New York Red Bulls vs Charlotte FC: 1 v 1 battles to watch

By Brian Maurer

Liel Abada driving against the New York Red Bulls last season (Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/Topbin90)

Charlotte FC is back on the road for one more long stretch through the end of June. The squad will have a rest after this week as they have a bye week, and then only play once in 24 days. Until that break, the Crown will need to push for a result against two teams that they have never beaten on the road.

Based on where things stand in the Eastern Conference, Charlotte should be able to compete and get a result in either or both games this week, but that recent letdown against the Chicago Fire shows that nothing is guaranteed for the Black and Blue.

Here are three player matchups to keep an eye on before this Wednesday's game:

Emil Forsberg vs Brandt Bronico's replacement in midfield

Emil Forsberg is the key chance creator in New York's attack. One of Charlotte's key starting midfielders, Brandt Bronico, will be suspended for this game due to yellow card accumulation. Whoever Dean Smith replaces Bronico with, they will need to do their part to keep Forsberg from making a massive impact.

A big chunk of Forsberg's production is from one game versus a historically bad LA Galaxy team. He does have issues being a consistent goal contributor, which means Charlotte has an opportunity to throw him off his game.

Omar Valencia vs Liel Abada/Kerwin Vargas

Smith opted to rotate Liel Abada out of the starting lineup this past weekend. He mentioned that one of the reasons he went with Kerwin Vargas was his defensive presence. Whichever player he decides to go with on the right, they will need to help defensively again, as Omar Valencia leads New York in assists.

Abada or Vargas will need to be willing to recover defensively. The other way to hinder Valencia's attacking threat is by pushing back with an attacking presence of their own. If Charlotte's right wing becomes more dangerous, and adds to the threat Wilfried Zaha showed down the left last Saturday, then the Crown should cause New York some problems and help pin their left back deeper, giving him fewer chances to create.

Noah Eile vs Patrick Agyemang

Patrick Agyemang has four goals in his last three games, and he has a goal contribution in each of his last two appearances traveling to Red Bull Arena. The expectation is that Agyemang's recent run of form becomes more consistent. Facing up against Noah Eile and beating him for a goal this Wednesday would go a long way towards showing he's ready to take that next step.

Eile and Co. have been a solid defensive group, especially at home, so finding that goal will not be easy. But, there should be opportunities for Agyemang to find space in behind, and when he finds those moments, he's got to take his chances.

Summary

Charlotte FC showed they could right the ship at home last Saturday. This week, they need to show they can make things right on the road. It starts with their trip to New York. The four Eastern Conference teams Charlotte has lost to are currently higher than them in the table. Their next two opponents are in worse form. The main question for the Crown is whether they can get results on the road against teams they should. Like they did earlier this year against CF Montreal.