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\nTROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST
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\nCharlotte FC, which is fifth in the MLS Eastern Conference with 11 points, heads to Citi Field Saturday for a match against New York City FC, which also has 11 points.\u00a0
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\nTROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST
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\nCharlotte FC, which is fifth in the MLS Eastern Conference with 11 points, heads to Citi Field Saturday for a match against New York City FC, which also has 11 points.\u00a0
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The past isn\u2019t prologue for Charlotte FC.<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s match against New York City FC at Citi Field isn\u2019t a carryover from last year\u2019s playoff series the Crown lost 2-1. It\u2019s a different season and different rosters trying to earn three points.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were better than us over the over the three games, so we had no complaints,\u201d midfielder Ashley Westwood said. \u201cBut again, they\u2019re a different team, we\u2019re a different team. It\u2019s a new season, so we want to go there and try and embrace the difficult circumstances, obviously the tighter pitch, the stadium. We want to go there and challenge ourselves and show how far we\u2019ve grown.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charlotte (3-2-2, 11 points) coach Dean Smith agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of their team, the way they play hasn\u2019t changed that much,\u201d he said. We know a lot about each other. We played each other five times last season, so there wasn\u2019t much [unfamiliar] between both teams. It\u2019s funny how the game is played sometimes, because I thought our best two games were the last two playoff games. We won the one on penalties and lost the other one on transitions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charlotte, which went 3-1-1 during a five-game home stand, has struggled away from Bank of America Stadium. The Crown has yet to score a win in two games \u2013 a tie at St. Louis and a loss at Los Angeles Galaxy. To keep pace in the Eastern Conference, they\u2019ll have to get results during a four-match road swing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we need to start the game well,\u201d Westwood said. \u201cWhenever we start the games well at home, it looks like we go on to have a good result. We didn\u2019t do that against Nashville, and we lost the game. So, I think the message for tomorrow would be to first 15-20 minutes was I think we should go after them and really put a mark on the game, and that sets the tempo for the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s something that we need to be more conscious of \u2013 starting the game right, preparing ourselves better and hopefully we take it from there and win the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
A win at New York City Saturday would vault Charlotte into fourth place in the East and depending on results for Inter Miami (12 points) and Chicago Fire (13 points) could rise to second. It won\u2019t be an easy path but the opportunity awaits.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you look at the fixtures, we\u2019ve got a few away games now,\u201d Westwood said. \u201cWe knew we didn\u2019t start the season so well, but we\u2019ve picked up at home, so we have to carry that momentum forward now to the away games. There\u2019s no better place to start than New York City. I think they\u2019re one of the better teams in the league. It\u2019s a tough place to go. It\u2019s different, so it\u2019s a great test.\u201d<\/p>\n
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