LAFC vs Charlotte FC
Saturday, August 26 at 4:30 pm PT
Location: Bank of America Stadium - Charlotte, North Carolina
Radio: 1110 AM ESPN, ESPN LA App, 980 AM La Mera Mera
Coming off a convincing 4-0 win over the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday night, LAFC makes its first-ever trip to Bank of America Stadium to take on Charlotte FC on Saturday, August 26.
The Black & Gold improved to 11-6-7 on the season behind first-half goals from Mateusz Bogusz, Carlos Vela, and Ryan Hollingshead, with Uruguayan newcomer Cristian Olivera adding a fourth goal in the second half against the Rapids.
The club has now won its last four games in all competitions at BMO Stadium, dating back to a 3-0 win over St. Louis in July. LAFC has outscored its opponents 18-1 in those four games, winning by at least three goals in each match.
LAFC has 40 points on the season through 24 matches played and sits in second place behind St. Louis City SC, who are currently leading the Western Conference with 44 points.
The Black & Gold crushed Charlotte FC 5-0 in the clubs’ first and only meeting in August 2022 at BMO Stadium.
CHARLOTTE IN-DEPTH
Led by head coach Christian Lattanzio, Charlotte FC needs to make a run during the final eleven games of the 2023 MLS regular season in order to rise above the playoff line and secure its first-ever spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. The Crown (6-9-8) currently sits in 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings with 26 points through 23 matches played.Â
Charlotte has been tough to beat at Bank of America Stadium, losing just one of its last 12 home matches across all competitions (6-1-5).
THE BLACK & GOLD WILL WIN IF
It can continue to get goal-scoring production from different players. LAFC had four different goal scorers Wednesday night and has seen 16 different players score across all competitions in 2023, including defender Ryan Hollingshead, who has three.
CHARLOTTE CAN WIN IF
It puts its 4-0 Leagues Cup defeat to Inter Miami in the rear-view mirror. The Crown, who has not played a match since August 11, has had plenty of time to recharge and game plan for LAFC. Charlotte is in search of its first league win since May 27 and will come out in either a 4-3-3 or 4-1-4-1 formation in hopes of slowing down an LAFC attack that has scored 21 goals in its last six matches.
