Enemy Scouting Report - Charlotte FC
(image via Charlotte FC)
The Houston Dynamo are coming off a penalty shootout win over LigaMX number one seed Pachuca CF last Wednesday night to advance in Leagues Cup play. Now, the Dynamo will host Charlotte FC at Shell Energy Stadium in a Round of 16 fixture. The team from North Carolina were pushed out of their home stadium during this match and last match against Cruz Azul because of events already scheduled at Bank of America Stadium, their home ground. The venue is scheduled to host Houston’s very own, Beyonce, during her Renaissance World Tour on Wednesday night. Talk about ironic.
Charlotte has had a tough 2023 season, which many thought would see the recent expansion team make a leap due to how well the team played and finished last season. The club took a big hit when their beloved captain Anton Walkes passed away from a boating accident during Charlotte’s preseason training camp. That shook the squad hard and they have still been trying to find themselves, without having much time to grieve before the grind began. In regular season play, Charlotte has not won a game since May 27 against the LA Galaxy. However, the story has been much different in Leagues Cup action as they have won all their matches. They beat FC Dallas in penalties, ran over Necaxa 4-1, and beat Cruz Azul in penalties too.
The Crown has a lot of very good players that Houston will need to contain if they want to move to the next round and play against Inter Miami. Key players to watch are Karol Swiderski, Ben Bender, and Justin Meram. Starting with the Polish striker, Swiderski has been a consistent threat on goal for Charlotte since arriving from PAOK FC last season. Karol has scored 17 goals and assisted in 9 others in his 50 games with Charlotte. In 2023, he has 10 goals and 6 assists in all competitions, while being apart of 4 goals during Leagues Cup. Houston’s defenders will need to always have a body near Swiderski. Midfielder Ben Bender has been a revelation since being drafted first overall in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft by Charlotte FC. His current role with the squad has been as a second half substitute to help the team break down the tired opposition. Bender has seen limited time for Charlotte since he had been dealing with a lower leg injury. Even with not a lot of minutes played, Ben has 4 goals and 2 assists under his belt. The last player to point out will be Justin Meram. The Iraq international has been with a fair share of MLS teams during his professional career. Since arriving in Charlotte via trade in late April from Real Salt Lake, Meram has pushed his way into an important piece for the team. The winger has 3 goals and 5 assists for Charlotte so far this season.
Charlotte FC Season Record: 6W-9L-8D
Results in the last 30 days:
July 8 – Charlotte FC 2-2 FC Cincinnati
July 15 – CF Montreal 2-0 Charlotte FC
July 21 – FC Dallas 2(1)-2(4) Charlotte FC (Leagues Cup)
July 29 – Necaxa 1-4 Charlotte FC (Leagues Cup)
August 3 – Charlotte FC 0(4)-0(3) Cruz Azul (Leagues Cup)
Past Match Staring XI (mlssoccer.com)
There will likely be some variation but look to see many of the players in the graphic starting.
2023 Active Roster
Goalkeepers: Kristijan Kahlina, Pablo Sisniega, George Marks, Russell Shealy
Defenders: Jan Sobocinski, Guzman Corujo, Nathan Byrne, Jaylin Lindsey, Harrison Afful, Joseph Mora, Adilson Malanda, Hamady Diop, Jack Neeley, Bill Tuiloma
Midfielders: Ashley Westwood, Brandt Bronico, Ben Bender, Christopher Hegardt, Derrick Jones, Justin Meram, Andrew Privett, Brandon Cambridge, Scott Arfield
Forwards: Kamil Jozwiak, Enzo Copetti, Karol Swiderski, McKinze Gaines, Kerwin Vargas, Patrick Aqyemang
Can the Dynamo take yet another step forward in Leagues Cup and defeat Charlotte?
