CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte FC returned to Bank of America Stadium on Saturday with the same singular mission: win. But that mission had extra meaning given recent events.
The black and blue were eliminated from the U.S. Open Cup on penalty kicks earlier in the week. Last weekend, Chicago Fire FC doused their hopes for a win at home. Overall, Charlotte FC had been on a skid. One they intended to stop.
The team needed to win. This time, they faced Columbus Crew at home, and Charlotte was hopeful for revenge after a road loss against them earlier this month.
The first goal of the night, however, went to Columbus striker Ibrahim Aliyu with help from right-back Mohamed Farsi 15 minutes in. But Charlotte FC striker Patrick Agyemang had an answer just moments later. With an assist from midfielder Pep Biel, Agyemang found the net to tie it up early.
Agyemang wasn’t done yet. Five minutes after that goal, he got another assist from forward Wilfried Zaha to give Charlotte a lead. The first half wound down with the black and blue up 2-1.
Columbus was able to die it up, with defender Malte Amundsen kicking one in at the 65-minute mark. That goal, however, came with controversy; Caleb Adams, a soccer commentator and co-host of Lazio World, pointed out on X that it appeared Agyemang had been shoved on the ground and expressed disbelief about field referees’ decision not to call it.
Carroll R. Walton, who covers soccer for The Charlotte Ledger, concurred with this, calling it a “football tackle” in a reply to Adams.
Despite that, Pep Biel found the net for Charlotte just 10 minutes later with a lift from Zaha, putting Charlotte FC ahead 3-2.
That would be the final goal of the match; time ticked on, and after 90 minutes of regulation plus five minutes of stoppage, Charlotte FC notched a win again and added three more MLS standings points, all while getting revenge against Columbus for the earlier loss.
The team subbed out defender Nick Scardina at the 88-minute mark for Jack Neeley. A graduate of South Mecklenburg High School, Neeley officially made his MLS debut with this substitution. He was first signed on in 2023 at 18 years old through the 2026 season, with an option for 2027. Neely joined the inaugural class of players in the Charlotte FC Academy in 2020 and spent much of his youth at Charlotte Soccer Academy.
The black and blue hit the road again on Wednesday, May 28 to take on the New York Red Bulls. Kickoff at Sports Illustrated Stadium is at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.
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