Charlotte welcomes another team from above the border to the Sportsplex on Saturday night. While Ottawa was losing to the Jacks last weekend, Toronto FC II opened their season against NYRBII and lost to the tune of 2–1.

They had a penalty attempt saved which could have made the game far more competitive, but the night was almost entirely dominated by the Baby Bulls.

One thing we know about TFCII: they have a stellar keeper in Angelo Cavalluzzo. Can Charlotte continue to put it in the back of the net? Or will Cavalluzzo get the better of their fast-paced attack?

Defensive woes

When I say that the Baby Reds were dominated in their previous matchup, I mean that completely and thoroughly. Typically, if you see a keeper have nine saves and a 81.8% save success rate it would be a good day between the pipes.

That was not the case against NYRBII.

The Baby Bulls hurled an impressive 32 shots, 11 of which were on target, at Angelo Cavalluzzo. In Charlotte’s 4–1 win, they had 14 shots with only 42% possession. I believe that both of those number will increase and Cavalluzzo will leave frustrated again Saturday night.

Independence roster update

Kevan George has been called up to the Trinidad & Tobago National Team: He will be with the Soca Warriors between March 21st-27th. That means Coach Jeffries will have to shuffle the midfield a bit.

I believe this will mean that Yann Ekra will be a lock to start. The question is who will fill George’s holding central midfield role? My bet: Greg Jordan.

We will also be seeing the return of Alex Martinez from suspension. I think it will be safe to assume that we’ll see him return to his usual position as the team’s starting left midfielder, even though the lineup worked well last weekend.

Recent form

Charlotte: W

Toronto: L

Prediction

I believe this game will be similar to last year’s meetings. Both of those games ended with multiple goals from each team and were highly competitive. Considering the defensive problems TFCII had against NYRBII last week, I think Charlotte will have another strong offensive showing.

I’m predicting a 3–1 victory for Charlotte over Toronto.

Game info

Charlotte Independence vs. Toronto FC II: 7 p.m. Saturday, March 24 at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex.