How to watch Charlotte FC as it embarks on tough road trip. First stop? Los Angeles

Charlotte FC head coach Christian Lattanzio told reporters after his team’s loss to the Chicago Fire that “there is still time” for a playoff push.

And the team hopes to buy some time this road trip.

MLS’s newest expansion team faces Los Angeles Football Club on the other side of America this weekend. The match is set to kick off at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday.

L.A. FC is the top team in the Western Conference playoff standings. The team has notched 16 wins, three draws and four losses — and, per Lattanzio and others who keep an eye on MLS, the team is expected to be in the mix for a championship this season.

The goal against Los Angeles? Improve, Lattanzio said. That’s particularly the case now, what with Guzman Corujo’s season-ending injury requiring an adjustment to defensive philosophy and team chemistry.

“Maybe with a bit more luck and a bit more attention, we would’ve gotten the points against Chicago,” Lattanzio told reporters at a media availability on Tuesday, referencing the team’s 3-2 loss at home. “It wasn’t the case. And now we have this game against LA, and we have to go there, and our focus is to see us improve as a team.”

It marks the beginning of a two-match road-trip — the other match at New York — that could mark a change in Charlotte’s season. The Queen City team currently sits at No. 11 in the Eastern Conference table, still in the mix of a remarkably tight push for the playoffs.

Seven teams from each conference make the postseason. Charlotte has 29 points — only three points (aka one win) from No. 6 Cincinnati — but likely needs a pair of point-earning results (win or draw) in its next two matches to ensure it’s not buried in the race before it returns home.

Here’s what else you need to know.

When and where is the Charlotte FC match?

When: 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13

Where: Banc of California Stadium (Los Angeles)

Opponent: Los Angeles FC (16-4-3)

Charlotte FC vs. Los Angeles FC betting odds

Per Oddspedia, Charlotte FC is +650 to win, +400 to draw and -250 to lose.

How to watch the MLS match?

• Charlotte: WAXN, Telemundo

• Raleigh/Durham: WNGT

• Columbia: WACH-D2

• Greenville/Asheville/Spartanburg: WLOS-D2

• Streaming: MLS Live on ESPN+ CLTFC Live at www.charlottefootballclub.com/live
  
  

• Local radio: WFNZ 610AM/92.7FM