Charlotte FC (No. 5) look to bounce back and even their Round One Best-of-3 Series against Orlando City SC (No. 4) on Friday night.
How to watch & stream
When
- Friday, Nov. 1 | 7:30 pm ET/4:30 pm PT
Where
- Bank of America Stadium | Charlotte, North Carolina
Following their 2-0 win in Game 1, Orlando are just one win away from facing either Inter Miami CF (No. 1) or Atlanta United (No. 9) in an Eastern Conference Semifinal on Nov. 23 or 24. Should Charlotte force a Game 3, the series decider will be played on Nov. 9 at Inter&Co Stadium.
If a Round One match is tied after regulation time (90 minutes), no extra time will be played. There will immediately be a penalty kick shootout to determine the winner.
- Seed: Eastern Conference No. 5
- Regular season: 51 points (14W-11L-9D)
Charlotte couldn't solve Orlando's high-flying attack, as the club's typically stout defense was cracked open in Sunday's 2-0 setback.
Now, the Crown look to rebound and force a pivotal Game 3 in this Round One series. They'll have the support of a raucous Bank of America Stadium in Game 2.
"We’ll have a big crowd behind us [on Friday] and that’ll certainly give us a spring in our step, because we looked – there was a little bit of lethargy in that first half today, and we can’t afford that on Friday," head coach Dean Smith said postgame.
Charlotte will again rely on goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina to fend off Orlando, and will hope leading goalscorer Patrick Agyemang and DP forwards Liel Abada and Karol Swiderski make an impact up front. However, Charlotte will be without DP playmaker Pep Biel after he was red-carded late in Game 1.
- Seed: Eastern Conference No. 4
- Regular season: 52 points (15W-12L-7D)
It was smooth sailing for Orlando in Game 1, as the Lions cruised to a shutout victory over Charlotte to take a 1-0 lead in the Round One Best-of-3 Series.
Superstars Facundo Torres and Martin Ojeda continued their torrid form, keying the victory as each found the back of the net. Iván Angulo was also a force to be reckoned with, tallying an assist and being named Player of the Match presented by Michelob Ultra.
Orlando looked dominant during the second half of the regular season, winning 10 of 14 matches. Will that propel them to escape 'the Bank' with a victory and reach the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the third time in club history?
