Charlotte FC vs Columbus Crew
Kickoff: Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 5 PM
Where: Patriots Point, Charleston, South Carolina
How to Watch: Livestream available at charlottefootballclub.com/live. This stream is free and available to viewers within the Charlotte FC broadcast territory.
MLS Competition
The match against Columbus Crew will be a test against MLS competition. Up until now, Charlotte FC have only played against one other MLS team, Nashville SC, when they played a match behind closed doors at IMG Academy.
With a little less than two weeks left until the first regular season game against D.C. United on February 26th, every little bit of experience against MLS competition matters. This game will help the CLTFC players get a feeling of what it is like to play against MLS players as well as get a sense of the speed of play.
For head coach Miguel Ramírez and his staff, their first focus will be on their own team, but this will also be a good chance to assess a conference rival. Charlotte will be facing the Crew twice in the regular season, making this a great preparation opportunity.
How do the Charlotte FC players handle MLS competition? Does Ramírez adjust his game model for the increase in quality of his opponents? How do the players adapt? After this game, we’ll have better answers to these questions.
High Pedigree
Many would probably agree that the Columbus Crew underperformed last season compared to how their roster stacks up on paper. This is, in fact, almost the same roster that won MLS Cup in 2020 and is arguably even stronger now with the 2021 additions.
All the Crew’s cornerstone players such as 2020 MLS Cup Final MVP Lucas Zelarayan, midfield engine Darlington Nagbe, and U.S. National Team striker Gyasi Zardes are still present on this roster. They’re surrounded by players who are considered some of the best in the league at their position.
They are also helmed by renowned MLS coach, Caleb Porter, who has a history of winning. He won the NCAA college championship with the University of Akron and led the Portland Timbers to their first-ever MLS Cup.
So, not only will the Charlotte FC players be tested against MLS competition, but they will also be tested against an MLS opponent of a very high standard. Ultimately, this will prove to be an important learning opportunity for the young team.
“[We need] to keep improving, we’re building from scratch, from zero, and the only thing we can do is improve,” Ramírez stressed following the Charleston Battery game. “We need to keep working, we need to keep practicing, and we need to keep making mistakes to know where we need to improve and how to improve.”
Community Kit Debut
Charlotte FC today revealed their new black-and-mint Community Kit. It is an homage to the city of Charlotte with design inspired by the Charlotte Mint, the first United States branch mint.
Up until now, the team has solely been using the iconic Carolina blue kits, but the community kit will shortly make its debut on the pitch. Fans can look forward to seeing their players wear the new threads for the very first time against the Crew.
