Charlotte 49ers
Overall Rank: #11
Conference Rank: #1 Atlantic 10 Conference
Charlotte Team Page
The Charlotte 49ers will be changing conferences in 2013 but not without saying goodbye to their current conference first. The 49ers will be leaving the A-10 conference and joining Old Dominion as both teams join the C-USA for the 2013 season. Charlotte plans to take the A-10 title one last time before they move on and they are picked to do so. “The College Cup finalists were picked to win the A-10 title by a vote of the leagues sixteen head coaches,” said in a press release about the move. The 49ers have a good chance to prove them right too bringing back eight starters and 13 letter winners.
2011 Record: 16-5-4, 6-1-2
2011 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Kevin Langan
Strengths:
Coming back for the 49er offense is forward Giuseppe Gentile who had an outstanding college debut last season scoring 10 goals for Charlotte. An aggressive shooter as well, Gentile logged 74 shots on the season playing in all 25 games. Donnie Smith, also in the forward position, was able to find the goal five times last season while Tyler Gibson, midfielder, was able to contribute three goals and six assists for the offense. The defense welcomes back some key players as well with defenders Aaron Weldon, Anthony Perez, and Thomas Allen while keeper Klay Davis fills the net for the defense. The back line was able to hold their opponents to just 21 goals and Davis tallied 63 saves.
Weaknesses:
Coach Lanagan will not have to work hard to get this team prepped for the season aside from the usual getting the recruiting class up to speed and mixed in with the upperclassmen. The toughest obstacle that this team will face is their schedule. The 49ers will have to take on UAB, UCF, Elon, and Coastal Carolina during the regular season and all are tough teams to play on their road to the College Cup. The conference matches shouldn’t be too tough but can still pose a threat. All the teams will be shooting to take that voted title chance away from Charlotte and prove the league coaches wrong. Over confidence can kill a team quickly and if they can’t keep their composure, they start to get behind.
Final Projection:
All coaches look forward to working with a young team like Charlotte with so much talent and an established winning record. Gentile is a sophomore and Allen, Davis, Gibson, and Perez are all juniors, so Coach Lanagan will have them to take Charlotte into the C-USA next season. As long as the 49ers can continue their stride, the coaches will be right and the A-10 title will be theirs. They will also be striving to get back to the College Cup finals and bring home the crown to Charlotte.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Tournament
Returning Leaders:
Goals: Giuseppe Gentile, Sophomore, F, 10
Assists: Tyler Gibson, Junior, M, 6
Shots: Giuseppe Gentile, Sophomore, F, 74
Saves: Klay Davis, Junior, GK, 63
Madness 2013 MLS Draft Rankings:
#12 Giuseppe Gentile
