Charlotte FC to face it biggest test ever against Messi and Miami

Tonight's match will take place in Fort Lauderdale at DRV PNK Stadium. Hosting priority for games featuring two MLS teams is determined by 2022 Supporters’ Shield standings. Since Miami finished above Charlotte in 2022, they were awarded the hosting priority for the match.

The winner of the Quarterfinal will advance to the semifinal, and thus will guarantee themselves two chances at securing a Concacaf Champions Cup spot. The top three teams in Leagues will book a place in the regional tournament, which means that both teams in the Final automatically clinch alongside the winner of the Third-Place Match

Since either Charlotte FC or Inter Miami are guaranteed to advance to the Final or Third-Place Match on August 19th, the MLS regular season match between the two clubs originally scheduled for August 20th has been postponed.

Should Charlotte FC advance tonight, the location of the Tuesday, August 15th Semifinal would be determined by the outcome of the Queretaro FC versus Philadelphia Union Quarterfinal. Should Queretaro win, CLTFC will have a home match. Should Philadelphia win, then The Crown will hit the road again to keep the Leagues Cup dream alive.

Before reaching that stage, though, Charlotte FC need to focus on the game and team right in front of them. Inter Miami have Lionel Messi, widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time, which makes the task of defeating the Herons on the road a daunting one for any team in the world.

However, Charlotte FC plays against Miami, not just Messi. Messi’s former FC Barcelona teammates, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, will also be key players, alongside their host of in-form young players. Analyst Caleb Adams broke down the keys to the match if CLTFC hope to play spoiler in Florida.

The weather forecast for tonight's match has a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 80. Northeast wind of around 5mph. 

Rowan County Weather will provide updates before during and after tonight's match.