The Charlotte Independence opened up their 2017 campaign Saturday night in front of an impressive crowd of 2,048 at UNC-Charlotte’s Transamerica Field. Charlotte was forced to play without Enzo Martinez and Jun Marques Davidson due to suspensions carrying over from the 2016 playoffs and ended up on the short end of a 0–2 defeat. It was a disappointing result, but there were encouraging moments for the Independence throughout the night, especially in the first half.

Charlotte started off extremely sharp for a season opener and dominated the play in the first half. Luke Waechter’s header went just over the bar in the 3rd minute and they forced Charleston’s goalkeeper to make a few saves in the first 20 minutes, including what was the best save of the game for either side turning Jorge Herrera away in the 18th minute.

Charlotte’s passing in the midfield and final 3rd was magnificent early on and there were even moments when they looked like the USL’s version of Barcelona. Seriously, click the video, it will be worth it.

Charlotte struggled when they got the ball out wide and sent crosses in. Charleston’s 6'5 centerback, Forrest Lasso, was absolutely dominant in the air, winning nearly every header on the defensive end and later putting the game out of reach with a goal from a Battery free kick. Many fans of the Independence have been worried about how Charlotte will handle not having a true target man on the field, and this game did little to assuage those fears.

This game was a tale of two halves, as Charleston really settled in the longer the game went on. They looked far more dangerous early on in the half on the counter attack and that gave them a lot of confidence. Yann Ekra’s shot seemed like Charlotte’s best chance to take the lead.

But shortly after, Romario Williams put Charleston ahead when Charlotte’s Bilal Duckett slipped in the box and found the back of the net. Things would only get worse for Charlotte from there on out as Duckett was forced to go off with an ankle injury suffered in a collision in the 73rd minute.

This cost the Independence on the scoreboard just moments later as Forrest Lasso was able to get on the end of the ensuing free kick and head the ball home to give Charleston a 2–0 lead.

So far there has been no update on the Independence’s captain but hopefully it won’t keep him out for a long period of time. Duckett is very important to this team for both his play on the field and his leadership.

The first round of the Southern Derby went to the Charleston Battery on a final score of 0–2. I’m looking forward to their next meeting on September 9th: that’s a long time from now and both teams will likely change dramatically over the course of this season.

If Charlotte can continue to build upon the flashes of brilliance they showed on Saturday though, I have to believe that they will bounce back over the next few games and get some better results.

Their next match is Saturday, April 8th in Orlando against OCB, and they return to Charlotte on the 15th to take on Pittsburgh at Winthrop’s Eagle Field. #COYJ.