Charlotte FC remain winless on the road as the New England Revolution secured their first win of the season with the sole goal coming from Carles Gil.
First Half
Lineup: Kahlina, Lindsey, Malanda, Privett, Uronen, Westwood, Diani, Dejaegere, Vargas, Abada, Agyemang
Charlotte FC started the game with immense intensity, keeping the Revolution pinned in their own half and creating several opportunities to earn an early lead.
The first notable chance fell to Liel Abada, who earned his first start for the club just a week after his debut at Bank of America Stadium. In the 4th minute, he received a pass at the edge of the box and tested the goalkeeper with a decent strike towards the near post, but Henrich Ravas was equal to the task.
Charlotte's best opportunity of the match came soon after in the 7th minute when Patrick Agyemang's persistence in pressing paid off. He capitalized on a loose touch from Ravas, stealing the ball from the goalkeeper, but his subsequent shot with his weaker left foot narrowly missed the open net.
Despite surviving Charlotte's early pressure, New England gradually found their footing and began to create chances of their own in the back-and-forth encounter, with most falling to striker Giacomo Vrioni, who came close to scoring on a couple of occasions.
It was the Revolution, however, who broke the deadlock in the 48th minute. A scramble in the box resulted in New England captain Carles Gil finding the slightest of openings to slot home a shot and give his team the lead just before halftime.
Second Half
Lineup: Kahlina, Lindsey, Malanda, Privett, Uronen, Westwood, Diani, Dejaegere (79’), Vargas, Abada (61’), Agyemang (71’)
Substitutions: Arfield (61’), Copetti (71’), Tavares (79’)
In the latter half of the game, the Revolution opted to adopt a defensive stance, inviting Charlotte to try and find a way to break through their solid backline. Despite Charlotte dominating possession, they struggled to breach New England's compact defensive setup.
Their most promising opportunity arose late in the match when they were granted a free kick around 30 yards out from the goal in the 95th minute. Ashley Westwood delivered a finely executed pass into the penalty area, but Enzo Copetti mistimed his leap slightly, failing to make clean contact with his header.
Charlotte FC once again suffered due to missed chances against the New England Revolution, who secured victory with a single goal, marking their first win of the season. It's a match Charlotte will want to put behind them swiftly, as they had ample opportunities to claim victory but ultimately were their own worst enemy on the night.
Nevertheless, The Crown have a chance to close the gap in the Eastern Conference with two consecutive home matches, where they remain unbeaten after three games.
