Week 3 Game Preview: Charlotte v. Miami
Match week three of the MLS regular season is almost here. After taking down Atlanta United 2-0 last week, the Crown travel to South Florida for a date with Inter Miami and global superstar Lionel Messi. The game is set for a 4:00 pm start at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
Charlotte has looked impressive as of late, grabbing three points last week after scraping one point in Seattle during match week one. So far I’ve been impressed with how the boys have been playing, it was night and day from Seattle to Atlanta and hopefully the momentum carries over to Sunday. I said it last week after the Atlanta match, but I think we've found our starting XI. Having Pep Biel in the midfield opens up the attack in a way that we didn’t see in Seattle, but the dividends were paying off against Atlanta. Brandt Bronico on the left side adds defensive help to steady the midfield and assist in build up play for the attack. The front three is solid with Abada on the right and Zaha on the left. The one thing I'm hoping to see this season is Patrick Agyemang’s name in the scoring column. I really like Pat and think he can be the man upfront but chances need to start becoming goals. The back four is solid and I felt they held their shape well against Atlanta. Khalina is Khalina and it’s a blessing to have the reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year between the pipes week in and week out.
Miami is one of the best in the league with one of the best players on the planet. However, Lionel Messi missed the team’s last league match against Houston and he also missed the Concacaf Champions League round of 16 match later in the week due to fatigue and not injury. Miami beat Houston 4-1 in league play and beat Cavalier 2-0 in the Champions League, so no Messi was no problem for a strong side. Will he play or will he not? That's the question many fans have, no one wants to miss a chance to watch one of the game's best players perform his craft. If I had to guess, I think he will play, especially after having a few days of rest from match play. Outside of Messi, there is one player that has been playing well and could prove to be a problem for the Crown if he continues to perform. Telasco Segovia has scored three times and assisted once in his first two games this season. If Charlotte is able to shut down Messi, Segovia could be a difference maker on Sunday.
It’s no secret that the Crown have hopes of a deep playoff run this season. To achieve that goal, you have to prove yourself against the best teams in the league and Miami is one of the best in the MLS (they set the single-season points record last season). If Khalina and the defense can carry their performance from the Atlanta Match over, I think Charlotte has a really good chance to win. I predict a 3-2 Charlotte win with Zaha scoring one, assisted by Biel. Biel also finds the back of the net on an assist from Bronico and Pat adds the third on a cross from Zaha. On the Miami side, I think rest does Messi well as he adds a goal and Segovia finds the back of the net late in the second half but it will be too little too late as the boys head back home with three more points as they begin preparations for FC Cincinnati.