Charlotte FC vs Austin FC: First Time These Two Sides Are Set to Clash

• Charlotte FC face Austin FC for the first time in MLS history
• Austin FC are doing well this season and sit 4th in the table at the moment, only three points short of their entire season’s aggregate points last year
• Charlotte FC have not made the best of starts and are in 18th place on the Supporters’ Shield standings

Charlotte FC vs Austin FC Odds

Charlotte FC vs Austin FC Prediction

Charlotte FC have never faced Austin FC before, and this is the first time these two sides are set to clash. Going by their forms, it is tough to predict a scoreline, but the Texas side should come out victorious by a big margin.

The home side have won two of their last five matches, and dropped eight points during that period. They have moved up the table but still have a long way to go before they get close to the playoff spots.

Austin FC have been brilliant since the start of the season. Even though there was a slight dip in form, they have managed to stay close to the league leaders, Los Angeles FC, and are just five points behind right now.

See who is the top favourite for MLS 2022 season top goal scorer, here!

Charlotte FC Have a Lot of Work to Do Before Getting Close to Playoff Spots

Charlotte FC have not made a good start to their debut season in MLS, but are slowly getting into the groove. They have collected 20 points from 17 matches so far and are pushing up the table.

They kicked off their campaign with a 3-0 loss at DC United. They managed to dominate possession and have more shots on target than the Texas side, but were unable to convert their chances and lost. Michael Estrada scored a brace in the first half, and Ola Kamara sealed the win a minute after coming on in the second half.

Starting Troubles

Charlotte FC created history with the largest crowd in MLS when they hosted LA Galaxy in their first home game. They could not put on a show for their fans and ended up losing 1-0, thanks to a stunning goal from Efrain Alvarez in the second half.

They got their first goal in MLS history when they faced Atlanta United but could not get a point from the game. Adam Armour created history by scoring the club’s first ever MLS goal – an equalizer in the second half after Josef Martinez handed the home side the lead. Charlotte looked set for their first point, but Jake Mulraney sealed the win for Atlanta with a goal in the 96th minute.

The fans did not have to wait any longer for their first win as Charlotte managed to beat New England Revolution. Karol Świderski scored a brace, and Benjamin Bender added another to help the newcomers pick up a 3-1 win. Carles Gil pulled one back for the away side early in the second half, but the home side were determined to win and got two goals in quick succession. They followed it up with another win by beating FC Cincinnati in the next home game.

Up and Then Down

They could not make it a hat-trick of wins after that, and their form also suffered. They won just once in their next five matches, losing to Philadelphia Union, New England Revolution, and then Orlando City FC. Their poor run ended with a 1-0 win over Inter Miami in MLS and then a 5-1 thrashing of Richmond Kickers in the US Open Cup.

However, they could not do much to keep the momentum going once again and lost to CF Montreal in the next league game. In the last five league matches, Charlotte have won twice and lost as many times. Their wins have come over Vancouver Whitecaps and New York Red Bulls while losing to Seattle Sounders and CF Montreal away from home.

To make things worse, they were knocked out of the US Open Cup as well. NYRB defeated them 3-1 in the cup competition and ended their chances of winning the trophy in their debut season.

Injuries and Suspensions

Vinicius Mello and Adam Armour are ruled out.

Austin FC Making an Impression in Their Second Season

Austin FC made their MLS debut last season and finished with 31 points. This season, they have turned things around and collected 28 points already from just their opening 16 matches. The Texas side have won eight matches, just one less than they managed in the entire 2021 season.

Josh Wolff’s side kicked off the season with a stunning 5-0 win over FC Cincinnati and then won 5-1 against Inter Miami FC. They could not make it a hat-trick of wins to start the season when they ended up losing 1-0 to Portland Timbers.

Despite the loss, they managed to keep their confidence up and went on a six-match unbeaten run from there. They won four of those matches and drew twice, collecting 14 points from a possible 18 and keeping their place at the top of the table.

The End of a Streak

Draws against Seattle Sounder and San Jose Earthquakes were followed by 4 wins – against Minnesota United, DC United, Vancouver Whitecaps, and then Houston Dynamo. They scored nine goals in the four wins and conceded just thrice – making them the team to beat this season.

However, their form has hit a slump in the last seven matches. Austin FC have collected just eight points in these matches, losing thrice and winning just twice. The run of poor form started with the 1-0 loss at home to LA Galaxy. Marky Delgado scored the lone goal of the game in the 6th minute as both sides failed to do much in front of the game in the 90 minutes.

Alexander Ring scored in the first half to hand Austin the lead against Real Salt Lake in the next match, but they ended up losing anyway. Maikel Chang and Andrew Brody scored in the second half to seal a come-from-behind win for the home side. They managed to end their two-match losing streak with a win over table-toppers Los Angeles FC, but were held by Orlando City SC in the next game. Austin were up against nine men for over 20 minutes but still needed a 95th minute goal to pick up a point.

Saved by the International Break

Things got worse for Austin as they were beaten 4-1 by LA Galaxy in the next game despite Chicharito missing a penalty in the 3rd minute. Dejan Joveljić scored a brace, and a goal each from Javier Hernández and Efrain Alvarez helped the home side win 4-1 after Diego Fagúndez handed the Texas side the lead in the second half.

The international break came at the right time for Austin FC, and they have since managed to steady the shit. They defeated CF Montreal 1-0 and then drew 2-2 in the Texas Derby with FC Dallas.  Another issue for Austin is that they could not replicate their league form in the US Open Cup. They were beaten by San Antonio FC early in the competition, thus exiting without having any chance to fight for the trophy.

Injuries and Suspensions

Freddy Kleemann and Jhojan Valencia are ruled out.

Take a look at the predictions for MLS 2022 Outright Winner, here!

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