May 3, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
Charlotte FC News Release
Charlotte FC’s momentum has faltered in recent weeks after consecutive losses to Minnesota United – which snapped a 14-game unbeaten streak at Bank of America Stadium – and New York City FC.
Now, though, the team has a critical month of May ahead that features a distinct advantage: four of their six matches at home. The first of those four Saturday home matches is this weekend against the Portland Timbers, a team that CLTFC has never faced before.
Head Coach Dean Smith and his players will view this match as a key opportunity to reignite momentum in their season and begin climbing the table as summer approaches.
Match: Charlotte FC vs Portland Timbers
When: Saturday, May 4
Where: Bank of America Stadium
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV – How to Watch & Listen
Listen: WFNZ 92.7 FM (English) & WOLS 106.1 FM (Spanish)
For all other radio station affiliates in the Carolinas, click here.
Know Before You Go: For information on tickets, stadium entry, and more, click here.
Previous Matches:
Charlotte FC 1 – 2 New York City FC (Major League Soccer | April 27)
Portland Timbers 2 – 3 LAFC (Major League Soccer | April 27)
Eastern Conference Table: For the full live table, click here.
7. Philadelphia Union – 13 points, 9 GP
8. DC United – 13 points, 10 GP
9. Atlanta United – 12 points, 9 GP
———- Playoff Line ———-
10. CF Montreal – 12 points, 9 GP
11. Charlotte FC – 11 points, 10 GP
Leveraging Strong Starts
Today, I’ll turn things over to Head Coach Dean Smith straight away.
“I think after 10 games, that [not scoring early opportunities] has been the story of our season. So far, we’ve missed too many chances and not taken enough chances to punish teams.”
That was Smith in this week’s pre-match press conference. It’s indicative of an unfortunate reality over the course of the first third of the 2024 season: Charlotte FC consistently comes out of the gates flying but fails to convert their big chances. At times, the team has held on strongly for wins, but at other times, they have faded down the stretch and dropped points.
The question for the coaching staff and the players is two-fold, then. First, how do they finish more of those early chances to give themselves a better cushion later in matches? And second, how do they better sustain those strong starts over a full 90 minutes?
We’ve seen the answers to those questions in fits and bursts, but Smith will be looking for his team to be more…
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