Charlotte FC travels to Orlando City SC on Wednesday night in a match that can shape the MLS playoff picture heading into the final three weeks of the season.
After traveling to Montreal in a 2-1 defeat last Saturday, Charlotte (10-10-8, 38 points) is on a five-match winless streak, extending to before the Leagues Cup break. The latest loss is a good example of a theme for Charlotte in not finding the offense needed to get back in the win column.
Charlotte had one shot on goal against Montreal on 11 attempts, not challenging the home side in a defeat that puts CLT in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings.
“Converting our chances or making really good chances has been our Achilles’ heel all season,” said head coach Dean Smith. “But we’ve prided ourselves in not giving away silly goals, staying in games and being really hard to beat.”
That didn’t happen Saturday in Canada, with Charlotte struggling to get back on defense after losing possession, resulting in the first of two goals in three minutes.
A positive in the loss was new defender Tim Ream. The U.S. National Team member scored his first goal of the season with Charlotte after signing on Aug. 7. Ream stood on the far post and headed in a cross to cut the deficit down to one goal in the 35th minute.
Meanwhile, Orlando (11-10-7, 40 points) took care of the New England Revolution 3-0 on Saturday night.
Orlando went up 2-0 with a late penalty kick in first half stoppage time. From there, OCSC kept up the pressure, adding a third to ice the game courtesy of Duncan McGuire.
The former starting forward moved to a substitute role after going through a dry spell of goal scoring. McGuire’s 74th-minute goal was hist first since June 28, a span of five appearances without finding the back of the net.
“It has been a while since I’ve scored. It’s been a bit annoying for my standards, so I’m definitely glad to be back on the scoresheet,” said McGuire. “But at the end of the day, if we’re winning as a team, then that’s all that matters.”
A win for the Lions would give Orlando a three-match winning streak and continue applying pressure to the New York Red Bulls for the final top-four spot and a guaranteed home match in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
–Field Level Media
