Patrick Agyemang scored a clutch equalizer in the 84th minute to split the points with the defending MLS Cup Champions
First Half
Lineup: Kahlina, Byrne, Malanda, Privett, Uronen, Westwood, Diani, Bronico, Abada, Vargas, Agyemang
After some thunderstorms rolled through the Columbus area in the afternoon, the clouds cleared by match time and the blue skies shone through for a beautiful night at Lower.com Field for CLTFC versus the Crew. Both teams notched huge away victories over the weekend (3-1 over Cincinnati for Charlotte, and 5-1 over LAFC for Columbus) and were looking to double up on wins.
The opening 10 minutes of the match went about as expected. Columbus had the larger share of possession, trying to pull defenders out of position, while CLTFC looked comfortable playing against the ball and threatening on quick counter attacks.
The Crew had the first look at goal, but Max Arfsten swung and whiffed on a cutback pass inside the box after Mohamed Farsi’s excellent overlapping run. That’s the two Columbus wingbacks combining inside the box (a very common sight for a Wilfried Nancy-coached team). They also had a great look four minutes later through Diego Rossi after fellow forward Cucho Hernandez found him on a big switch. Kristijan Kahlina, however, closed down the angle and calmly stood tall to block the shot with his chest.
In between those two chances, Patrick Agyemang had a chance at a diving header from a Liel Abada cross, but the forward couldn’t get enough contact on the ball to direct it goalward.
Then, in the 21st minute, it seemed Columbus would have a chance to take the lead. Cucho cut in on his right foot and struck a shot on goal. Adilson Malanda leaned in to block the effort with his arm flailing, making it seem like a handball in real time. However, after a VAR review, referee Victor Rivas overturned his original decision for a penalty after seeing it clearly came off the Frenchman’s chest.
Columbus was living up to its reputation through half an hour, looking extremely effective in possession. Cucho Hernandez bobbed and weaved through the top of the Charlotte box in the 30th minute, laying it off for Arfsten who fired his shot right at Kahlina.
However, straight after, Malanda made a critical error to gift the Crew the lead. While playing out of the back, he mishit a pass right at the Colombian forward, who used Rossi’s run ahead of him to drag Malanda away and fired the ball past Kahlina.
Arfsten was at the receiving end of quite a few final passes in the first half. He nearly beat Kahlina with a snap shot in the 39th minute, but the Croatian did very well to get down quickly and push the ball out of the danger zone with his left hand. Two minutes later, Arfsten was the one delivering the final pass, but Andrew Privett leaned on Christian Ramirez just enough to prevent him from heading home the cross.
Despite the Crew dominance, CLTFC made it to the break trailing by only one with an opportunity to evaluate and reset for the second half.
Second Half
Lineup: Kahlina, Byrne, Malanda, Privett (73’), Uronen (69’), Westwood, Diani (69’), Bronico, Abada, Vargas (69’), Agyemang (86’)
Substitutions: João Pedro (69’), Nikola Petkovic (69’), Iuri Tavares (69’), Tuiloma (73’), Smalls (86’)
After a short severe weather delay (halftime ended up being roughly 40 minutes rather than the prescribed 15), the match finally got back underway.
Charlotte FC looked rejuvenated, immediately creating a great chance for Abada in the 48th minute. Ashley Westwood, just like last weekend, was the provider with a threaded pass, but Columbus goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen made a good save.
Columbus, though, were still threatening. Rossi, especially, was popping up in dangerous spots and serving in key passes. His shot – which took a deflection off Djibril Diani and turned into a lob over Kahlina’s head – came back off the crossbar in the 55th minute.
Sean Zawadski found himself in the referee’s book in the 57th minute for dragging back Abada on another promising Charlotte counter attack. Westwood served the resulting free kick into a dangerous area in the box, and Kerwin Vargas was able to settle it. However, his first touch ran him too close to the goal line, and he couldn’t get a good shot away.
Cucho had an opportunity for a brace in the 62nd minute when he was through on goal unopposed. Malanda made a last-ditch tackle from behind to put him off just enough, and Kahlina saved the relatively weak attempt on goal.
It should have been two-nil four minutes later. Columbus brilliantly played through Charlotte’s press and sent Arfsten down the left channel. He was fouled by Byrne just outside the area but popped right up to lob it to the back post for a wide-open Ramirez. Luckily for CLTFC, the forward put it a few feet wide of the far post.
With that, Head Coach Dean Smith had seen enough. In the 69th minute, he made a triple change, bringing on Joao Pedro for Jere Uronen at left back, Iuri Tavares for Vargas on the left wing, and Nikola Petkovic for Brandt Bronico in attacking midfield.
Privett made a great tackle straight after, denying Ramirez a chance to sprint in behind on a breakaway. However, he immediately came up holding his knee, and play was stopped for him to receive treatment. Based on replays, he caught all of Ramirez’s studs on his right knee as the striker tried to skip over him (it was clear there was no intent, but rather a pure accident). Unfortunately, the young American was forced to leave the game, ending his streak of playing a full 90 minutes at 40 matches stretching back to the 2023 Leagues Cup. Bill Tuiloma replaced him.
Charlotte showed signs of life in the 75th minute, as the Westwood-Abada connection continued to pay dividends. This time, Abada found some space in the box, and got the ball onto his left foot for a shot that was saved by Ragen. From the ensuing corner, Abada once again found space from a broken play, but put this one right at the goalkeeper.
The 78th minute brought more Columbus chances. A switch of play took the entire CLTFC forward line out of the play, and Cucho hit a long ball at Ramirez and Arfsten. The latter nodded it down to the former, but Kahlina came up with a big stop. Farsi came charging through for the rebound, but Charlotte FC’s keeper rallied to save that one, too.
Right away on the other end, Abada got yet another chance. Byrne got forward on the overlap and found the Israeli wide open on top of the six-yard box. Abada took it down well, but didn’t catch the shot cleanly, and it drifted wide of the post.
Tavares got the next chance as a Westwood cross found him at the back post. He also took his first touch down well, but then also snatched at the shot, firing it right at Ragen for a comfortable save.
Then, Charlotte FC’s diligence paid off. Bill Tuiloma pinged a straight long ball down the middle, and Patrick Agyemang did Patrick Agyemang things. He sprinted past Rudy Camacho (despite a shirt tug), and Ragen missed the ball when he came out beyond his box. Camacho blocked Agyemang’s first attempt, but the young American stayed patient, cutting back inside and slotting it under Ragen for a huge equalizer.
Charlotte faced intense pressure for the remainder of the match but stayed composed until the final whistle. This marks a hugely successful trip to Ohio, with Charlotte earning four out of a possible six points against two of the league's top teams. To conclude their away stretch, Charlotte now heads to Texas to take on Austin FC before the MLS pauses for the Leagues Cup.
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