Quick Hits
- It's an earlier match time for Atlanta United on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
- Giorgos Giakoumakis made his club debut for Atlanta United last weekend in the 1-1 draw with Toronto FC and said the team's style of play suits him.
- Santiago Sosa will be available for the first time in 2023 for Atlanta United after serving a three-match suspension.
- Expect a large crowd at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday. The match features two teams with the highest average attendance in MLS, and more than 1,000 Atlanta United season ticket holders are making the trip up I-85.
Related
- The lads feel like they dropped two points against Toronto FC. They want to win them back in Charlotte | This week's Training Notebook
- Tools to the Match: How Atlanta United can pick up points in the first road test of the season
- Who's available and who's out? View the availability report presented by Piedmont.
Match Details
- Date: Saturday, March 11
- Kickoff time: Noon
- Location: Bank of America Stadium
- Tickets: View tickets
- Remembering Anton Walkes
How to watch, listen and live stream Charlotte FC vs. Atlanta United
- TV: Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV or on FOX
- Listen: Local radio 92.9 The Game and La Mejor
- Live stream: Watch on your phone or device by subscribing to MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app or visit https://tv.apple.com/. You can also watch on the FOX Sports app or on FOXSports.com.
Recent Form
The clubs have started the 2023 season with opposite results. Atlanta United has gone unbeaten in their first two matches of the season, beating San Jose Earthquakes in the home opener and drawing Toronto FC last weekend. Charlotte FC on the other hand will be looking for their first result of the season on Saturday after two straight losses to New England Revolution and expansion club St. Louis CITY SC. Charlotte FC has lost three straight, going back to last season, and will be hungry to get a result at home.
Last Meeting
The two sides have met two times in MLS history in Charlotte FC's inaugural season in 2022. The clubs split the series with each side winning at home. In the first meeting in March, and the first-ever meeting between the clubs, Atlanta United defended the Crown and beat Charlotte FC 2-1 with a late stoppage-time goal from Jake Mulraney. Then, in the second meeting in April, Charlotte evened the series with a 1-0 win at home.
Players To Watch
Giorgos Giakoumakis (Atlanta United) – Atlanta United's newest designated player made his club debut last weekend in front of a rowdy and welcome crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In the 59th minute against Toronto FC, the Greek international came on as a sub. He was very active in his limited minutes and even appeared to score the game-winner on a rebound (it was called back due to offside on the initial shot.) Giakoumakis is very focused and hungry for goals, so what better time for the striker to score his first career MLS goal than on Saturday against Atlanta's regional rival?
Enzo Copetti (Charlotte FC) – There's only been one goal scorer so far for Charlotte FC and that's newcomer Enzo Copetti. Copetti scored the club's lone goal in their 3-1 loss to St. Louis CITY SC last weekend. The Argentine is currently playing his first season with the club after signing in January. He comes from Racing Club, a first-division club in Buenos Aires where he scored 31 goals in all competitions. The striker is active off-the-ball, a quality that Miles Robinson and the rest of Atlanta United's backline will need to shut down in order to earn a clean sheet on the road.
Head coach Gonzalo Pineda on Charlotte FC:
"It's a great stadium with great fans. We expect a lot of fans for Charlotte, but we also expect a large number of fans for Atlanta, and we are going to be very excited to see a lot of our fans in an away game."
"They're more of a direct team that like crosses in the box because they have two nines. Their buildup is basically four to four with two wingers where the left-sided winger cuts inside a lot. And they have certain tactical challenges in the middle that we will try to face as always. Trying to be good on the ball, first try to dominate in possession, minimize the actions they have in attack. I would say that those are the challenges we're going to face."
