Karol Swiderski scored a first-half penalty, while Elias Manoel leveled the match, resulting in a hard-fought draw.
First Half
Lineup: Kahlina, Byrne, Malanda, Ream, Uronen, Westwood, Diani, Bronico, Abada, Vargas, Swiderski
After a week of unseasonably cool Carolina weather, Charlotte FC got off to a hot start on Saturday night against the New York Red Bulls.
In just the 11th minute, the team put together a slick passing move up the right side. Brandt Bronico made the final incisive pass, finding Kerwin Vargas streaking in behind from the left side. The Colombian winger got to the ball just before Kyle Duncan arrived and earned a penalty after he hit the ground from the contact.
Karol Swiderski stepped up to the spot and stayed perfect from the spot in a CLTFC uniform (seven for seven in all competitions) by sending Carlos Coronel the wrong way and burying the match’s opening goal.
Outside of the goal, the opening half hour of the match was even between the two sides. The Red Bulls held a slight edge in possession but never truly tested Kristijan Kahlina. CLTFC looked more dangerous in the final third but couldn’t quite find the final pass or touch to test Coronel.
Kahlina was called into action for his first major save in the 31st minute. Lewis Morgan drove into the box effectively, and a Tim Ream clearance from his cross fell straight to John Tolkin on the edge of the box. The left back’s one-time effort had to be palmed over the bar by Kahlina.
Liel Abada flashed for the first time in the 34th minute after Adilson Malanda found him with a strong pass into the right channel. The Israeli burst past his defender but his shot went straight at Coronel from a tight angle.
At this point, the game became very end-to-end to Charlotte FC’s detriment. On one end, Karol Swiderski swung and missed on a looping cross from Abada. The Red Bulls immediately countered and sent Dante Vanzeir streaking into space behind CLTFC’s high line. He found Elias Manoel on the cutback, and the man who always scores against Charlotte… scored against Charlotte yet again to equalize.
(For reference, Manoel has scored 14 goals in 63 matches all-time for the Red Bulls. A whopping seven of those have come against Charlotte FC.)
Lewis Morgan was the danger man throughout the final part of the first half. He consistently eliminated defenders off the dribble and created problems for the CLTFC defense, but the team stood strong in the face of increasing pressure.
Abada had a few chances to be the spark offensively for Charlotte, but he wasn’t able to take advantage of a few one-on-one mismatch opportunities with New York center back Noah Eile.
Overall, a 1-1 score at halftime was a fair result with all left to play for in the second half.
Second Half
Lineup: Kahlina, Byrne, Malanda, Ream, Uronen, Westwood, Diani (69’), Bronico (84’), Abada (84’), Vargas (84’), Swiderski (59’)
Substitutions: Agyemang (59’), Biel (69’), Urso (84’), Tavares (84’), Cambridge (84’)
The opening 10 minutes of the second half was full of chances. First, both teams earned wide free kicks that ended in headers just off target.
Then, Bronico continued playing key passes, this time finding Abada free into the right channel. However, the winger tried to cross for Vargas instead of cutting it back for Swiderski and overplayed it. Just a minute later for the Red Bulls, Manoel found space in behind Nathan Byrne, but he blazed his left-footed shot wildly to the left.
At the 59th minute, CLTFC Head Coach Dean Smith made his first change. Patrick Agyemang entered the match, and goal scorer Swiderski exited. A few minutes later, Red Bulls Head Coach Sandro Schwarz made his own attacking change, replacing Dennis Djengaar with Cameron Harper on the right wing.
Kahlina sprang an excellent counter attack in the 65th minute with a throw all the way to midfield. Abada and Agyemang had the final Red Bulls defender isolated in a two vs one, but Abada left the pass to his teammate a bit short and allowed the defender to get a crucial touch.
Straight after, CLTFC fans got their first look at new attacking midfield Designated Player, Pep Biel. The number 10 replaced Djibril Diani, and Bronico dropped deeper next to Westwood.
The Red Bulls fashioned a good chance from a free kick in the 71st minute. A rebound fell to Vanzeir, and he snapped a left-footed volley just wide of Kahlina’s near post. In the 77th minute for CLTFC, Vargas received the ball at the top of the box after good interplay between Biel and Abada. Coronel was forced into a diving save to push away his strike.
Schwarz made two more changes for New York straight after, as Corey Burke replaced Manoel and Sean Nealis entered for Vanzeir.
Biel had a great chance in the 80th minute to grab a winner. However, he couldn’t put enough power on Jere Uronen’s cross, and his header bounced harmlessly into Coronel’s hands. On the other end, Harper diced past Byrne inside the box and put the ball into a dangerous area. Morgan latched onto it, but his effort was deflected out for a corner by a sea of Charlotte FC bodies.
Dean Smith then utilized all three of his remaining changes. Junior Urso, Brandon Cambridge, and Iuri Tavares all entered the match in the 84th minute for Bronico, Abada, and Vargas.
Straight away, both teams had great chances from low crosses into the box, but neither team could find the back of the net – the story of the night to that point.
New York Red Bulls held strong against Charlotte FC's advances until the very end. The final major moment of the game stirred controversy, as Junior Urso received a booking for simulation, a decision that many in the stadium felt should have been a penalty. Despite the tension and excitement in this back-and-forth encounter, both teams ultimately settled for a draw as they resumed their MLS campaigns.
The Crown are back at Bank of America Stadium next weekend as Atlanta United returns to Charlotte.
THE RIVALRY RETURNS | CLT vs ATL
Atlanta United comes to The Fortress on August 31 at 7:30 p.m. Be here as the rivalry returns to the Queen City.
