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Yeesh.
That was brutal.
This weekend saw both the Charlotte Independence and the Colorado Rapids drop winnable games that gave supporters heartburn.
The #OneClub Report:
1) The Battle of the Queen City: the Independence hit the road for the first time in 2016 and it happened to be against FC Cincinnati in their first ever home match. And to make it more fun, both cities are called the Queen City. So who would win this first ever Battle of the Queen City? And in front of over 14,000 fans? (Well done, FC Cincinnati!) Well, based on the title of this article I am sure you have figured it out. A 2-1 loss brought Charlotte Independence to 1-2-0 (3 points) and they currently sit outside of the playoff picture. But........
It is only week three in USL so there is plenty of time to get things fixed. My concern though is that the Independence had seven shots on goal with just one going in (Caleb Calvert, on loan to the Independence played the full 90 again and had two shots on goal). In addition their defense surrendered 11 shots on goal. That is not a good combination for a team with playoff aspirations.
2) The Rocky Mountain Cup: I have spoken about this already, and I don't want to beat the dead horse any more about the loss last night. The Rapids had chances to score and they did not. And one defensive blunder....well, you get it.
3) Loan Watch: Calvert played 90 minutes for the Independence last night bringing his season total to 248 minutes, one goal, with five shots (3 on target). Emmanuel Appiah also played for Charlotte logging 10 minutes. Appiah has played 24 minutes this season.
The Rapids have two matches this week: Wednesday at 6:30 PM MDT against Sporting Kansas City (Altitude 2) and Saturday vs New York Red Bulls at 7:00 PM MDT (Altitude).
Charlotte is back home on Saturday at 5:00 PM MDT against Charleston Battery and that match will be live streamed.