Offensive spark drives Charlotte FC to 4-1 Leagues Cup victory vs. Club Necaxa

Three purple jerseys descended upon the penalty box where an equal number of red and white jerseys stood waiting.

Charlotte FC’s Brandt Bronico dribbled at them at full speed before laying it off to his right to Karol Swiderski. Two Club Necaxa players dove to tackle him, but before they could reach him the ball had already traveled from Swiderski to his right, where Scott Arfield ran in ready.

Arfield didn’t need more than one touch to place the ball nicely in the back of the net for his very first goal in the Queen City, and Charlotte’s third goal of the night, in added time of the first half.

“We did it with personality,” Charlotte FC head coach Christian Lattanzio said Saturday night. “That’s what I like, and we did it with the togetherness organization.”

Charlotte FC earned a 4-1 win against Liga MX side Club Necaxa in its second and final group stage match of the Leagues Cup. The victory advances the team to the tournament’s knockout stages where it will play Cruz Azul on Thursday in Frisco, Texas.

A week ago, Charlotte traveled to Texas and tied FC Dallas in regulation, but collected two points — per tournament rules, ties result in a penalty shootout where the winner earns a supplemental point in addition to the one it earned from the draw.

Tonight’s win added three points to Charlotte’s total, placing it atop the three-team group table. FC Dallas will advance as well after defeating Club Necaxa 3-0 on Tuesday.

Charlotte hadn’t won a game in either League’s Cup or MLS play since May 27, when it beat LA Galaxy 1-0. Since then, the team has tied six games and lost three, struggling from both a lack of offensive production and shoddy second-half performances.

That wasn’t the case tonight, as Charlotte’s offense fired on all cylinders. It managed seven shots on goal on 10 attempts while maintaining 68.7% possession throughout the contest.

Bronico was the catalyst in the midfield through which many of the team’s successful build-ups began. And, he jump-started Charlotte’s offensive performance with the first goal of the night.

Swiderski received the ball at the top of the box and saw Bronico in front of him breaking off from his defender at the perfect time, leaving just enough room for him to receive the ball, turn and shoot.

There was nothing Necaxa goalkeeper Raúl Gudiño could do as Bronico’s rocket passed his left side into the back of the net.

Swiderski got on the board himself in the 42nd minute off a needlepoint cross from Kamil Józwiak that slipped through two defenders in the box on its way to the striker. Arfield added his point shortly after.

The game wasn’t the cleanest — the two teams combined for 27 fouls in a scrappy contest that saw more than a few late tackles. Both teams drew four yellow cards each and Nexaca drew a decisive red card dealt to Édgar Méndez that sent the Mexican side down to 10 men in the 49th minute.

Despite playing a man up for most of the second half, Charlotte’s goal-scoring magic seemed to have worn off. That was until the 88th minute when Jaylin Lindsey tapped the ball through the Necaxa back line to Patrick Agyemang, who ran into a one-on-one with Gudiño. A smooth pass from his right was all that was needed for Charlotte’s fourth and final goal to cross the line.

Necaxa’s Vicente Poggi managed to put one in just before the final whistle as consolation, the final scoreline sending him and his team home, eliminated.

For Charlotte, next up is Cruz Azul. Though Charlotte finished first in its group, due to “stadium commitments” made before the Leagues Cup, Bank of America Stadium is unable to host Thursday’s match. According to a Charlotte FC spokesperson, the team “made every effort to explore alternative venues in the area but was unable to secure a venue in line with the operational requirements of the tournament.”

Instead, the game will be played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, and not in front of the Queen City faithful.

“We live off the fans. ... so it’s definitely a tough one,” Agyemang said. “But at the end of the day, we are professionals and we have to deal with setbacks and things that change. At the end of the day, we’re playing the game. We’re going to go to Dallas or wherever we have to play it.”