Sunday, June 26th, 2022; 5:00 p.m. CT
Location: American Legion Memorial Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Follow @ForwardMSNFC on Twitter for live match updates
Following a dramatic comeback win in the Henny Derby against the USL League One’s top-ranked Richmond Kickers on Thursday night, Forward Madison will return to action this Sunday when they travel to North Carolina to face the Charlotte Independence. This upcoming match will kick off at 5:00 pm CT at American Legion Memorial Stadium. The last time these clubs met, earlier this season, the Flamingos fell at home 1-2, even though Nazeem Bartman had a strong showing, as he tallied a late goal to give Madison a chance.
As mentioned above, Forward Madison enters Sunday’s match after a 2-1 win against the Kickers on Thursday. Jeremiah Streng and Matheus Cassini scored goals within 2 minutes of each other to secure the victory for the Flamingos. FMFC will finish off their two-game road trip on Tuesday when they battle Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC on July 5th.
Coaches and USL League One 2022 Records
Charlotte Independence (4-6-2)
Head Coach: Mike Jeffries
Forward Madison FC (4-3-5)
Head Coach: Matt Glaeser
Key Players to Watch:
Forward Madison
Abdou Mbacke-Thiam: One of the quiet leaders of the Forward Madison attack all season has been Abdou Mbacke-Thiam. The striker leads the team in shots with 13, and five of those shots were on goal, which ties for the second-most on the team. Mbacke-Thiam has been a force on the field recently and will continue to be an important part of FMFC’s push going forward. Expect the 30-year-old to continue to be relied upon to carry a bulk of the workload offensively for the ‘Mingos.
Phil Breno: Phil Breno’s performances this season have in part dictated the Flamingos momentum in each match. The 6’2’’ goalkeeper has recorded a number of stellar performances protecting the goal and in those matches the whole team’s confidence grew as a result of Breno’s strong performance. If Breno can play impressively just as he did at home against Greenville (saving 16 of 18 shots), expect the Flamingos to come away with the win over Charlotte.
Christian Dean: In his first match in the pink and blue, Christian Dean started and played 71 crucial minutes against Tormenta. The California native had an impressive showing in his debut, recording two tackles, a clearance and two interceptions. Expect Dean to see his role supporting the Flamingos’ backline increase as the season progresses.
Key Match Up
FMFC Strikers vs Charlotte Backline/Goalkeepers:
The key match up for this contest is the Forward Madison strikers, Abdou Mbacke-Thiam, Jeremiah Streng, and Nazeem Bartman, versus the Charlotte Independence defense as a whole. Forward Madison’s attack has ramped up recently and been a lot more efficient as of late, scoring nine goals in their last four league matches. Besides the FC Tucson match, a majority of Forward Madison’s offense has come thanks to the help of midfielders, including Mikey Maldonado and Matheus Cassini. In the last match against Charlotte, Nazeem Bartman was especially aggressive, so much so that he scored a key goal in the 76th minute and led the offense in shots. Expect coach Matt Glaeser to have his offense ready to put up a big rebound performance against Charlotte.
On the other hand, the Independence defense has struggled this season, conceding the most goals in the league (26). Charlotte clearly has had a difficult time deciding on a goalkeeper as they’ve played five different goalies already. The goalie that’s seen the most run this year has been Adrián Zendejas, who’s recorded 13 saves on 20 shots faced. In the match earlier this season against FMFC, Charlotte started goalie Keegan Meyer, who played well, saving 10 of the 11 shots he faced. Forward Madison will need to get out to a quick start against Charlotte to rattle whichever goalie the Independence decides to start.
Keys to the Match
- Convert on Set Piece Opportunities: One of the few takeaways from the last match against Charlotte was that FMFC couldn’t convert on their set piece chances. The Flamingos racked up seven corner kicks and a decent number of free kicks but couldn’t score until the 76th minute mark. Expect Forward Madison to be aggressive on their set piece chances in this rematch against Charlotte.
- Dominate the Backline: In Forward Madison’s last match against Charlotte, the Flamingos controlled the backline and allowed only five total shots. Eric Leonard and Mitch Osmond will be ready for the Charlotte attack this match and won’t allow the Independence attack to be as efficient as they were last game. Expect Forward Madison to put an emphasis on shutting down Charlotte’s attack once again.
Previous and Next Match
Forward Madison enters Sunday’s match following a win against the Richmond Kickers on Thursday. Looking ahead on the schedule, FMFC will head west to take on Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC on July 5th.
Charlotte welcomes FMFC following a loss against Chattanooga on Wednesday. Up next for the Charlotte Independence, they’ll travel to Nebraska to battle against Union Omaha on July 1st.
