/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46759510/usa-today-8675302.0.jpg)
The Charlotte Independence travel to Rochester, New York to take on the USL leading Rhinos in a match that will be a test of the Independence and to see if they can break their road troubles. This is an important match for Charlotte as they are slipping further out from playoff contention and will be looking to kick off the second half of their USL season in style.
The Goal for Charlotte: Snag a road point
The Eastern Conference Table:
Points | Games Played | Win | Loss | Tie | |
Rochester Rhinos | 39 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 6 |
Charleston Battery | 31 | 17 | 8 | 2 | 7 |
Louisville City FC | 29 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 |
Richmond Kickers | 29 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 |
Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 25 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 4 |
Harrisburg City Islanders | 22 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
New York Red Bulls II | 22 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 4 |
Saint Louis FC | 18 | 17 | 4 | 7 | 6 |
Charlotte Independence | 16 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
Toronto FC II | 12 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
Wilmington Hammerheads FC | 12 | 17 | 2 | 9 | 6 |
FC Montreal | 11 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 2 |
What to Watch For:
1) The Road Woes--it is no secret that Charlotte is struggling on the road with a putrid 0-4-2 record away from home. The Independence have eight more games away from Ramblewood, and if they want to make the playoffs, they need to find a way to grab points on the road.
2) The Scoring Woes--you need to score goals to win games in any soccer match and for the Independence, this is simply not happening. They are 22nd in the 24 team USL with just 15 goals scored over 14 matches. This is simply not good enough. Put it in perspective: our friends to the south of us (Colorado Spring Switchbacks FC) have scored 21 more goals than the Independence. Yikes.
3) A Difficult Challenge--all of this is adding up to a very difficult challenge as Charlotte plays at Rochester this weekend in an effort to break their road winless streak. And they could not be playing a worse opponent for this. The Rhinos are 11-0-6 on the year and are a perfect 6-0-0 at home.
How to Watch:
Match Date/Time: Saturday, July 18 at 5:05 PM MDT
Venue: Sahlen's Stadium--Rochester, New York
OnLine Viewing: