A Charlotte Independence team with plenty left to play for looms Saturday for Louisville City FC in Saturday’s regular-season finale.
Charlotte, an affiliate of Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids, is also the former club of both LouCity midfielder Paolo DelPiccolo and defender Ben Newnam.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Louisville Slugger Field. Here’s what to know about the Independence.
Record: 14-8-7 (49 points) in 29 matches
Conference: Eastern
Standings: 4th
Coach: Mike Jeffries
History: The Independence, started in 2014 after taking the franchise rights to a former USL side, the Charlotte Eagles, have clinched their first postseason bid after finishing seventh a year ago, when the league’s playoffs included six teams per conference. The Independence play their home games at 4,300-seat Ramblewood Soccer Complex.
Series with LouCity: After the clubs split their meetings in 2015 — Charlotte handed LouCity its first-ever defeat before Louisville got revenge at Slugger Field — the two then opened the 2016 season against each other. Cameron Lancaster scored on a free kick at the death to give the boys in purple an edge in the all-time series.
Current form: The Independence have saw an offensive outburst — 12 goals in three games — stunted in its last two efforts, when they were shut out in a draw with the Richmond Kickers before defeated 1-0 by the Rochester Rhinos. Still, the loss was just Charlotte’s second since mid-July during a generally solid 2016 season.
What to know: The Charleston Battery and Rhinos are both within a point of the Independence heading into the regular-season’s final weekend, and Charlotte holds a key spot. The top-four teams in the Eastern Conference will host to open the playoffs. The Independence can guarantee that with a victory, or perhaps still hold on with less of a result at Slugger.
Player to watch: University of North Carolina product Enzo Martinez, a 25-year-old from Uruguay, leads Charlotte in both goals (9) and assists (5). The attacking midfielder is the former 17th overall MLS SuperDraft pick from 2012 to Real Salt Lake who played for the NASL’s Carolina RailHawks before signing with the Independence.
Others to know: Behind Martinez on Charlotte’s scoring list are a number of high-accuray threats. Jamaican striker Brian Brown has scored on 8 of 27 shots on goal, similar to Martinez’s 9 of 26. But Jordge Herrera (7 of 15) and David Estrada (6 of 12) both make the most of their chances.
