First Half
Lineup: Tuiloma, Corujo (37'), Sobociński, Byrne, Bronico, Arfield, Westwood, Jóźwiak, Świderski, Vargas
Substitutes: Privett (37')
The Crown got off to a promising start, earning an early corner through a well-placed cross from Kamil Jóźwiak. The corner kick posed a significant threat, coming close to finding a player in a purple kit for an opening goal. However, Montreal had a response of their own in the 5th minute. Some skillful interplay led to Ariel Lassiter curling a shot that seemed destined to break the deadlock, but CLTFC goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina made a brilliant save to deny him.
Both teams had their fair share of set pieces in the first 27 minutes, which played a role in the early proceedings. In the 25th minute, a clearance fell to Jan Sobociński, who had an open opportunity to shoot but unfortunately sent the ball high into the sky with his weaker right foot. Charlotte struggled to create scoring chances in the first half, while the home side controlled the match comfortably. In recent times, when Charlotte concedes, it often comes in pairs and so was the case again in Montreal when they scored two in quick succession in the 29th and 31st minute.
Montreal's most recent signing, Kwadwo Opoku, caused trouble for Charlotte and eventually opened the scoring for his team. Bryce Duke played a pass that forced Kahlina to come off his line, but an unlucky bounce off the goalkeeper fell kindly for Opoku, who had an empty net to aim at. Two minutes later, Joel Waterman's clearance caught Charlotte off guard, and Chinonso Offor capitalized on the opportunity. Offor controlled the ball well and calmly slotted it past the keeper to extend Montreal's lead.
To add to the woes, Guzmán Corujo, who has recently recovered from an ACL injury had to come off in the 37th minute due to discomfort and was replaced by Andrew Privett who made his MLS debut.
Second Half
Lineup: Tuiloma, Corujo, Sobociński, Byrne, Bronico (73'), Arfield, Westwood, Jóźwiak (80'), Agyemang (45'), Gaines (45')
Substitutes: Bender (73'), Meram (80')
Charlotte FC kicked off the match with a burst of energy in the opening ten minutes. However, their early pressure did not rattle C.F. Montreal, who remained composed. The second half mostly resulted in a stalemate, with few clear scoring opportunities until the 70th minute. During a breakaway, Montreal capitalized on a three versus three situation presenting a golden chance for Bryce Duke who was set up by the lively Offor. Duke mishit the ball and Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief.
In the 88th minute, Montreal had another chance to widen their lead to three goals. However, Charlotte's goalkeeper Kahlina stood firm at the near post, denying Zachary Brault-Guillard's attempt. This proved to be the last noteworthy moment of the match as the match gradually petered out, extending Charlotte's winless streak to eight matches.
