Charlotte FC can end a lengthy winless run and get themselves back into the MLS playoff picture when they host Toronto on Wednesday at Bank of America Stadium.
The Crown were beaten 2-1 by the New England Revolution over the weekend, extending their domestic winless run to six matches, while TFC lost 3-2 at home to FC Cincinnati.
Match preview
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Over the past month, Charlotte have not done themselves many favours, going from a side in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race to one seemingly falling out of it, currently four points back of a postseason berth with five teams to catch and just four matches left.
Countless times during their sophomore campaign, this team have been positioned to climb up the table only to crumble in the latter stages, losing three times in 2023 when scoring first while claiming seven draws when leading in the second half, which adds up to 23 points dropped.
Nine of their 10 domestic goals conceded since the conclusion of the Leagues Cup have occurred in the second half, while the Crown have allowed either a winning or equalising goal with five minutes or fewer remaining in four of their previous six MLS encounters.
It has been over four months since Christian Lattanzio has seen his side claim all three points in an MLS match versus an Eastern Conference opponent (2-1 win over the Chicago Fire), while they are winless in their last six home contests against teams in their own conference.
In three previous home fixtures against Canadian opponents, the Crown have suffered two defeats, with their only victory coming last season, 2-1 over the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Lattanzio likes to use his wingers to occupy opposing full-backs and cause overloads, the problem is that those wide players have often been caught out and struggled to defend when out of possession, with Charlotte allowing the second-most goals in the MLS Eastern Conference this year (50).
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They made a valiant effort, but, in the end, Toronto just did not have a lot of energy left in the second half against the Orange and Blue this past weekend, losing by a single goal for the eighth time this season.
The Reds' defensive unit have given up three or more goals in their last three matches as new boss John Herdman watches from afar, knowing that there is a lot of work to do to fix this leaky defence, which have conceded the second-most goals in the league (51).
Interim manager Terry Dunfield has only seen this side find the back of the net in four of their last 13 matches in all competitions, scoring multiple times on only two occasions.
They have just three matches remaining in the regular season, and at this stage, the Reds can only play the role of spoilers, having been eliminated from playoff contention a couple of weeks ago, while Toronto are already guaranteed to finish dead last in the Eastern Conference regardless of how they fare between now and the end of the year.
Toronto are the only side in MLS this season without a road victory, as they have conceded three or more goals in six away contests this year.
TFC have never lost in three previous meetings against the Crown, winning their only previous visit to Bank of America Stadium in August 2022 by a 2-0 score.
Team News
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Ben Bender might be unavailable for Charlotte on Wednesday due to a left knee sprain, while Vinicius Mello is unlikely to feature, having previously sustained a right lower leg injury.
On Saturday, Karol Swiderski scored for the second time in his last three games, but it was short-lived as Kristijan Kahlina conceded the winner to the Revs David Romney a minute later, with the Croat keeper having allowed seven goals in his last three matches.
They have only scored in one encounter historically against the Reds, and that came the last time they faced them earlier this season when Kamil Jozwiak notched a goal and an assist, with Bender also finding the back of the net as they erased a 2-0 deficit in a match that ended 2-2.
Brandon Servania, Lorenzo Insigne and Adama Diomande sat out of the previous Toronto encounter with lower body issues, Greg Ranjitsingh is recovering from knee surgery, Sean Johnson is getting over his hand surgery and Raoul Petretta is suffering from back spasms.
Jonathan Osorio had a brace in five minutes for TFC against Cincinnati, putting him up to four goals domestically in 2023, good for third on the team alongside Insigne, while Luka Gavran started his second career MLS affair between the sticks, allowing three goals for the second time.
Federico Bernardeschi, who is tied with Deandre Kerr for the team lead in goals domestically this year (five), notched the opener in their previous encounter versus the Crown, with Michael Bradley also netting on that occasion, the third of his career for Toronto versus Charlotte.
Charlotte FC possible starting lineup:
Kahlina; Byrne, Tuiloma, Malanda, Lindsey; Jozwiak, Westwood, Vargas; Swiderski, Copetti, Meram
Toronto possible starting lineup:
Gavran; Rosted, O'Neill, Mabika, Gutierrez; Vazquez, Bradley; Osorio, Kerr, Blessing; Bernardeschi
We say: Charlotte FC 2-0 Toronto
As poor as Charlotte have been of late, they should be able to find the mark against a Toronto side that give their opponents an ample amount of scoring opportunities.
It feels like many of the Reds' players are already looking ahead to next season, while the Crown still have an outside shot at the playoffs, which should give them extra motivation for this one.
How to watch
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Joel Lefevre
