Charlotte FC's Predicted Starting XI vs Real Salt Lake
- Rylee Mckinney
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
By Rylee McKinney
Make your deposits because Charlotte FC returns to The Bank tonight to take on Real Salt Lake! Fresh off a 1-0 win over 2nd place giant FC Cincinnati, Charlotte FC continues to fight each weekend.
New signings throughout the transfer window will have the current roster amping up the internal competition heading into the next few weeks. For now, visas are not entirely issued, so the Starting XI will reflect Dean Smith’s usual tactics.
With only eight games left in the regular season, every match matters! Here is how Charlotte FC is most likely to line up:
Defensive Unit
MLS Team of the Matchday member for Matchday 28 keeper, Kristijan Kahlina, is finally returning to his elite form and will most likely earn the start between the posts.
Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty will likely hold the left fullback spot with Bill Tuiloma recovering from a hamstring injury from last week’s match.
To his right will likely be Tim Ream and Adilson Malanda in the centerback positions. Ream and Malanda have proven consistent for Charlotte FC over the weeks and have immense chemistry.
As for the right-back position, Nathan Byrne will likely start as he is back to playing a full 90+ minutes.
Potential substitutions for Dean Smith’s defensive line will likely be Andrew Privett, Nick Scardina, or Jack Neeley.
Midfield
Despite seeing a wildly different midfield triangle last week, the midfield will slightly resemble normalcy. At the left midfield spot will likely be Mayor Brandt Bronico.
After a yellow card accumulation suspension last week, Captain Ashley Westwood will likely start on the right side, hungry for some playing time.
Unfortunately, Pep Biel is still ineligible to play due to his hamstring injury. That leaves Wilfried Zaha to fall back and likely take on the attacking midfield position.
Reserves for the midfield will likely be Eyrk Williamson, Djibril Diani, and Nikola Petković, with the option of rearranging the forward line to drop back in the midfield.
Forward Line
Charlotte’s forward line has probably been the most predictable lineup lately, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.
Idan Toklomati will likely start in the attacking position, but new signing Archie Goodwin will soon be challenging Toklomati’s comfortable start. Unfortunately, Tyger Smalls will be unavailable as he also suffered a hamstring-related injury last week.
With Wilfried Zaha pushed into the attacking midfielder spot, Liel Abada will likely start on the left.
On the right side will likely be Kerwin Vargas, leaving Dean Smith with Brandon Cambridge to fill in as a substitute if needed.
Injuries and shifting positions will be an obstacle for Charlotte this weekend, but fans will be expecting three points regardless. Hopefully, the squad can pull off a win rather than another hamstring!
Predicted Starting XI
