The Charlotte Independence face their first away test of the season on Saturday night at Orlando City B. Charlotte is coming off a tough 0–2 defeat at the hands of the Charleston Battery (you can read all about that here). Orlando City B or, as they should be called, the Orlando City Simbas, defeated Toronto FC II 3–1 at home last week. We have three things for you to watch for on Saturday night.

1. The Injury List

Starting center back and team captain Bilal Duckett and 2016 USL MVP finalist Enzo Martinez were both listed as “questionable” on Wednesday.

We don’t know the extent of their injuries, but with it being so early in the season, the medical and coaching staff might be more inclined to play it safe despite the players’ desire to return to the field.

There are multiple options to replace Duckett in Luke Waecther (who could slide over from left back), Jared Odenbeck, Danilo Castillo (who finished the Charleston game in place of Duckett), and Jun Marques Davidson sliding back from defensive midfield.

Replacing Enzo leads me to my next thing to watch for.

2. Who Starts Up Top?

We saw how Charlotte lined up without Enzo last Saturday with Jorge Herrera playing at forward and Lewis Hilton, Yann Ekra, David Estrada and Alex Martinez making up the midfield. If Enzo is unable to play due to injury, I would expect Charlotte to stick to the same lineup because they played well together in the attack despite a lack of finishing.

However, there is also the option of starting FC Cincinnati loanee Casey Townsend who has been described by Head Coach Mike Jefferies as more of a “traditional forward.” If Charlotte elects to play tactically, more defensively and bunkering in on the road, I could see them electing to go with a more physical forward who can get on the end of crosses and hold the ball up on the counter.

3. When Will The Goal Come?

Charlotte won the previous meeting between the two teams 4–0 at Ramblewood in August 2016, but three of those goals were scored by players who are no longer on the roster. If Enzo cannot go, then all four goal-scorers will be absent on Saturday.

Charlotte struggled to finish in the final third of the field against Charleston and poor finishing seemed to be a theme in the preseason. If Charlotte is going to turn that around on Saturday, look for it to be on an early goal. Charlotte created most of their good chances in the first 30 minutes last week and it would do them a lot of good to see one hit the back of the net early in Orlando, away game conservatism be damned!

Saturday’s game can be seen live on WCCB Antenna TV channel 18.2 in the Charlotte area. The game will also be available to stream live on Youtube through the USL’s channel. Come on you Jacks!