CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Red Bull New York (2-1-1, 7 pts) continue their mini road trip as they head to the “Queen City” to face Charlotte FC (1-1-2, 5 pts) Saturday night. New York will be looking for their first win at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
It was nearly another defeat for New York last Saturday when they traveled to Toronto to face Toronto FC. Luckily, thanks to a last-second goal in stoppage time from forward Eric Choupo-Moting, Red Bull were able to capture a point.
For Choupo-Moting, he became the first player not named Julian Hall to score in a match for Red Bull this season. It was about time for the former Bayern Munich man who tallied 17 goals in Major League Soccer (MLS) play last season.
“It’s an incredible finish, incredible,” head coach Michael Bradley said in his pre-match press conference this week. “The way, when the ball falls for him with the skill and the balance [to] be able to score the way that he does, that’s a goal scorer’s goal in every way. We were and we are really excited for Choupo that he gets his first goal of the season, especially at such an important time.”
Onto Saturday’s match, it’s a contest Red Bull may want some payback for after what occurred last August. When these two clubs last faced off against each other, Charlotte was victorious, winning 1-0. The way it happened was devastating to say the least for Red Bull.
Midfielder Mohammed Sofo in the 30th minute of that contest gave away possession which then led to a Kerwin Vargas goal for Charlotte.
Playing in Charlotte in front of their supporters isn’t easy for any club. Bradley addressed “The Bank” in his pre-match press conference.
“It’s always a good environment there, added factor of now playing on artificial turf for the first time this year. We’re going to be ready in every way to step on the field Saturday night and really go after things in a strong way.”
Goals and scoring opportunities will also be hard to come by against Charlotte’s defense. What will be tricky for Red Bull Saturday is how they can score against an incredible keeper like Kristijan Kahlina.
Coming off a performance where he earned a clean sheet against Inter Miami CF, it’s been a good start for the Croatian goalkeeper. As of Friday, the 33-year-old leads MLS in saves with 22.
Saturday’s match will be crucial for Red Bull as this will be their last one until April 4. The reason, the FIFA International Break, which takes place from March 23 to March 31.
“We’ll have some guys who head with [their] national teams, that’s always [a] huge honor and great experience for them. But, we’ll continue to work here. We’ll find a good balance of making sure that the guys get some days off there and that we find a good balance between work and rest and recovery. But, we’re going to continue to use that time to make sure we get better.”
A win against a club like Charlotte should certainly boost the confidence of a club that features a lot of young talent. It would also give Red Bull something to build on as they head into the international break.
Kickoff for Saturday’s contest is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Apple TV.
