Independence soccer is in the air… It must be March. I, for one, cannot wait to get back to the Sportsplex on Saturday night, so let’s just jump straight into the first match preview of the 2018 season as the Jacks face Ottawa looking for a win.

New boss not the same as the old boss

Ottawa was a mixed bag last year, but everything you knew about them can be thrown out the window. They have a new coach in Nikola Popovic who has a bold new scheme that could make them a fun team to watch.

Popovic made the move east after spending the 2016 and 2017 seasons with the Swope Park Rangers, serving as head coach in 2017. In both of those seasons, the team made it to the USL Cup Final.

One thing is certain based on how his team played last year: They like to possess the ball and control tempo. Last year, they averaged 58% possession while having 524.9 Passes Per 90. They also had an impressive 82.6% passing accuracy.

Will Popovic be able to take the East by storm as easily as he did the West?

Jeffries’ Roster rejuvenated

This year’s Independence will only see only five returning players from 2017, six if you count Donnie Smith. The biggest departure is the perennial USL MVP nominee Enzo Martinez.

The team seems to have focused on bringing in veteran talent with various experience. That experience ranges from MLS (Cordell Cato) to K-League (Jungsoo Lee), Raiffeisen Super League (Kay Voser) to NASL (Kevon George & Greg Jordan). USL Golden Glove winner and Charlotte native Brandon Miller also joins the team.

But the Jacks haven’t made a direct replacement to Enzo’s offensive production this offseason, unless a full season of Rapids loanee Caleb Calvert results in a bunch of goals. Will that decision haunt them… or will Calvert cause the attack to be more balanced and potentially even more deadly?

2016 vs. 2017

Charlotte has averaged 1.6 goals scored two years in a row. During the 2017 season, the top two goal scorers (Enzo with 17 and Jorge with 12) contributed 55% of the teams goals.

In 2016 that number was 38% with top scorers Enzo (9) and Brian Brown (9).

The departure of Enzo to the Rapids will by default force the team to be more like the 2016 version of the Independence.

I’m also curious to see if our defense will return to their 2016 form. In 2017, the team allowed an average of 1.3 goals per game. During the 2016 season, they allowed 0.97 goals per game.

Game Details

What: Charlotte Independence vs Ottawa Fury FC (Regular Season)

Where: Sportsplex, Matthews, NC

When: Saturday, March 17, 7:00 pm

Prediction Time

The opening of the season means that everything is fresh and new for everyone. Usually, everyone goes in with high hopes, and some go in with wild expectations. These two teams might not have the wild expectations part, but they still have lots to prove in an ultra-competitive East.

Could this be a potential playoff preview? Maybe. Could both these teams falter and be irrelevant come the end of the season? Maybe, but doubtful.

At the least, Charlotte and Ottawa bring together very similar styles, and I think it will be a hotly contested, maybe even chippy, affair. Both teams will hope to possess the ball and tire out their opponent.

This will be a true test of who is more fit to open the season.

I’m predicting a 2–1 victory for the Independence. COYJ.

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Come on you Jacks!