On what’s being called one of the biggest sports days in their city’s history, expansion Charlotte FC will play host to the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday in the club’s first-ever home game.
The team’s first MLS regular-season game ended in a 3-0 road defeat to D.C. United last Saturday. Now it will take the field in front of as many as 75,000 fans in a packed house at Bank of America Stadium, home to the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.
The team already is poised to set its first record. The top MLS single-game regular-season attendance of 72,243, set by Atlanta United in 2018, is within reach.
Charlotte head coach Miguel Angel Ramirez said the team is awash in good vibes with the home opener approaching.
“The players are really looking forward and are super motivated,” Ramirez said. “These aren’t just words, these are facts.
“Nobody knows, but we want the people feeling proud so we’re doing our best. We’re working a lot for Saturday because we want this amount of people, not just this week but every single game.”
Designated player Karol Swiderski, a striker from Poland, will be available this week. Charlotte (0-1-0, 0 points) is expected to make more roster moves in the near future.
The Galaxy (1-0-0, 3 points) opened the season with a win for the fourth time in the last five seasons, taking a 1-0 home decision over defending champion New York City FC on Sunday. Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez scored the only goal as the game reached the 90th minute.
Hernandez also called the expected Charlotte crowd “amazing” during his appearance on the “Jim Rome Show” on Friday. The Galaxy hope to return to the postseason after coming up one spot short of qualification with a 13-12-9 record last season.
“Hopefully we can take the three points. That’s our mindset going over there,” Hernandez said. “With more people and more energy, it’s a different atmosphere. Hopefully we can manipulate that energy … and just elevate our performance.”
–Field Level Media
