For Charlotte FC, a big start ... but the same ending
The first nine minutes Saturday night told the story of Charlotte FC’s last few weeks in its battle to move into playoff potential.
It was a match the Queen City side badly needed to win, and they had the noisy Bank of America Stadium crowd of 36,101 on its feet in the fourth minute. At least three Charlotte players tried, unsuccessfully, to get a foot on the ball, right in front of the DC United goal mouth.
Each couldn’t connect, and when Ben Bender finally got off a shot, it bounced into the netting on the side of the goal.
Four minutes later, Brandt Bronico took a pass from Karol Swiderski, and Bronico’s shot appeared to bounce off the hand of United defender Donovan Pines.
But after a video review, referee Jon Freemon decided against awarding a penalty kick.
That was the theme Saturday night, as Charlotte and DC United played to a 0-0 tie.
“I believe we were the better side,” Charlotte coach Christian Lattanzio said. “So in that way, it was disappointing.”
“The last few games have been like that,” he added. “We do well enough to win, but we only get a point.”
Nine teams from the MLS East will make the playoffs. Charlotte FC entered the night in 11th place, three points behind ninth-place DC United. So Saturday’s match was a chance for the Queen City side to move into a playoff position, especially since it has played two fewer matches than United.
In the end, it was a lost opportunity, with seven regular-season matches remaining. Each team got a point, and the playoff race positioning stayed the same.
“Obviously, it was a little disappointing,” Charlotte FC defender Jere Uronen said.
Charlotte FC dominated possession, 61 to 38 percent. And the Queen City side had some excellent chances, especially in the first half.
In the 24th minute, Enzo Copetti beat two defenders in front of the goal but couldn’t get off a shot. Moments later, Bronico found himself with the ball, in front of DC United goalkeeper Alex Bono, but Bronico couldn’t get off a shot before having the ball pushed away by a defender.
It was, in effect, the same sort of match that Charlotte FC has played repeatedly in recent weeks, especially in MLS ties against Orlando and Nashville.
“We had the ball a lot, and we had it in the right places,” Lattanzio said. “It’s tough, because a performance like this should have been rewarded with a win. It was the same thing against Orlando and the same thing against Nashville.”
Lattanzio said he thought goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina played one of his best matches of the season, especially in the second half, when DC United had several good scoring opportunities.
“It was one of the best performances I’ve seen from Kristijan since he’s been here,” Lattanzio said. “He was decisive.”
And the Charlotte FC coach said he thought Swiderski and fellow striker Enzo Copetti played very well together.
But in the end, the result wasn’t what Charlotte FC wanted … or needed.
“But nobody is going to give us a gift,” he added. “We’ll have to earn it.” Uronen added, “The most important thing is to learn from this, and to get better for Wednesday.”
Charlotte FC resumes action Wednesday night, with a 7:30 p.m. Bank of America Stadium date against the fourth-place Philadelphia Union (14-8-5).
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
