I’m an optimist.

After the first 3 Charlotte Football Club losses, I saw all the silver linings and few areas of concern.

Then came the first win and the second. Charlotte quickly moved from next-to-last-place to the middle of the table. Polish forward Karol Świderski, Croatian goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, American midfielder Ben Bender, and Austrian captain Christian Fuchs came together with the rest of the team to build a successful, cohesive unit.

In spite of the Philadelphia Union sitting at the top of the table, in spite of Charlotte playing farther away than they have all season, I’m excited to watch this match.

However, what is arguably the most important sports event in North Carolina history takes place tonight in New Orleans. Tipoff (8:49 PM ET) is likely during the second half of the Charlotte FC match. I may not finish the Charlotte FC game before I switch over, so hopefully Karol gets the job done early.

One last silver lining - Philly-based Villanova is also playing in the Final Four tonight, so perhaps Philadelphia Union’s fanbase will be preoccupied tonight as well.

Good luck, Crown Town!

PS - Go Heels!