Charlotte FC returns home this Saturday night to face the New England Revolution at Bank of America Stadium in what they hope to be their 1st career victory.
After a heart-breaking loss against Atlanta United last week, the Charlotte FC enters this game with offensive momentum after outplaying Atlanta United in the second half of the game. New England enters the match with a 1-1-1 record after a tough loss in frigid weather vs Real Salt Lake. The Revolution has scored five goals in its three games, while also allowing five goals.
Meanwhile Charlotte has found goals hard to come by, as they have only scored one goal so far this season and have allowed six against them.
Daniel Rios, who has only been with Carolina the past few weeks, knows what it’s like to be part of an expansion team as he was the Nashville SC first signing of 2020. Rios says it’s been anything but easy to adjust to his new teammates.
“Honestly, it hasn’t been anything easy. I only have two weeks here, and to get to know my teammates, I have been getting close to them and trying to understand their movement on the field and their
strengths and weaknesses. Little by little, I’m getting there. It is a process,” said Rios.
As far as the offense awakening in the 2nd half of their last match, Rios feels confident that it will carry over. “Surely makes us feel better. We know now that we are able to create these types of opportunities and we are able to play the way that we can be dangerous, offensively speaking. Now we feel more confident that we can do it and we will do it.”
Hopefully Rios, who had twenty goals in his 2019 season making him the first player in USL history to score twenty or more goals in multiple seasons, is correct. New England’s net minder Earl Edwards Jr, despite having 1.67 goals against average, has only saved 58.3% of the shots that have been on goal.
As far as his counterpart, Kristijan Kahlina has been magnificent. Kahlina has saved 75% of the shots taken on him, despite allowing six goals, two of them penalty kicks. As the Carolina FC continue to prepare itself for this game vs the New England Revolution we can only hope Rios continue to get comfortable
and creates scoring opportunities as he has done in previous years.
Only time will tell.
