Charlotte FC is back in action this weekend, returning to the Western Conference for a late-night matchup against the LA Galaxy in Carson, California! Kickoff at Dignity Health Sports Park is set for 10:30 p.m. ET, so get ready to brew a pot of coffee and cheer on The Crown.
Charlotte is fresh off its season opener at St. Louis CITY SC, where the two sides walked away with a point split between the two thanks to a Pep Biel equalizer in the 70th minute. The Galaxy, on the other hand, are already three matches into their season, taking down Sporting San Miguelito in Concacaf Champions Cup and drawing Charlotte’s 2025 MLS Cup Playoff opponent, New York City FC, 1-1 at home in their season opener.
What will it take for Charlotte FC to claim three points on Matchday #2? Let’s take a look at the Materials of the Match presented by Rubbermaid to see:
Continue Improving Road Performances
Every point matters. The Club saw this last season, missing out on second/third place in the Eastern Conference in 2025 by six points, and a berth to Concacaf Champions Cup by just one point. It’s important to squeak out results even when the match isn’t going your way. The Crown has steadily improved on this aspect year-over-year, claiming 11, 17, 19 and 19 points on the road in each season since the Club’s inaugural year, and totaled its greatest number of road wins in a season in 2025 with six.
Last season, Charlotte managed two draws and are already halfway to that total, if they can continue to flip just a handful of those road loses to draws or wins, the squad will set themselves up for a major push in the standings this year.
Let Pep be Pep
The Crown’s Mallorcan Magician has picked up right where he left off from 2025, netting Charlotte’s equalizer against St. Louis CITY SC in the 70th minute by slipping a shot right past an outstretched Roman Burki. The Gaffer told media this week that the squad will look to him to ride momentum and support his stellar form. The Spaniard totaled 22 goal contributions in 26 matches last year and was one of only 11 players in MLS to be a part of the 10G / 10A club.
Be Ready to Adjust
The Crown’s match in the Golden State will look quite different compared to new-look St. Louis. The Galaxy, guided by six-year head coach Greg Vanney, have a more structured identity that STL are still looking to find with a multitude of changes in the offseason. While 2024 MLS Best XI midfielder Riqui Puig is ruled out, the Galaxy still have a handful of dangerous pieces that The Crown will need to look out for. Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec return for the Californian side’s attacking line, not to mention newly added Designated Player from St. Louis, João Klauss, who scored early in the Galaxy’s season opener.
Anchoring the backline for LA is Best XI centerback Jakob Glesnes, who joined over the offseason from Philadelphia Union, as well as centerback/defensive midfielder Justin Haak, who Charlotte met in Round One of the MLS Cup Playoffs last year. Smith called out that while New York traveled and gave a good game to the Galaxy, frustrating their backline, The Crown should look to attack their defense harder and threaten their goal, especially now that starting defender Emiro Garces will need to sit due to drawing a second yellow card. With personnel and tactical differences, including LA giving up more possession to opponents than St. Louis, CLTFC may look to tweak their gameplan and get off on the front foot.
NEXT AT THE FORTRESS:
THE PARTY IS BACK
The Crown returns to action on March 7th at 7:30 p.m. against Austin FC. The first fans to arrive will receive the limited-edition party shirt presented by Ally.
