Heartbreak In The Final Seconds: Charlotte Falls 2-1 To Philadelphia
Charlotte FC went into Philadelphia looking to take down the top team in the east. However, the result did not go Charlotte’s way last night as the Philadelphia Union found the game winner in the final seconds to grab three points and remain at the top of the Eastern Conference. Looking at the table, after picking up three points, The Union remain in first on 37 points and a goal difference of plus 15. On the other hand Charlotte sits in ninth on 25 points and a goal difference of zero. The 25 points Charlotte has earned so far this season puts them tied with Chicago (who sit in tenth) with Charlotte having one more game played. As we draw closer to the end of the season, the table can tell you a lot about who’s gunning for a top playoff seed and who’s fighting for a playoff spot.
Looking at the lineup, there were four major changes to the lineup this week. In the attack, Idan Toklomati took over for Patrick Agyemang and Kerwin Vargas got the start on the wing in place of Liel Abada. On the defensive side, Souleyman Doumbia got the nod at left back in place of Tim Ream and David Bingham was tasked with stopping the Union attack, taking over for Kristijan Khalina.
Starting at the top, Zaha and Vargas manned the wings with Toklomati being the man up front. The midfield remained unchanged, consisting of Bronico, Biel, and Westwood. On the defensive side, the center back pairing was Malanda and Privett with Doumbia and Marshall-Rutty protecting the flanks. The man between the pipes was David Bingham.
Overall, I like the lineup. With the international call-ups, not everyone is going to be avalible all of the time and having flexibility in the squad can go a long way. I’m happy with the moves that were made and there wasn’t one that stood out that made me think “why is he starting?”. The midfield remaining of the big three was important in my opinion and having Bingham being able to come in is an added bonus and I think he locked down the number two spot.
Getting into the match, both teams battled it out in the first half with the first goal coming as the first half ended when Jesus Bueno beat David Bingham to take the lead 1-0 into the break. The first half got a bit chippy as four yellow cards were handed out, two to Charlotte and two to Philadelphia. Kerwin Vargas and Wilfried Zaha were booked for The Crown while Olwethu Makhanya and former Charlotte FC first round pick Ben Bender received cards for The Union.
With Philadelphia holding the lead in the second half, Charlotte needed someone to answer the call. Wilfried Zaha picked up the phone and equalized in the 78th minute after a nice cross from Marshall-Rutty was delivered to Wilfried and he was able to slot it home in the bottom left corner. 1-1 as time winds down. Just as it looked like we were headed for a draw, The Union beat Bingham in the final seconds of extra time to earn three points.
Losing isn’t fun, I think we can all agree on that. However, it stings a little bit more when the chance for points was right there and it slipped away right at the end. Overall, I liked the fact that the team was able to stay in the game and even it up late. It’s no secret that Philadelphia has one of the most powerful attacks this season and keeping it at a one score game for most of the match before equalizing shows the fight and resilience that Charlotte has. Obviously, I would have preferred a win but being able to hang in there with the best team in the east tells a lot and goes a long way.
The boys are back in action on the 25th when they travel to the heartland of America for an 8:30 pm kickoff against Sporting Kansas City.