Stoppage-Time Heroics: Gil’s Penalty Sends New England Past Charlotte FC

FOXBOROUGH, MA –New England Revolution (6-1-3, 19 pts.) were victorious 1-0 over Charlotte FC (4-2-5, 14 pts.) on Saturday night.

The match kicked off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium to a crowd of 22,851.

Starting Lineup versus Charlotte FC.

New England starting lineup: 4-3-3 | Matt Turner, Peyton Miller, Ethan Kohler, Mamadou Fofana, Will Sands, Brooklyn Raines, Alhassan Yusuf, Carles Gil (C), Luca Langoni, Griffin Yow, Dor Turgeman

New England substitutes:| Donovan Parisian, Andrew Farrell, Tanner Beason, Jackson Yueill, Malcolm Fry, Marcos Zambrano, Cristiano Oliveira, Eric Klein, Diego Fagundez

Charlotte FC starting lineup: 4-3-3 | Kristijan Kahlina, Nathan Byrne, Morrison Agyemang, Andrew Privett, David Scnegg, Ashley Westwood (C), Pep Biel, Djibril Diani, Wilfried Zaha, Kerwin Vargas, Idan Toklomati

Charlotte FC substitutes:| Tyler Miller, Rodolfo Aloko, Brandt Bronico, Liel Abada, Djibril Diani, Tyger Smalls, Aron John, Luca de la Torre, Archie Goodwin, Will Cleary, Tyger Smalls

Starting XI versus Charlotte FC.

The match kicked off with Charlotte FC controlling possession from the center circle and working the ball through midfield.

Charlotte had the first effort on goal in the 10th minute, when a header by Andrew Privett was comfortably claimed by goalkeeper Matt Turner.

Luca Langoni had New England’s first effort on goal just 5 minutes later when his attempt from outside the box was saved comfortably by goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.

In the 29th minute, Charlotte FC defender Nathan Byrne was issued a yellow card for a foul out of bounds on defender Peyton Miller.

Pep Biel had a great chance for Charlotte in the 31st minute when he was played in behind and fired a shot that goalkeeper Matt Turner deflected over the net for a corner.

New England Revolution Goalkeeper Matt Turner saves a shot on goal between the New England Revolution and Charlotte FC on May 2, 2026. (c) Denis Minevich

New England created a flurry of chances in the 34th minute, with Yow, Langoni, and Miller all denied before a clearance for a corner.

Idan Toklomati had a massive chance for Charlotte in the 37th minute when he got in behind, but his right-footed effort struck the crossbar and rebounded out of the box.

New England’s final chance of the half came in the 44th minute, when a curling effort from defender Peyton Miller went just wide.

After the initial 45+1 minutes, the match entered halftime with the scoreline level at 0-0.

Halftime between New England & Charlotte FC.

The second half kicked off with New England controlling possession from the center circle and working the ball through midfield.

Carles Gil had a free kick opportunity in the 49th minute that was comfortably saved by goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.

Less than one minute later, Revolution defender Will Sands was issued a yellow card for grabbing the jersey of Idan Toklomati while he was on a fast-break.

In the 57th minute, Charlotte FC defender David Schnegg was issued a yellow card for a harsh foul on defender Will Sands.

After a confrontation at midfield in the 60th minute, New England Revolution defender Mamadou Fofana & Charlotte FC midfielder Wilfried Zaha were both issued yellow cards.

New England Revolution Defenders Peyton Miller and Ethan Kohler jump for a header together between the New England Revolution and Charlotte FC on May 2, 2026. (c) Denis Minevich

New England had a massive chance in the 66th minute when Carles Gil found Alhassan Yusuf entering the right side of the penalty area, but his right-footed shot was saved by goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.

Griffin Yow played a ball into the box to find Peyton Miller for a close-range header in the 74th minute, but his effort went wide for a goal kick.

In the 77th minute, Charlotte head coach Dean Smith made two changes by replacing forwards Kerwin Vargas & Djibril Diani with forwards Brandt Bronico & Liel Abada.

Five minutes later, Charlotte FC midfielder Ashley Westwood was issued a yellow card for diving.

Less than 3 minutes later, Revolution head coach Marko Mitrović made his first change by replacing midfielder Luca Langoni with midfielder Diego Fagundez.

New England Revolution Defender Will Sand sends a cross into the box between the New England Revolution and Charlotte FC on May 2, 2026. (c) Denis Minevich

In the 89th minute, both teams made changes. Charlotte head coach Dean Smith replaced forward Idan Toklomati with forward Archie Goodwin. Revolution head coach Marko Mitrović replaced forward Griffin Yow with forward Malcolm Fry.

Less than a minute later, Carles Gil had an effort that snuck just wide of the net.

Entering the 90+4 minute, New England were given a penalty kick.

Midfielder Carles Gil stepped up to take the penalty kick and buried it into the bottom right corner to make it 1-o to New England.

Following the penalty kick, Revolution midfielder Carles Gil was issued a yellow card for taking off his jersey.

In the 90+7 minute, Revolution head coach Marko Mitrović replaced forward Dor Turgeman with defender Tanner Beason.

Charlotte had multiple chances in the 90+10th minute, with a shot cleared off the line by goalkeeper Matt Turner before another was blocked on the line by defender Mamadou Fofana and cleared.

After the 90+10 minutes, the match concluded with New England holding on for the 1-0 victory

Full time between New England Revolution & Charlotte FC.

Marko Mitrović and the New England Revolution (6-1-3, 19 pts.) remain home to face Eastern Conference side Philadelphia Union (1-2-7, 5 pts.). The match is set to kickoff at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, May 9th at 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.

(Editor’s Note: For more of Denis Minevich’s photos, click on the link)

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Caleb Pongratz

Hello! My name is Caleb Pongratz. I am a 24-year-old journalist that covers Major League Soccer, MLS NEXT Pro, USL, USL Championship, USL League One, USL League Two & the United States Men's National Team. I'm originally from Hanover, Massachusetts and currently reside in Boston, Massachusetts. Schooling: • Hanover High School (2016-2020) • Suffolk University (2020-2024) - Graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in communications - Broadcast Journalism.

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