WINDSOR, Colo. — In something of an ironic twist, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC will welcome Charlotte Independence to Future Legends Field on the Fourth of July.
“I didn’t even think about that, playing Charlotte on Independence Day,” Hailstorm FC head coach Éamon Zayed said.
Both teams enter Tuesday’s match in the top half of the USL League One table, with Hailstorm just one point behind the visitors, though with four games in hand.
A key player for Charlotte is goalkeeper Austin Pack, who sits second in USL League One’s Golden Glove race behind Northern Colorado’s Lalo Delgado.
“I scored plenty against him in training,” said Hailstorm forward Valentín Sabella, who was teammates with Pack for two seasons in Charlotte. “But Pack’s a great keeper, he’s having a great season. Hopefully we can help Lalo in the Golden Glove race.”
Unlike Hailstorm, who have gotten the bulk of their goals from USL League One Golden Boot leader Trevor Amann and fellow forward Billy King, Charlotte has spread their goal scoring around, with Joel Johnson, Khori Bennett, and Tresor Mbuyu tied for the team lead with three goals each.
“They possibly have the best attacking roster in the whole league,” Zayed said.
Hailstorm enter the match on a club record seven-match unbeaten run, and will look to extend it to eight and remain unbeaten at Future Legends Field when they take on Charlotte at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
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The home of Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, 118-acre Future Legends Complex, will feature 6,500-seat TicketSmarter Stadium, 2,500-seat Future Legends Field, multiple baseball diamonds, multi-purpose fields, an indoor sports arena, lodging, and retail; and will host guests for major sports leagues, tournaments, events and more.
More information is available at HailstormFC.com and FutureLegendsComplex.com.