Redemption in sight for Charlotte against Rochester

The Independence and Rhinos face off on Saturday night with a playoff defeat on the mind for the Jacks fans in Matthews.

(Photo Credit: Alex Warren)

Back in week six of the 2017 USL season, the Independence were routed by the Rhinos. The game ended 4 — 0 in favor of Rochester up in New York. That game was easily the lowest point we have had as a team this season. However, I believe that, looking back, it was just the wake up call we needed.

These two teams last met on April 29th and anyone that watched that game knew who the better team was that day. Even as an Indy optimist, I can confidently say that we played terrible that day. Rochester pressured us off our game early and often.

After that game, many Independence supporters were left wondering how this season might turn out.

But since that meeting, both teams have played seven league games and have had similar form. Rochester’s form has included three wins, three draws, and one loss in that span. The loss came just last week against Orlando City B at home. It is worth noting that this was Rochester’s first home loss of the season and only their second all year.

Charlotte has been in truly great form since their last matchup. That form includes four wins, two draws, and like Rochester just one loss in their last seven league games. Something to keep in mind with both Rochester and Charlotte’s form would be who they’ve played. In their previous seven games Rochester had played only one team outside of the current top 10. On the other hand Charlotte had played three teams outside the current top 10 including two of the bottom 15 teams. Below you can find the current Eastern Conference standing in the USL.

If I was a betting man I’d say the current top eight will be the playoff teams in the Eastern Conference.

Master Facilitator

Rochester’s Wal Fall is a veteran leader in the defensive midfield. There is no doubt that their defense would not be the same without him patrolling that area of the field. For this upcoming matchup, I’ll shift your focus upward to Rochester’s attack and who controls that area of the field. That man would be the 29 year old Jamaican midfielder, Kenardo Forbes.

Forbes knows how to threaten a defense consistently. While he may not be scoring numerous goals (he currently has two), he is more of a facilitator and an excellent one at that. He is leading the Rhinos with three assists while making 22 chances which is 12 more than anyone else on the team.

Another remarkable statistic I was able to uncover would be his passes per 90 minutes. He is one of only six players in the Eastern Conference that is averaging over 60 passes per 90 that have attempted a minimum of 600 total passes. Those other players would be Arun Basuljevic (New York-71 passes per 90), Luke Boden (Tampa Bay-65 passes per 90), our very own Jun Marques Davidson (Charlotte-64 passes per 90), Aodhan Quinn (Cincinatti-61 passes per 90), and James Chambers (Bethlehem-61 passes per 90). Due to this fact, it is evident that Rochester’s attack starts with Kenardo Forbes. I’ll be keeping my eye on number 11 when both these teams meet at Sportsplex at Matthews.

Super Duck

Every sports team needs a face to their franchise, a Cam Newton to their Carolina Panthers, or a Kemba Walker to their Charlotte Hornets, if you will. That player for the Independence is undoubtedly Bilal Duckett.

He is truly a leader on our team and outspoken about his love for the city of Charlotte. When we were without his leadership in the backline, it was easy to notice a difference. Bilal Duckett underwent surgery in May and his presence was very much missed.

Since he has returned to the starting lineup he has solidified our backline and has been a vital part of our two game win and clean sheet streak.

Not only has he been leading on the field he has been doing so off as well. In June, he helped launch a campaign for ReThink called Tackling Consent. Tackling Consent is a group of professional athletes seeking to raise $5,000 to end sexual violence. Him and nine other professional soccer players, including six Independence players so far, are taking part in the initiative. I highly recommend you consider making a one time donation or matching your favorite player.

Soccer is indeed a beautiful game but that beauty doesn’t have to stop after 90 minutes.

Surging Offense, Stingy Defense

Saturday’s matchup, like every game the Independence play against the Rhinos, will be heated and is sure to be competitive. Whenever these two teams meet it is far from dull.

So far, the head-to-head series between these two teams is unfortunately in favor of the Rhinos. This will be the 7th time these two teams have faced each other. Currently Rochester holds the series lead with three victories, two draws, and only one loss.

As Charlotte returns to their new home, Rochester will have a tough task ahead of them. Charlotte’s offense has been scoring consistently, and their defense has returned to their stingy ways. Since their 1st matchup, Charlotte has scored 15 goals in seven games while only allowing six goals in that span. While Rochester has only scored six goals in seven games, their goal keeper Tomas Gomez has only allowed four goals.

That is honestly the way Rochester will continue to play all year. They typically aren’t the type of team to score multiple goals in a game, they’ve only done so three times this season. They seem to be content with 1–0 or even a 1–1 scoreline. I say this because seven out of twelve games have gone 1–0 or 1–1.

I would venture to say that the first team to score, if anyone does actually score, will be the victor Saturday night. I’ll also be looking to see who wins the physical battle in the midfield. In the first matchup, there were 38 fouls committed between both teams as well as six yellows given out that day.

Prediction Time

Just as the Independence have started a win streak, so have I… well sort of. The last two weeks I’ve correctly predicted clean sheets. In hindsight I may have been a little hasty saying that we’d beat Richmond 3–0 on the road. Nevertheless I’ll be looking to ride that streak of profound wisdom, or random luck depending on how you look at it. I could easily see this game turning into a Lampson v. Hildebrandt game and end 0–0, but ultimately I don’t see that transpiring.

I’ll be predicting a 2–1 scoreline with Charlotte staying unbeaten at the Sportsplex. As far as goal scorers, I’ll be looking for David Estrada to score the first goal, shortly followed by a goal by Rochester’s Darius Madison, and finally Alex Martinez to score the game winner and seal the victory.

COYJ.