Rise To The Top | Materials of the Match: Charlotte FC at Orlando City SC

Charlotte is (already) back in action following a hard-fought 2-1 victory at New York City FC this past Saturday. The Crown is set to continue its four-match road trip tomorrow, April 22 at Orlando City SC. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and fans can follow along on Apple TV.

Let’s take a peek at the Materials of the Match presented by Rubbermaid to see how CLTFC can take three points in the midweek matchup in Orlando.

Test the Depth

Match congestion is in full swing at the point of the season and with midweek contests beginning to pile up, injuries appear and rotation is needed. USMNT defender Tim Ream will miss out on Wednesday due to adductor strain that he suffered at NYCFC, but centerback Andrew Privett has been ready to step up. Privett came on at halftime of Saturday’s match and helped guide the squad to a 2-1 victory, but the defenseman was match ready after running a full 90 and captaining CLTFC to a 6-0 thrashing of the Charlotte Independence in the U.S. Open Cup.

Another fresh face in the starting XI last weekend was that of Rodolfo Aloko. The Beninese forward has featured in three-straight contests, making his debut against Nashville, providing two assists against the Independence and creating chances at Citi Field on Saturday. Aloko’s relentless energy and work rate has proven valuable since his signing to the First Team and could be one to watch in the next few weeks.

Protect the Back

Head Coach Dean Smith put it best in his weekly availability, “We need to keep the ball out of the snake pit.” It is essential, especially for road teams, to keep their goal safe with how hard it is to mount a comeback on the road. The gaffer called out that the team needs to get more physical when attackers enter its defensive third. But if things faulter, The Crown will look to Kristijan Kahlina to keep up his clutch goalkeeping. Following his heroics in New York, the Croatian Brick Wall was awarded with his ninth-career nod to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 8. He posted his third-straight outing with seven saves which solidified himself as the MLS leader in saves with 44 and a career-best 81.5% save percentage through eight matches.

Eye on the Prize

This will be the first time ever that The Crown will face Orlando City SC without its longtime head coach Oscar Pareja. The Columbian was dismissed following a shaky start to the 2026 campaign and will be led by Interim Head Coach Martin Perelman. The Lions will also be without a handful of its key players, with Griffin Dorsey, Duncan McGuire and Marco Pasalic set to sit out the meeting on Wednesday. While these factors all may look quite favorable for The Crown, the squad will need to keep a level head and not get ahead of themselves thinking it could be an easier contest.