Predicted XI: Charlotte FC

The undefeated Columbus Crew travel to the Queen City to battle Charlotte FC on Saturday night. The Black & Gold is searching for its first MLS road win of the 2024 campaign.

Charlotte has not been a hospitable place for Columbus to visit. Their previous two trips to the Queen City have been chaotic. In July 2022, the original trip was delayed in the 16th minute of the match due to severe storms in the area. As a result, the contest was postponed and made up in early October. In that contest, Lucas Zelarayan scored the longest free kick in MLS history to help earn a draw.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Last season, Columbus lost defender Will Sands to injury after he tore his ACL on the turf at Bank of America Stadium. To rub salt into the wound the visitors lost the match by a 1-0 scoreline. Let’s hope that Saturday’s clash is just another away match and not the chaos of the past two seasons.

Speaking of Sands, he returned to the pitch for both the first team and Crew 2 over the weekend, logging about 87 minutes of action. It is doubtful that Sands sees action in this game as he continues to get match fit, and playing on a turf field might be too risky. Midfielder Alex Matan continues to recover from a thigh injury and is out for this match.

The Crew will be without several players due to national team call-ups: goalkeepers Patrick Schulte and Nicholas Hagen, midfielders Aiden Morris and Taha Habroune, and forward Jacen Russell-Rowe all received calls to their national teams.

Here is how Columbus could lineup:

Goalkeeper Evan Bush will get his first start of the season and will look to continue the stellar goalkeeping form that Schulte has established. Bush had five starts last season, playing in all the U.S. Open Cup matches and starting two Leagues Cup matches. Young goalkeeper Stas Lapkes will likely be on the bench for the Black & Gold after a standout Crew 2 season in 2023. 

Fortunately for Bush, the defense will not be changed for the Crew as defenders Malte Amundsen, Rudy Camacho, and Steven Moreira start in front of the Ohio native. The center backs have shown growth from last season, only allowing two goals in four MLS games. If Columbus can continue this defensive form, they will be highly competitive in every competition they play in. 

Wing backs Mo Farsi and Yaw Yeboah will start in this match. Charlotte has not been particularly dangerous in the final third which should give Yeboah freedom to float in and make his runs without worrying too much about the defensive responsibilities. 

With Morris away on international duty, look for Sean Zawadzki to start alongside midfielder and captain Darlington Nagbe. Zawadzki has shown how reliable and trustworthy he is in any position and has earned the trust of head coach Wilfried Nancy. Zawadzki has started in all but one match this season and it seems likely that Nancy will find a starting spot for him on the pitch in this match. 

The Black & Gold faithful will be a bit relieved that Columbia made the puzzling decision not to call in forward Cucho Hernandez for this international window. Cucho has been the engine that moves Columbus forward and will start alongside fellow DP forward Diego Rossi and winger Marino Hinestroza. Hinestroza will fill in for the absences of Matan and Russell-Rowe. Nancy needs to see what he can get out of his new addition while he knows he can trust and rely on forward Christian Ramirez later in the season. 

Leave a comment