Sportsnaut
Charlotte FC enter the first game in franchise history with the expected amount of enthusiasm.
The optimistic mindset is shared by D.C. United, who will host Saturday night’s season opener in Washington.
“You feel the energy in trainings,” Charlotte coach Miguel Ramirez said. “You feel a special energy that is the competition.”
While there’s no background or history for Charlotte to build on, D.C. United are trying to climb out of several tough seasons, and there was a solid 2021 to build on.
Charlotte is a week away from its home opener, so starting on the road should provide answers to certain questions about the team.
“The game is always the best teacher,” Ramirez said. “Competition is always the best coach.”
It’s time to put that to a test.
“I believe we are ready to face what is coming up,” Charlotte defender Christian Makoun said. “We are happy and full of optimism for what will be our first game. … I think we understand and took in all what we have learned during preseason.”
This opener will feature the two youngest coaches in the MLS with Ramirez at age 37 and United’s Hernan Losada at 39.
D.C. ended up one point shy of a playoff spot in 2021 in Losada’s first season in charge.
The United didn’t sit still in the offseason, adding Brad Smith from the Seattle Sounders in an effort to generate more offense. He should be a good complement to Julian Gressel, who provided 13 assists last season.
“It makes it wide open to create space in the middle for other technical players in there,” United general manager Lucy Rushton said. “Their deliveries are a striker’s dream.”
Gressel has talked repeatedly about his quest to grab the leadership role on the team.
Yet there’s a youth component that’s hard to overlook with the United. Moses Nyeman, 18, is vying for playing time on a roster that already includes 19-year-old Griffin Yow.
Still, it’s bound to take quite a bit to replace Paul Arriola and Kevin Paredes. The United might need to zero in on a formation after Losada tested a variety of setups a season ago.
Just two days before the opener, the United announced the hiring of Diego Restrepo as goalkeeping coach, replacing Zach Thornton.
Charlotte players Joseph Mora and Yordy Reyna are former United players. Mora, who spent four seasons and made 83 starts in 99 appearances for the United, came on board with Charlotte through the expansion draft and was signed to a contract through 2023 earlier this month.
–Field Level Media
