Two early quickfire goals from C.F. Montreal was enough to hand Charlotte FC a 2-1 loss, making it back-to-back losses for The Crown.
First Half
Lineup: Kahlina, Byrne, Malanda, Ream, Uronen, Westwood, Diani, Biel, Abada, Vargas, Swiderski
In the opening minutes, Charlotte FC sought to exploit Liel Abada's pace to break through Montreal's defense. Adilson Malanda spotted an opportunity to play his winger into space, but Montreal was alert and quickly neutralized the threat just three minutes into the match. Malanda remained active in the early stages, getting involved in a corner kick shortly afterward. He managed to outmuscle his marker but failed to direct his header on target.
In the 10th minute, Karol Świderski had his shot of the game with an ambitious attempt that was sparked by a Pep Biel searching pass behind the defense. The pass fell short and Kerwin Vargas nodded the ball down to Świderski, who, from 30 yards out, unleashed a audacious shot that flew wide of the mark.
Montreal's first real threat of the match emerged in the 16th minute when Caden Clark skillfully earned a free kick from about 25 yards out. Center back Gabriele Corbo stepped up to take it and came incredibly close to finding the top corner. His effort was nearly perfect as Charlotte FC goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina was spared by the post, keeping the score level.
CF Montreal opened the scoring with a chaotic goal that began with a flurry of chances in the box. Goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina produced three outstanding saves in rapid succession but was left without defensive support as the ball eventually fell to Caden Clark who slotted it home, his first goal of the season for Montreal.
Just three minutes later, Montreal struck again. Clark delivered a perfectly timed ball in behind Charlotte's defense to wingback Raheem Edwards, who squared it across the box. Bryce Duke's shot took an unfortunate deflection off Charlotte’s Tim Ream, doubling Montreal’s lead.
In the 30th minute, Westwood delivered a beautifully weighted cross to Karol Świderski, who was pushed as he rose for the header causing the ball to sail over the bar. Just a minute later, Liel Abada, who moved to the left flank, created space for himself and cut inside, attempted a curling shot that narrowly missed the target.
Charlotte’s breakthrough finally came in the 35th minute from an unexpected source—Tim Ream. Scoring only his second-ever MLS goal, Ream capitalized on a far-post header after Westwood’s pinpoint delivery from a free kick, which was earned by center back Adilson Malanda. Ream's last MLS goal was 14 years ago on September 11, 2010, when he played for the New York Red Bulls.
Montreal remained unfazed by Charlotte's goal and intensified their pressure as the first half drew to a close. Their persistence paid off with a powerful strike from Bryce Duke, forcing yet another spectacular save from Kristijan Kahlina. Once again, Kahlina demonstrated in the first half why he is regarded as one of the top goalkeepers in the league.
Second Half
Lineup: Kahlina, Byrne, Malanda, Ream, Uronen (85'), Westwood, Diani (77'), Biel (77'), Abada (68'), Vargas (82'), Swiderski (68')
Substitutes: Swiderski (68'), Abada (68'), Bronico (77'), Urso (77'), Cambridge (82'), Lindsey (85')
Charlotte FC opened the second half with strong interplay and upped pressure. It was evident that Head Coach Dean Smith had instructed his team to push higher up the field defensively, applying pressure on Montreal. This disrupted Montreal’s rhythm and led to a few half chances for Charlotte, boosting their confidence. In response, Montreal slowed the game’s tempo, focusing on maintaining possession rather than taking risks going forward.
Montreal’s patience paid off in the 61st minute when they earned a corner, leading to a shot from Samuel Piette after a fortunate deflection. However, he couldn’t generate enough power to trouble a vigilant Kristijan Kahlina. Charlotte soon had their own chance from a long-distance set piece in the 64th minute but failed to pose much threat. Moments later, Liel Abada earned another free kick with some clever footwork on the opposite wing. This sequence opened the door for Head Coach Dean Smith to start organizing his substitutes.
Forward Iuri Tavares and newcomer Jamie Paterson, making his MLS debut, would come in for Świderski and Abada in the 68th minute to aid their team in pushing for an equalizer. The match was delayed shortly afterwards due to some extreme smoke that made it near impossible to see on the pitch. Smith would once again make substitutions in the 77th minute replacing the two midfielders Pep Biel and Djibril Diani with Brandt Bronico and Junior Urso.
Substitute Iuri Tavares had a half chance with a header from a whipped cross by Jere Uronen, but it failed to seriously test Montreal’s goalkeeper, Jonathan Sirois. Shortly after, Head Coach Dean Smith made his final substitutions, introducing Brandon Cambridge for Vargas in the 81st minute and taking Jere Uronen off for Jaylin Lindsey in the 85th.
As Charlotte pushed forward, Montreal looked to exploit the space in transition. They came close when a counter-attack spearheaded by Dominik Yankov resulted in a shot that was deflected, almost deceiving Kahlina but ultimately rolled wide. Montreal found another opportunity in the 91st minute, with Kahlina once again called into action to make a crucial save against Matias Cóccaro, marking his sixth save of the night.
Charlotte FC's final chance to equalize came in the 96th minute when Jamie Paterson’s header came agonizingly close to making him the hero of the night. Ultimately, Charlotte suffered their second consecutive defeat and remain winless against Montreal. They now face a quick turnaround with a midweek match against a surging Orlando City who continue to rise in the Eastern Conference standings.
