Charlotte FC's predicted starting XI vs Orlando City

By Brian Maurer

Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/TopBin90

It's another do-or-die game for Charlotte FC this weekend. After coming up big at home they will have to try and come away with a win at Orlando City to advance. As expected, hundreds of Charlotte fans will be making the trip down to Orlando for the series finale. The entire squad will also be able to make the trip as they are all fully fit according to Dean Smith during his press conference yesterday. Here is the predicted starting XI for Charlotte in Game Three:

Defensive unit

Kristijan Kahlina will be making the appearance in goal. He will be flying high after making two crucial saves during the penalty shootout to help Charlotte force a game three. Tim Ream, Andrew Privett, Adilson Malanda, and Nathan Byrne will make up the backline as they held Orlando to only three total shots in game two after giving up two goals in their first trip to Orlando. The backline will look to rectify some of their Game One errors this time around.

Midfield line

Ashley Westwood will captain the squad as he has done every time he has been healthy. Brandt Bronico will fill one of the other midfield spots in his more advanced position. The third spot will likely be taken by Djibril Diani who helped the squad keep a clean sheet with his positioning and limiting Orlando's passing lanes in Game Two. Smith specifically called out Diani's performance in Charlotte last weekend, which makes it likely he will get the nod again. Before last weekend, Diani had not been given a start in nearly two months.

Forward line

Smith will likely revert to his three Designated Players as he did in Game One. Liel Abada will be out left and Pep Biel will be out right after he served his one-game suspension last Friday. The only question mark here will be how Smith approaches the striker position. He has given Karol Swiderski and Patrick Agyemang each a start during this series and neither has been able to make an impact and help the team score a goal. Whichever way Smith decides to go he will have an impact reinforcement to play off the bench depending on how the game goes.

The lineup is all about set as it has been through most of this series as Smith has made minimal changes throughout this final stretch. It's all about the players showing up on the field and getting off to a faster start than they did the last time they came to Orlando.

Predicting XI