Ashley Westwood early strike sets the tone for Charlotte FC in an MLS win over LAFC
Charlotte FC’s run to the Leagues Cup semifinals apparently was no mirage.
Playing an MLS match for the first time in six weeks, the Queen City side scored a 2-1 victory Saturday night over defending league champion LAFC.
Playing before 37,809 fans on a hot, humid night at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte FC scored the go-ahead goal in the 75th minute, then held off a late surge by the California visitors.
Sitting near the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference in mid-July, the Charlotte team seemed to find itself in the Leagues Cup competition, winning four times before falling in the semifinals to Inter Miami.
It was more of the same Saturday night, with Charlotte FC keeping the pressure on Los Angeles for much of the night and coming up with big plays when LAFC broke through.
“I have said that we are building something, but that it will take time,” Charlotte FC coach Christian Lattanzio said after the match. “The boys have been building toward this.”
LAFC had the match’s first serious threat, as leading scorer Denis Bouanga’s shot was stopped in the 28th minute by Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.
Two minutes later, Charlotte struck.
Karol Swiderski, on the left wing, smacked a pass to Ashley Westwood, whose left-footed shot flew past LAFC goalkeeper John McCarthy and into the right side of the net.
Charlotte FC nearly made it 2-0 in the 50th minute, when Jaylin Lindsey’s shot hit the crossbar. But LAFC then threatened, with Bouanga and Carlose Vela each getting open shots that were stopped by Kahlina.
LAFC broke through in the 67th minute. Charlotte lost the ball near midfield, and the ball ended up on Bouanga’s foot on the Charlotte side of the field. Bouanga passed to Mario Gonzalez, who streaked past Kahlina and scored into an empty net.
Lattanzio said he was worried that the LAFC goal might send his team into a shell.
“I didn’t want to see us stop what we were doing,” he said.
Lattanzio sent in three substitutes in the 71st minute, and one of those subs, Scott Arfield, scored four minutes later. Swiderski’s left-footed line drive was stopped by McCarthy, but the ball rebounded out to Arfield, who scored.
LAFC nearly got the equalizer in the ninth minute of a lengthy stoppage time session, but a point-blank shot by Bouanga went over the goal.
“A result like this is massive,” Arfield said. Referring to Charlotte’s difficult schedule in the closing weeks of the season, he added, “We’ve got to play all those teams, and this showed what we can do.”
Charlotte FC resumes play Wednesday night, hosting Orlando FC at 7:30 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium.
