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The task for Charlotte FC is to keep building what already has been a noteworthy opening stretch of the season.

Charlotte will visit the Colorado Rapids for Saturday’s match at Commerce City, Colo.

“This is the scary thing with this team,” Charlotte midfielder Ashley Westwood said. “There’s so much more we can improve on.”

Charlotte (3-1-1, 10 points) is off to its best five-match start in franchise history. The team is coming off season-high goal production with a 4-1 home victory last Saturday against San Jose, tying the club record for goals in a match.

Colorado (2-1-2, 8 points) will try to rebound after its first loss of the season, to Portland last week. It means Rapids coach Chris Armas was looking at the next opportunity.

“It’s a big three points out for us,” he said. “Win that game, puts us in a good spot.”

Part of Charlotte’s success has stemmed from eight players already recording goals this season. Pep Biel had a goal and two assists in the San Jose game.
It appears that Charlotte will play at Colorado without defender Andrew Privett, who was assigned a red card in the San Jose game.

The Rapids are coming off last weekend’s 3-0 loss to the Timbers. But that’s no reason for alarms, Armas said.

“We’re a team that is constantly growing and evolving,” he said. “Just having a feel in moments to slow down a little bit. The maturity comes from all of us. There’s continuity with the guys we’re putting out there.”

Armas said the Rapids need to continue to use their aggression to cause turnovers.

“We know in this league the margins are so thin,” he said. “If we can just play fast without rushing. Calming down a little bit. It’s always tricky in transition, but those moments can lead to chances.”

The Rapids received a blow this week when midfielder Connor Ronan underwent an appendectomy. Ronan, who has mostly been a substitute logging second-half minutes, is expected to be out at least two weeks.

Armas said there’s no lost confidence in goalkeeper Adam Beaudry, an 18-year-old who made his season debut in the Portland game.

“Adam is a top goalkeeper,” Armas said. “The belief in him only grows after nights like that despite the scoreline.”

Still, Zack Steffen could be back in net for Colorado this week.

–Field Level Media