With the Major League Soccer playoff race as tight as can be, Charlotte FC and Toronto find themselves near the back of the pack as they face off on Saturday at Bank of America Stadium.
For the first time all year, Charlotte have lost consecutive home fixtures and are four points back of seventh in the Eastern Conference, while the Reds came up empty last weekend versus Inter Miami (2-1) and are now five points behind the playoff line.
Match preview
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One of the most intimidating environments in Major League Soccer has been anything but that recently, with the Crown losing three of their last four fixtures at Bank of America Stadium.
Before that run, home field had given this expansion squad a decided edge, with Charlotte conceding a goal or fewer in seven of their first eight matches played in North Carolina, posting four clean sheets over that span.
Christian Lattanzio was not pleased with how his side approached the opening 45 minutes at home to Orlando City last week, saying his team looked uptight while trying too hard to please the crowd instead of sticking to the task at hand.
While they played with a lot more ambition in the second half, the Crown were guilty of pressing too many numbers forward on two occasions and paid the price as the Lions got in behind the Charlotte defence numerous times, with the winner coming courtesy of Tesho Akindele in the 89th minute.
That was the fourth time that Charlotte had conceded a winning goal with fewer than five minutes remaining in their inaugural MLS campaign.
Those single points dropped are looming large as that is the only thing keeping them below the playoff line as they have two more wins than the three teams currently above them in the Eastern Conference.
Charlotte have lost four of their five matches played against Canadian opponents, suffering a 4-0 defeat to the Reds at the end of July.
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Toronto did not do themselves any favours last week, gaining just a single point out of a possible six as their playoff hopes are beginning to fade.
They have four teams to catch in the postseason battle and have played more games than virtually every side above them.
Last Saturday, the Reds were chasing the game throughout much of the evening, as some poor goalkeeping set them back against the Herons, putting a damper on an impressive run of results before that loss, earning points in five straight games.
TFC have conceded the opening goal on 17 occasions this season, going on to win only two of those affairs, with their last win in that scenario coming back in April when they defeated the Philadelphia Union 2-1.
Their three Italian signings during the 2022 campaign have done everything possible to put this team in playoff contention, as those newcomers have contributed five of the last six goals scored by this club.
Bob Bradley's men have only managed to win one road game in his first season as head coach, having been shut out of six away matches in 2022.
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Team News
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McKinze Gaines notched his first career MLS goal in the Crown's defeat to Orlando last weekend, with Kamil Jozwiak collecting his first assist on that play.
Karol Swiderski has a goal in three of his last four home games for Charlotte, as he leads them with eight on the season, three more than Andre Shinyashiki, who is without a goal in his last seven MLS affairs.
Nuno Santos and Nathan Byrne are still waiting for their visas to get approved before they can play, Adam Armour is out after previously undergoing left knee surgery and Vinicius Mello continues to recover from his left foot surgery.
Lorenzo Insigne had the only goal for Toronto in their defeat to Miami, drawing even with Deandre Kerr and Michael Bradley for fourth on the team (three).
Federico Bernardeschi has scored in three of his last four matches, and Domenico Criscito had the equaliser in their 2-2 draw versus the New England Revolution last Wednesday.
Jonathan Osorio leads them with nine goals on the year, one shy of his career-best in league play which he achieved in 2018, while Jesus Jimenez has cooled off, without a tally since June 29.
Mark-Anthony Kaye will be questionable because of a lower-body injury, Quentin Westberg and Noble Okello are out for the same reasons, while Alex Bono is looking to bounce back after letting a long-range effort from Jean Mota slip through his fingertips over the weekend.
Charlotte FC possible starting lineup:
Kahlina; Lindsey, Walkes, Sobocinski, Fuchs; Bender; Gaines, Bronico, Reyna; Jozwiak, Swiderski
Toronto possible starting lineup:
Bono; Criscito, Mavinga, MacNaughton, Laryea; Kerr, Bradley, Osorio; Insigne, Akinola, Bernardeschi
We say: Charlotte FC 2-2 Toronto
There is still hope for both of these teams to sneak into a postseason position, but neither look all that strong defensively or comfortable when under pressure, with Charlotte conceding 10 goals in their last four games, while the Reds have allowed the third-most goals in the league (47).
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