Charlotte FC is unbeaten in eight league matches. Chicago, its opponent Saturday, has beaten it three straight times. And Charlotte will face the Fire without two of its top three scorers.
Four players have already left to join their national teams, according to the club's match notes. Charlotte's schedule pauses after Saturday for the FIFA international window, but these four will miss Saturday's match too.
Forward Idan Toklomati has nine league goals this season, second on the team behind Pep Biel's 12, and three game-winning goals, the most on the roster. Liel Abada has five goals and five assists. Both are with Israel. Between them, they have scored 14 of Charlotte's 47 league goals.
Forward Rodolfo Aloko is with Benin, for whom he made his senior debut in a friendly in June, according to the club. He has a goal and two assists in 16 league appearances, five of them starts. The fourth, defender Andrew Johnson, is with St. Vincent and the Grenadines, for whom he has six caps; he has not played a league minute for Charlotte this season.
The obvious candidate to carry more of the attack is Allan Saint-Maximin, who scored the winner in the 2-1 win at D.C. United on Sept. 19 and has a goal and five assists in his last five appearances, according to the club. Archie Goodwin has three league goals in 370 minutes; he has started three of his 23 league appearances.
One regular is coming back. Defender Harry Toffolo played 21 minutes off the bench at D.C., his first action since Aug. 1 after time out with an injury. He has 13 league starts and three assists this season.
Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium. Here is the full preview. The next match is Oct. 10, at home against FC Dallas.