A signature away victory over league-leaders FC Cincinnati lands all three players on the Team of the Matchday
CHARLOTTE, NC (Monday, July 15, 2024) – Charlotte FC midfielder Ashley Westwood, defender Andrew Privett and goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina all earned a spot on the MLS Team of the Matchday after their performances helped lead CLTFC to a 3-1 away victory against the Supporter’s Shield leaders, FC Cincinnati.
Westwood was the star player offensively, contributing a primary assist on all three of Charlotte FC’s goals. His three-assist performance was a Club record.
During a dominant opening 30 minutes, Westwood’s looping cross found Iuri Tavares on the back post for a 20th minute opening goal. CLTFC doubled the lead just two minutes later, as Westwood helped force a turnover high up the field and immediately threaded the ball through for Liel Abada to smash home.
Cincinnati pulled a goal back through Lucho Acosta in first half stoppage time. The hosts found momentum to start the second half, earning a penalty from an unfortunate handball in the box by Adilson Malanda.
However, Kristijan Kahlina stepped up with a massive save on Acosta’s penalty attempt, diving to his left and pushing the ball away at full stretch. Kahlina’s save – one of six in the match – was a key factor in the result and swung the momentum back in Charlotte’s favor.
Kerwin Vargas capped the scoring for CLTFC in the 66th minute, finishing a strong header from Westwood’s corner kick delivery to complete the captain’s hat trick of assists.
From there, Kahlina combined with Andrew Privett and the rest of the defense to effectively bottle up Cincinnati’s attempted comeback. Privett found the back of the net when he expertly finished a header from a free kick, but he was unfortunately denied his first professional goal (and a fourth assist of the match for Westwood) by a close offsides call.
Kahlina and Privett have contributed to one of the best defenses in the league in 2024. The team has kept nine clean sheets in 2024, a league-leading mark.
Kahlina is sixth in the league with 77 saves this season, and his post-shot Expected Goal total (a measure of the number of goals he has saved versus the number of goals saved on average) is at +6.3 per FBRef.com, which is second in the league. Privett has played the full 90 minutes of all 23 matches this season, the only player at the Club to do so.
Head Coach Dean Smith, Ashley Westwood, and Kristijan Kahlina spoke to media following the match. Assets for their post-match availability can be accessed by clicking here.
Next up, CLTFC has a quick turnaround as they travel to play the defending MLS Champions Columbus Crew on Wednesday, July 17th at 7:30 p.m. ET.
For the full MLS Team of the Matchday, please see below:
F: Christian Ramírez (CLB), Brian White (VAN), Cucho Hernández (CLB)
M: Facundo Torres (ORL), Ashley Westwood (CLT), Santiago Moreno (POR), Cristian Dájome (DC)
D: Max Arfsten (CLB), Andrew Privett (CLT), Ruan (MTL)
GK: Kristijan Kahlina (CLT)
Coach: Wilfried Nancy (CLB)
Bench: Stefan Frei (SEA), George Campbell (MTL), Darlington Nagbe (CLB), Nemanja Radoja (SKC), Obed Vargas (SEA), Evander (POR), Ryan Gauld (VAN), Deandre Kerr (TOR), Logan Farrington (DAL)
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Charlotte FC vs Cruz Azul | July 31 | Leagues Cup
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