What were you doing on May 7, 2016? Struggling to remember? That's fair enough, we are talking about a random day in what was probably a pretty unspectacular month for many from almost six years ago.
One man who can definitely recall what he was doing that day is former Leicester City defender Christian Fuchs. That is because he was spending a momentous afternoon hoisting the Premier League trophy aloft after being serenaded by Andrea Bocelli.
A lot of water has passed under a metaphoric bridge since then, with a former Austria international now calling North Carolina, rather than the East Midlands, home. An altogether different challenge is being taken on with a Charlotte FC side that has already slipped to +6600 in football odds from Betfair when it comes to an MLS Cup chase.
Having stumbled out of the blocks in 2022, CLTFC are struggling to earn favor in betting tips for today's matches and already find themselves playing catch-up. Time is still very much on their side when it comes to a keenly contested battle for much sought-after playoff spots, but the early omens have not been good.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>A champion & leader. <br><br>Get to know Christian Fuchs. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheCrown?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#ForTheCrown</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/FuchsOfficial?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@FuchsOfficial</a> <a href=”https://t.co/UoncT5uSQa”>pic.twitter.com/UoncT5uSQa</a></p>— Charlotte FC (@CharlotteFC) <a href=”https://twitter.com/CharlotteFC/status/1401611094280609793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>June 6, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
In Fuchs, though, they have a player at their disposal who knows what it takes to beat the odds and silence any doubters. For him, and all of those he once turned out alongside when representing the Foxes in English football, impossible is nothing.
Winning mentality
As a seasoned full-back more accustomed to keeping opponents out than troubling them in the final third of the field, it would be foolish to think that Fuchs can become a talismanic presence that lights a fuse under Charlotte's season.
He does, however, boast a winning mentality and all-encompassing dedication to his craft that could do with rubbing off on a few of those around him. If everybody pulls in the same direction, then collective targets become easier to hit.
Fuchs will, having initially agreed to form part of an expansion during the summer of 2021, be under no illusions as to the size of the challenge he faces in the United States. He is a long way from home and only saw the MLS new boys claim a historic first victory of their short existence on March 19.
Miguel Angel Ramirez's side had already endured three defeats by that point – the same amount that Leicester suffered across an entire 38-game domestic campaign in 2015-16.
There is clearly work to be done by a rookie team still finding its feet on a prominent stage before they can start to dream of becoming leading men. They are learning the ropes and will experience a few painful lessons before forward momentum is established.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”und” dir=”ltr”><a href=”https://t.co/S6OXPEMRjO”>pic.twitter.com/S6OXPEMRjO</a></p>— Christian Fuchs (@FuchsOfficial) <a href=”https://twitter.com/FuchsOfficial/status/1505623814419406849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>March 20, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
The same was true of Leicester, who finished 14th in the year before capturing a prestigious crown and had only been back in the big time for two seasons before getting their hands on the ultimate prize.
That bodes well for Charlotte, who know they have work to do in order to compete with more established rivals, but Fuchs has shown once before that anything is possible and will believe that he has another miracle in him after crossing the Atlantic.
