Roaring Charlotte FC dominate San Diego with 3-0 win

Charlotte FC 3-0 San Diego FC

CHARLOTTE, NC–A burst of fire amid a sea of blue. Flags adorned with Charlotte’s four-pronged crowd dance among the lively crowd. Beer spills, scarves fly, and cheers erupt as Charlotte finds their goal. The sound is deafening; you can hear the 30,000-strong crowd from Sugar Creek to SouthPark. The Bank of America Stadium is an angry, light-blue hornet’s nest, lashing out with scathing boos, noisy chants, and pyrotechnics. Welcome, San Diego, to Charlotte, North Carolina.

The expansion team’s first-ever visit to the Carolinas was a forgettable one. San Diego FC (4-3-2, 14 points) were bullied around the Bank not just by a dominant Charlotte FC (6-2-1, 19 points) squad, who handily beat their West Coast opposition 3-0, but by a raucous home crowd quickly establishing themselves as one of MLS’ rowdiest fan bases. Charlotte’s fervent fan base, as well as their explosive front line, has powered them to the top of the Eastern Conference.

“I knew we were capable of playing five home games and winning all five,” Charlotte manager Dean Smith said after the match. “We’ve had some tough matches. The season’s been pleasing, especially for the crowd and supporters to get behind us.”

It was Liel Abada, working down the right wing from a quick counterattack, who initiated Charlotte’s first goal. Abada quickly passed the ball to Pep Biel in the middle of the pitch. Biel impressively fought off four different San Diego tackles before shoving a ball toward Abada in the box. Abada, one-on-one with the keeper, easily poked home his attempt. San Diego might have been stunned by the quick succession of events that produced the match’s first goal, but they looked even more shocked by the home crowd’s loud response to their side’s opener.
“I keep talking about Biel’s technical and tactical ability. Physically, he’s so much better now,” Smith said. “He’s just a good footballer. Good footballers see good runs, and that’s what he did today. It was a good finish from Liel (Abada) as well.”

Although Charlotte continued to gnaw away at San Diego’s persistent defense over the first half, Andreas Reyes’ red card in the 40th minute opened the game up entirely. Reyes was booked after dragging down striker Patrick Agyemang as the two raced after Nick Scardina’s long ball. After a brief VAR check, officials determined Reyes brought Agyemang down in the box and awarded Charlotte FC the penalty.

San Diego keeper Carlos Dos Santos guessed the right way. But Agyemang’s powered effort narrowly escaped his hands as Charlotte doubled their lead.

“I wasn’t really worried,” Agyemang shrugged. “If I hit the ball well, it’ll probably go in. I just backed myself.”
With Charlotte holding a man advantage and momentum, they steamrolled past San Diego FC in the second half. They produced 16 shots, 11 of which were on target. They churned out high-quality looks and were unlucky not to profit from them. An Abada one-on-one here. A Biel back heel there. A goal-line clearance to stop Abada’s second goal. On a different day, Charlotte could’ve walked away with five goals or more.

Andrew Privett’s header in the 56th minute put the game beyond reach for Charlotte. Privett got the back of his head on a superb cross from Ashley Westwood. Surprisingly, his header beat out Dos Santos for Privett’s first career goal. His celebration at the corner flag elicited the biggest cheers out of all the 90th minutes – a fitting climax of a buzzing game guided by transitional moments and the nonstop chants of the Charlotte faithful.
With their comprehensive 3-0 win over San Diego, Charlotte is first in the Eastern Conference and second in a tight race for the Supporters’ Shield. Behind Biel’s nine goal contributions in nine games – first in the league – Charlotte is looking like not only an unpleasant team to face but an MLS Cup contender as well.

It’s hard to keep the team’s feet on the ground with such a solid start to the season, but it’s what Smith must do as Charlotte faces a challenging schedule ahead of them. After playing the New England Revs at home, they’ll play Columbus, North Carolina FC, and Nashville within two weeks.
“It’s just nine games. We’re well aware of that,” Smith grinned.

But what a nine games they were!