Charlotte FC is in a three-match skid in regular-season play, dropping matches to the New England Revolution, Columbus Crew, and Nashville SC. It's a tough stretch of road matches. Add in a U.S. Open Cup match in the mix there, which Charlotte FC won, and you get tired legs and tested depth fast.
Charlotte's reward for that Open Cup win is another away match added to the calendar between two straight home matches. Those matches are crucial to get back on track in the win column.
If the Crown is to rise the power ranks again, it will start with a crucial two-match stretch this week against Eastern Conference opponents that sit below them in the table.
Take a look at what the pundits across the league have to say about Charlotte FC's performance and where they rank this week:
ESPN: #10
Previous ranking: 6
“Charlotte is still one of the best teams in the East, but back-to-back losses to Columbus and then Nashville have taken a bit of the air out of the team's East-topping aspirations.”
MLSsoccer.com: #13
Previous ranking: 7
"Charlotte have slid into a three-game losing streak after falling 2-1 to Nashville over the weekend. A road trip to Orlando isn’t exactly a get-right game either. The Crown have some things to sort out."
Previous ranking: 13
“Charlotte FC continued their slide with a 2–1 loss to Nashville SC, their third straight loss in MLS, after previously falling to the New England Revolution and Columbus Crew SC.
Head coach Dean Smith’s side were comfortable throughout the match and had their chances, putting up 10 shots and 1.51 xG. However, they struggled to finish and had brief defensive lapses, which cost them.”
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