June 3, 2016 USL Toronto FC II--Charlotte Independence vs Toronto FC II game preview (from charlotteindependence.com)
Independence Return Home To Face Toronto FC II After Disappointing Road Trip Jillian Fay CHARLOTTE, NC (June 3, 2016) — After a month of league play away from Ramblewood Stadium, the Charlotte Independence will finally return home on Saturday, June 4, to face Toronto FC II at 7:00pm ET. Both clubs will be battling to get back in the win column after disappointing losses in the past week. The Independence fell 2-1 on the road against Orlando City B on May 28, snapping a six-match unbeaten streak. Brian Brown gave the Independence a 1-0 lead at halftime, but the Lions roared back in the second. Pierre Da Silva tied the game in the 53rd and Craig Nitti found the game winner in the 71st. Charlotte then had to turnaround and play the NASL’s Carolina RailHawks in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, June 1. The short-handed Independence battled to keep a 0-0 scoreline at the end of regulation, but fatigue set in during extra time. The RailHawks exploded for five goals to knock Charlotte out of the tournament. “The biggest challenge (this week) is going to be seeing where guys are physically,” said Independence Head Coach Mike Jeffries. “Seeing how much they have in their legs, how much they have in the tank to play.” One position where Jeffries could make a change for Saturday is in the net. Goalkeeper John Berner, on loan from the Colorado Rapids, started the Independence’s first Open Cup game against the Charlotte Eagles on May 18 and also started the OCB match on May 28. However, Jeffries went back to early-season starter Cody Mizell for the RailHawks game on Wednesday. Depending on where Mizell is physically, Berner could get another opportunity against TFCII. TFCII comes into Charlotte looking to break a four-match losing streak. The club most recently fell 3-1 at home to the Wilmington Hammerheads on May 29. TFCII could be helped by the return of Malik Johnson and Brian James after their stints with parent club Toronto FC on Wednesday night. Johnson has two goals in USL play this season, just behind leading scorer Raheem Edwards, who has four. “They’re actually very dynamic going forward,” said Jeffries. “They’ve got good pace with their front guys and then they have a lot of excellent options in the middle of midfield so they’re a team that’s very good at possessing the ball and moving things. I also feel like they’re pretty dynamic on some of the counter attacks. Some of the outside midfielders are good one-on-one and they both have a lot of pace. We have to be at our best and be able to try to press them playing out of the back.” The visitors will be without one of their best defensive players on Saturday in Skylar Thomas, who is forced to serve a red card suspension versus the Independence. However, TFCII did receive Clement Simonin on loan this week which could help fill the void in the back line. “It’s always trick with some of the MLS 2 teams because you’re never sure which guys they have, which guys are coming,” said Jeffries. “So preparing for a bunch of unknowns always makes it difficult.” Kickoff between Charlotte and Toronto is scheduled for 7:00pm ET on Saturday, June 4, at Ramblewood Stadium.
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