In the first meeting between the Charlotte Independence and Bethlehem Steel FC back in July, the Jacks controlled almost every aspect of the game. Bethlehem’s defense was forced to backpedal early and often; we continually pressured their backline and were seemingly breaking down the defense at will. The game ended in a 4–0 victory for Charlotte in Pennsylvania in a game that saw 33 total fouls, seven yellow cards, and one red card for Steel FC’s Aaron Jones. Things haven’t changed too much between these two teams as that previous matchup was just 19 days ago.

There’s No Place Like The ‘Plex

There is no doubt that seeing the Independence’s #beatless streak come to an end at twelve games was sad. It has been remarkable to see the team climb the table. But there is still hope to be had: they are still #beatless at the gorgeous Sportsplex at Matthews. In four games, they have won three of their matches and drawn once. This game is the USL game of the week as well, which will bring ESPN to Matthews to cover the midweek matchup.

#OneClub

Charlotte’s run of form in their twelve game #beatless streak was spurred on by consistency in their starting 11. But the Colorado Rapids, our MLS affiliate, have loaned us a familiar face which may change that consistency.

Tonight, we will see the return of full back Dennis Castillo. This will likely shuffle our starting 11 once more. Let me just say first that depth is fantastic, especially when you can add a player that has MLS experience. However, I hate that Castillo will presumably be replacing budding star Austin Yearwood.

Still, I’m not 100% salty with this move considering that Dennis Castillo is a solid player and did score our two goal against the Rowdies when we faced them earlier in the season.

Yellow Cards Suspension

Don’t worry Charlotte fans, Enzo Martinez didn’t receive a yellow card against Ottawa, praise hands emoji. Luckily for us, and untimely for Steel supporters, one of Bethlehem’s forwards will be unavailable Wednesday night too. Cory Burke, who along with Charleston’s Romario Williams is one of the Reggae Boyz, received his fifth yellow card of the season in their previous game. While Burke isn’t a guaranteed starter for the Steel, he will be missed. The 6'2" crafty Jamaican has scored three goals and created 14 chances while starting 13 games this season.

It’s Competitive at the Top

As the season moves onward, teams have to take advantage of the opportunities to solidify their position in the standings. This is very evident for both of these teams at the current moment. While Charlotte is sitting alone at the top of the standings, there are four teams nipping at their heels. After only gaining a single point on their Canadian Vacation, they were fortunate enough to get some help: Saint Louis FC was able to outscore the Tampa Bay Rowdies 4–3 to keep them in 4th. Considering the Rowdies don’t have a terribly great record in away matches, that result isn’t incredibly surprising, but it leaves them with 37 points.

The two other teams among the top four, Louisville City FC (2nd) and Charleston Battery (3rd), had the results that surprised me the most. Louisville City dismantled FC Cincinnati to the tune of a 5–0 scoreline. This result has them tied with Charleston at 38 points, but technically ahead of the Battery due to goal differential. Louisville City FC is in the driver’s seat to at least a 2nd place finish with three games in hand against Charleston and Tampa Bay.

The Battery returned home to face a NYRBII squad that has been promoting a number of their best players to their parent squad in the MLS. The Frenchman Vincent Bezecourt, who is second on the team in goals and first in assists, was the most recent player signed to a contract with the NYRB on August 11th. Previously they had already loaned their leading goal scorer this season, Brandon Allen, to Minnesota United FC. Due to this talent departure, I thought Charleston would cruise to an easy victory at home. As they say, that’s why they play the game. Charleston was only able to manage a 1–1 draw at home against the 8th place NYRBII.

The congestion atop the Eastern Conference means that Charlotte’s rise to the top could be short lived. Luckily for them though, their next five games come against Bethlehem Steel - 6th, Orlando City B - 9th, Toronto FC II - 14th, and Richmond Kickers - 15th, all lower-ranked teams in the East.

Opportunity to Create Distance

Bethlehem is setting themselves up nicely to make the playoffs in their second season as a team. As previously mentioned, they rank 6th and are five points above the NYRBII who sit in the 8th spot. A win for them will go a long way towards cementing their spot among the playoff teams. Considering they have a few games in hand on those above them, they could possibly even make a run for a higher seed.

One interesting thing that I noticed is that the Steel are one of only five teams in the East with 10 wins this season. This game presents an opportunity for them to show what they have in a potential revenge game for their 4–0 loss just a few weeks ago.

Recent Form

Charlotte: D | W | W | D | L

Bethlehem: D | L | L | W | W

Game Details

What: Charlotte Independence vs Bethlehem Steel FC (USL season)

Where: Sportsplex, Matthews

When: Wednesday, 8/16, 7:00pm ET

Prediction Time

As much as both these teams have to play for, I don’t see this one getting away from the Independence. The team is hungry to prove they deserve to stay atop the Eastern Conference. I’m expecting the Independence to come out with their traditional starting 11 that they’ve had great success with. I don’t foresee the outcome being as completely out of hand as their last matchup, but I do think that there will be multiple goals scored by Charlotte and they will again have a clean sheet.

I’m predicting a 3–0 scoreline in favor of the Charlotte Independence. Jorge Herrera will go back to his scoring ways, Callum Ross will score his second of the season, and David Estrada will score the third and final goal.