Abada’s brace led Charlotte FC to away victory over Atlanta United FC in front of 61,209 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
CHARLOTTE, NC (Monday, June 3, 2024) – Charlotte FC forward Liel Abada earned a spot on the MLS Team of the Matchday after his brace helped earn CLTFC a 3-2 victory against Atlanta United FC.
Over 2,000 Charlotte FC supporters traveled down I-85 to support The Crown in the rivalry matchup. The win moved Charlotte into 5th place in the Eastern Conference.
After the teams traded goals in the first half to enter halftime tied 1-1, Abada opened the second half scoring spree in the 56th minute. Abada started and finished a counterattack, playing the ball to Patrick Agyemang and Kerwin Vargas to get a pass returned to him at the top of the box, where the winger hit a 20-yard strike straight into the side-netting.
Despite Atlanta United holding possession, they could not effectively break down Charlotte FC’s defensive structure before Abada put another in the net just twelve minutes later. Jere Uronen combined down the left side with Brandt Bronico, who found Abada with a cutback to the center of the box. The Israeli winger fired home a one-touch strike with his left foot, giving Charlotte FC a two-goal lead they would not relinquish despite a late Atlanta goal.
The 22-year-old Young Designated Player now has three goals in eight appearances with Charlotte FC since joining from Scottish club Celtic earlier in 2024.
Abada spoke to media following his Man of the Match performance.
Next up, CLTFC has a week off for an international break before they return to play at home against D.C. United on Saturday, June 15th at 7:30 p.m. ET.
For the full MLS Team of the Matchday, please see below:
F: Cristian Arango (RSL), Alonso Martínez (NYC), Tani Oluwaseyi (MIN)
M: Liel Abada (CLT), Carles Gil (NE), Santiago Rodríguez (NYC), Lionel Messi (MIA)
D: Jordi Alba (MIA), Maxime Chanot (LAFC), John Tolkin (RBNY)
GK: Aljaz Ivacic (NE)
Coach: Nick Cushing (NYC)
Bench: Hugo Lloris (LAFC), Kervin Arriaga (MIN), Héctor Herrera (HOU), Mateusz Klich (DC), Brian Gutiérrez (CHI), Maxi Moralez (NYC), Denis Bouanga (LAFC), Ryan Gauld (VAN), Anderson Julio (RSL)
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