Charlotte FC falls to Nashville, 2-1, on controversial penalty kick in stoppage time

Charlotte FC fans will be talking for days about a critical referee’s decision in their team’s 2-1 MLS loss Saturday night to Nashville SC.

But Charlotte coach Christian Lattanzio said the setback that halted his team’s three-game home winning streak provided an important lesson for the Queen City side.

“This game showed that we have to find another level, and then another level,” Lattanzio said, adding that he was “frustrated and angry” about a loss that he felt shouldn’t have happened.

Charlotte FC scored an early goal and shut down Nashville’s attack for much of the match. But in the end, the visitors’ defense and the play of the league’s MVP made the difference.

A defensive struggle

Nashville FC has allowed the fewest goals per match of any MLS team this season. The visitors were able to force Charlotte to shoot from long range in the second half, and their defense kept Charlotte’s serious threats to a minimum.

Then again, Charlotte’s defense did the same against Nashville.

“In the second half, except for a couple of corners (corner kicks), I didn’t feel as if they had many threats,” Lattanzio said of Nashville.

But the Tennessee club (7-3-4), third in the Eastern Conference, made the most of what it got.

After Charlotte FC jumped to a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute on a goal by former Charlotte 49ers standout Brandt Bronico, Nashville got the equalizer in the 39th minute when Hany Mukhtar, last season’s MVP in the league, scored on a driving kick that bounced off Charlotte defender Bill Tuiloma and skidded past goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.

In the second half, the two defenses kept control of the match, and there were few serious threats. Mukhtar had short-range shots in the 74th and 78th minutes, but Kahlina punched the ball away each time. Charlotte midfielder Derrick Jones got a clear shot at the goal on a corner kick in the 85th minute, but the ball went over the net.

An apparent draw

And so the game went into stoppage time.

“I thought the match was going to the natural conclusion of a draw,” Lattanzio said.

However, Charlotte defender Nathan Byrne collided with Nashville’s Jacob Shaffelburg in the 93rd minute, and referee Rubiel Vazquez called for a penalty kick.

Charlotte fans booed the decision, and video replay showed that the collision was minor. But the decision stood, and Mukhtar took the penalty kick, blasting it into the right corner of the net.

“I don’t think we deserved to lose,” Lattanzio said.

Bronico said that the Charlotte coach told the team afterward “that soccer can be cruel.”

“In the end, we can come back stronger,” Bronico said. “We have a strong mentality. If anything, it will bring us together.”

Defender Bill Tuiloma added, “It’s football. Come Monday, we’ll get back together and review things we can improve on.”

Lattanzio said Nashville SC was forced to use the long ball on offense in the second half because Charlotte tightened its covered of the visitors’ back line. It took an MVP like Mukhtar to overcome the Charlotte defense, as he was able to break free enough to get six shots.

“They have many players who are dangerous,” Lattanzio said of Nashville. “But I thought in the second half, we minimized their attack. In the second half, I thought we were the better team.”

Time to move on

He said the biggest mistake his team can make is to spend too much time worrying about what happened Saturday night. He said Charlotte FC will begin work Monday on its next match — a U.S. Open Cup round-of-16 match Wednesday night at Birmingham FC. That match launches a four-game road trip that continues with an MLS contest next Saturday night at the LA Galaxy.

“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves,” Lattanzio said. “We can’t carry the frustrations into next week.”

He said his team and fans should focus on performance and not the result.

“If you look at the result, you will be disappointed,” he said. “But when you play a strong team in the MLS and do well, you need to be complimented.”

Defender Jan Sobocinski said, “We’ll have to build momentum again. We know what we can achieve.”

“In life,” Lattanzio said, “there aren’t shortcuts. You have to work hard and move on.”