)
For all other radio station affiliates in the Carolinas, click here.
Previous Matches:
Charlotte FC 1 – 1 Cruz Azul (Leagues Cup | July 31)
New York Red Bulls 1 – 1 Pachuca (Leagues Cup | July 30)
Eastern Conference Table: For the full live table, click here.
1. Inter Miami CF – 53 points, 25 GP
2. FC Cincinnati – 48 points, 25 GP
3. Columbus Crew – 43 points, 23 GP
4. New York Red Bulls – 41 points, 25 GP
5. New York City FC – 38 points, 25 GP
6. Charlotte FC – 37 points, 25 GP
7. Orlando City SC – 34 points, 25 GP
8. Toronto FC – 30 points, 26 GP
9. Atlanta United – 28 points, 25 GP
---------- Playoff Line ----------
Competition Fuels Excellence
Throughout this 2024 season, Head Coach Dean Smith has been heralded for taking a relatively thin squad to great heights. The starting lineup became very consistent as summer rolled around, and the good results kept flowing in.
However, championship-contending teams have great depth. When each position is a few strong players deep, the resulting competition for places increases the intensity of training sessions and raises everyone’s level up a notch or two.
Now, following the close of the summer transfer window, Smith’s team has that depth across the board, and he has some selection decisions ahead of him.
DP Karol Swiderski is freshly returned to compete with Patrick Agyemang for the starting striker role. American national team stalwart Tim Ream has arrived to push Andrew Privett for the left center back role.
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Pep Biel and Jamie Paterson will provide a much-needed creative spark in attacking midfield. Idan Toklomati will provide more long-term competition on the wing as his development moves along.
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All this competition raises the intensity around the training facility. Smith addressed that in his pre-match press conference:
“The training has definitely gone up a notch,” he said. “You can feel that. You can also feel that they're getting into game mode and getting ready. And there's that anxiety amongst them: who's playing, who's not.
“I'll name the team to them tomorrow [Friday] morning, and they can put their minds at rest and get ready for the game against New York Red Bulls, which is going to be a big game for us.”
Overall, the team got the pieces they needed to fill out the roster. Now, Smith and the rest of his coaching staff will try to use the increased competition to fuel daily excellence.
Ideally, that leads to a great run-in to the regular season so that the team carries momentum into the playoffs.
The Opponent
The New York Red Bulls are a consistent playoff team, qualifying for the postseason for 14 consecutive seasons. This year, they’re solidly in a playoff spot again… just ahead of CLTFC.
As such, Saturday’s match will be the proverbial “six-pointer”. A win for CLTFC would do a lot of work in closing the gap to the top four, and a win for New York would help them create solid separation in that fourth-place spot.
Everything I wrote a few months ago about the Red Bulls still stands up well today, so let’s run that back for a quick overview on what to expect:
This season, the Red Bulls have taken a step forward under new Head Coach Sandro Schwarz after scraping into the playoffs just ahead of CLTFC in 2023. They currently sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, a point up on Charlotte with a game in hand, so a win for The Crown would help close the gap.
In the past, the Red Bulls have been well known for their high-pressing “energy drink” style of play. Schwarz has evolved that style to a more balanced approach this season, though they do still place a focus on pressing high up the field to create turnovers.
Lewis Morgan is the main man for New York, scoring nine goals already so far this season. Designated Players Dante Vanzeir (seven assists) and Emil Forsberg (four goals, three assists) are the other two danger players for the Red Bulls. Forsberg, in particular, brings bags of experience from RB Leipzig in Germany and the Swedish national team, and he will need to be defended closely as the team’s main creative force.
Another player to look out for? Elias Manoel, the striker who somehow always finds the back of the net against CLTFC (six goals in five matches) despite having a spotty scoring record in the rest of his games.
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The Season So Far
So far, CLTFC has made their third season their best season. Head Coach Dean Smith has the team in 6th place in the Eastern Conference through 25 of 34 regular season matches and chasing down the top four spots (which come with a first-round home field advantage).
Most recently in league play, the team went on an impressive run on the road. They took down Supporter’s Shield contenders FC Cincinnati 3-1, drew defending champions Columbus Crew 1-1, and then drew Austin FC 2-2, all in the space of eight days.
After a brief Leagues Cup run in which the team beat Cruz Azul in a penalty shootout at home but ultimately were eliminated in the group stage, the team will now enter the stretch run of the season reenergized by the extended break and ready to push for the playoffs.
GIVEAWAY NIGHT: SIR MINTY COLLECTIBLE | AUG 24 v NYRB
Be back at The Fortress as Charlotte FC continue their MLS Regular Season campaign, taking on the New York Red Bulls on August 24 at 7:30 p.m. The first fans to arrive will receive a Handmade By Robots Sir Minty Collectible.
