(photo cred: Charlotte FC Twitter account )
Lineup:
Lattanzio changed up his lineup from the last 2 matches going into Orlando. We finally got a Kerwin Vargas start. A start most fans have been waiting to see. We also seen the 2 Polish DPs start on the bench this match.
Recap:
Orlando came out attacking for about the first 20 minutes of the match. Charlotte weathered the storm and struck in the 26th minute. A perfectly placed ball from Jaylin Lindsey would set Enzo Copetti up to get the first goal of the match and his 2nd of the season. Kerwin Vargas would get his first goal of the season and Charlotte's 2nd goal of the match in the 37th minute. Kerwin attacked the box with some fancy footwork, created space and got his shot off that would take a deflection off of a defender and find the back of the net. Orlando struck back in the 56th minute with a goal from Martin Ojeda but couldn't finish the comeback. Charlotte went on to win the match 2-1.
George Marks and Harrison Afful also played a big part in Charlotte's win over Orlando. Marks came up with 6 huge saves and only let the 1 goal in. Afful got the assist on Kerwin's goal, had a shot hit the post, and ended the match with a 89% pass completion rate. Harrison Afful was player of the match and also named on the MLS Team of the Matchday. Lattanzio was named Coach of the MLS Team of the Matchday as well.
New York Red Bulls preview:
NYRB record: 1-2-1
Charlotte FC record: 1-0-3
Red Bulls beat Columbus Crew 2-1 last week to get their first win of the season. Goals from Luquinhas and Dante Vanzeir would seal the win. This looks to be another match that Charlotte could get a positive result in. The crowd at BoA are still waiting to see a win this season. Charlotte are looking to ride the momentum from last week and give it to em.
Luquinhas, Dante Vanzeir and John Tolkin are a few players to keep an eye on for Red Bulls this week. My prediction is that Charlotte finally gives the fans at BoA something to cheer about and gets their 2nd straight win. Copetti seems to keep finding his form more and more each week so it's not too much of a hot take to say he'll get on the scoresheet once again. No Swiderski this week as he is with the Polish national team. It'll be interesting to see what lineup Lattanzio goes with this week.