The Dean Smith era for Charlotte FC begins on Saturday, February 24th with a home match against New York City FC.
The Charlotte FC squad will look very different than the last time they played a competitive match. Charlotte’s all-time leading goal scorer, Karol Świderski, is no longer with the club after an offseason move to Hellas Veronas.
Along with Świderski no longer being with the club, Charlotte will be without Ben Bender, Brandt Bronico, Brandon Cambridge and Tyger Smalls due to injuries and new signing Djibril Diani will also be unavailable due to issues with his visa. Patrick Agyemang and Bill Tuiloma are listed as questionable for the match.
First @CharlotteFC injury report:
OUT: Ben Bender – Left Knee, Brandt Bronico – Left Thigh, Brandon Cambridge – Right Ankle, Djibril Diani – Not Due to Injury, Visa, Tyger Smalls – Bilateral Lower Leg
QUESTIONABLE: Patrick Agyemang – Right Hip,
Bill Tuiloma – Left Thigh— Will Palaszczuk (@WilliePStyle) February 23, 2024
NYCFC will be without Maxi Moralez due to injury.
Squad update before our @MLS season opener 🏥 @MontefioreNYC
— New York City Football Club (@NYCFC) February 23, 2024
Charlotte FC is looking to open the season with a win, something that the club has not been able to do in their short history, losing the home opener 1-0 to the Los Angeles Galaxy after losing to DC United in the first match in 2022 and losing 1-0 to the New England Revolution in 2023.
Charlotte FC has never lost to the NYCFC in the four previous matchups between the clubs, with Charlotte winning three and the other match ending in a draw.
The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium and streaming on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
