Charlotte FC's predicted starting XI vs CF Montreal

By Ryan Donahue

Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/TopBin90

After a disappointing August and a string of underwhelming results, Charlotte FC is back on the road this weekend and needs to secure three points against CF Montréal.

With Montréal sitting 13th in the Eastern Conference, this fixture provides Dean Smith’s men with a great opportunity to get the second half of the season back on track as Charlotte looks to retain their position in sixth and attempt to climb in the standings.

One key player in the Charlotte first team who could be a question mark for Saturday is Patrick Agyemang who is reportedly dealing with an injured toe and it is unclear what his status will be going into the match.

A couple of other notable departures over the past week include goalkeeper George Marks and midfielder Ben Bender who have sealed loans to USL sides Las Vegas Lights and Tampa Bay Rowdies for the remainder of the season.

With most of the team still fit after the bye week and international duty, our team analyzed how Smith could set his side up against Montréal.

Defensive unit

In defense, the likely pair to partner at the center of defense will be Adilson Malanda and Tim Ream with Jere Uronen and Nathan Byrne serving as the outside backs and Andrew Privett as the likely third-choice favorite should either Ream or Malanda be unavailable or needing to be subbed. Kristijan Kahlina will almost certainly be in goal.

Midfield line

Ashley Westwood, who this past week pledged his services to Charlotte for the foreseeable future with a new contract through 2026 will hold down the center defensive midfield position. Alongside Westwood, Brandt Bronico is likely to maintain his role although he was subbed out in the 56th minute against Atlanta United and Djibril Diani looked solid as his replacement. So a straight swap between those two is a definite possibility.

Newly signed Pep Biel will look to get on the score sheet in what should be his second start with the Crown.

Forward line

The front three is likely to remain unchanged with Karol Świderski in the center forward position. On the wings, Liel Abada and Kerwin Vargas will look to get in behind the Montréal back line. However, something will have to give for Smith if this attacking line continues to lack goal production. Świderski was subbed out in the 56th minute versus Atlanta, so it seems Smith could be open to making some changes soon if the goals don’t start flowing.

At home this season, Montréal have been unpredictable with an equal number of wins as they have picked up losses and accumulated more draws overall. If there was ever a good opponent for Charlotte to kickstart the form they maintained in the first half of the season, this fixture is certainly a great opportunity to do so.

Predicted starting XI