A Disappointing Goal Derails a Dominant Charlotte FC in 1-1 Vancouver Draw
Another Crown Legacy alum steps up for the Crown as Charlotte's defense has an excellent match for all but one minute.
Iuri Tavares Builds His Legacy
Despite a disappointing 1-1 draw for Charlotte FC (1-0-1, 4 points) in Vancouver tonight, the past 12 months have been huge for players from Charlotte FC’s second team, Crown Legacy FC.
First it was the Brandon Cambridge brace against Chicago in May.
Then it was Patrick Agyemang’s record-setting weekend in June, becoming the first player to ever score in both an MLS match and an MLS Next Pro match in the same weekend.
Then it was a stellar July and August for Andrew Privett, a defensive standout for Charlotte in the Leagues Cup.
Now, one day after it was announced that Crown Legacy FC will represent Charlotte FC in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, you can add Iuri Tavares to that list.
“I’m so happy for my first goal in MLS,” said Tavares in a post-match interview released to the media.”
Charlotte Dominant in First Half Over Vancouver
On Saturday, March 2 in British Columbia, Charlotte controlled the first half with multiple opportunities to score on the Vancouver Whitecaps (0-0-1, 1 point). Then, in the 31st minute, Brecht Dejaegere crossed through the box to Tavares, who took a beautiful strike to put it in the back of the net for his first MLS goal.
“Iuri scored today, and set up one last week,” said Charlotte FC Head Coach Dean Smith in a post-match press conference, referencing Tavares’ goal creating action that led to Adilson Malanda’s goal in Charlotte’s 1-0 win over NYCFC last week.
“I think [the impact of Crown Legacy] is there to see on the pitch,” said Smith. “I’m really pleased that we’ve got players that are coming through the academy and the legacy that are helping the squad.”
“My first game I was so nervous, I confess,” said Tavares after the match. “This week I [played] so much better than last week.”
“It’s not by chance [that Iuri is here now], he worked a lot for that,” said Malanda. “He did great for us tonight. He deserves it because he’s a great player.”
Malanda and Charlotte’s back line were impenetrable.
“I think we did good, I think some actions could have been better … especially in the second half,” said Malanda. “But we were strong as a back four.”
Winger Kerwin Vargas, who was clearly shaken after missing a penalty kick last night, played confidently and covered the field for the full 90 minutes, making big plays on offense and defense. Vargas and Tavares were dangerous on the wings, and Dejaegere was much more visible in the Number 10 role than he was in Charlotte’s opener.
“I think it was a tough game. I think we started really good, and we created a lot of problems for them,” said Malanda. “I think we were on the game straight away.”
Unfortunately for the Crown, Charlotte’s dominant first 49 minutes was overshadowed by a misstep by goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina. Vancouver’s Ryan Raposo received a pass from teammate Pedro Vite, and despite a poor touch on the ball, convinced Kahlina to dive to Raposo’s right, as the ball passed by on the other side in the last minute of added time in the first half.
Given the team’s excellent form, the goal was a major disappointment.
“Just a little bit disappointed by this goal, but it’s OK, it’s part of the game,” said Malanda.
“I felt that we should have won the game in the first half. I think we could have taken the game away from Vancouver,” said Smith. “I thought we were the better team by far in the first half.”
“It was a horrible goal to concede, that’s for sure,” concluded the coach.
VAR and Replacement Refs Deny Charlotte a Penalty
Additionally, the first half saw two potential opportunities for Charlotte’s lone designated player, striker Enzo Copetti. First, Copetti drew a foul in the penalty box in the 23rd minute that was later overturned by the video assistant referee (VAR); then, he demonstrated his speed on a brilliant breakaway that was ended by strong defensive play Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka, who made himself big enough to block a Copetti chip from entering the goal.
Smith questioned the VAR reversal of the penalty after the match. “In the UK it has to be a clear an obvious error. It wasn’t a clear and obvious error,” said Smith, referring to the standard that must be met to overturn the referee’s decision on the field.
Under MLS rules, VAR can only be used for “clear and obvious errors” in four specific match-changing situations: goals, penalties, red card incidents, and cases of mistaken identity.
As an added factor, MLS is in its second week of using replacement referees due to a league lockout of members of the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA), the labor union for MLS referees.
Soccer Sheet asked Smith if the replacement referees were sufficient for him. After Smith remarked that as an English coach he didn’t have anything to compare the referees to, he said, “It’s a hard job, and the officials we’ve had for the first two games have been OK … I was more concerned the VAR decision.”
Second Half Stalemate Sends Charlotte Home with a Point
“It’s just football. Sometimes you have to accept that,” said Smith when Soccer Sheet asked him about coming away with just a point after a dominant match.
Despite both sides making significant changes in the second half, the teams were mostly even until extra time, when Vancouver threated another goal.
Malanda mentioned that Vancouver’s press gave the Whitecaps confidence, starting at the end of the first half.
Charlotte was not without their chances in the second half. When Patrick Agyemang came on, he threatened with a dangerous header, but otherwise Charlotte struggled to create chances.
“I thought we lacked a little bit of quality in the final third with crossing,” said Smith.
It’s Not Like Last Year
Since Charlotte’s win last week, and before in Coachella, Smith has made a point to tell the fanbase and the press that things are different from last year, and those comparisons should be put to rest.
Malanda added his voice to that chorus after the match.
When asked if the disappointing goal against reminded him of Charlotte FC’s habit of conceding leads and draws during the 2023 campaign, Malanda said, “I don’t think it’s the same as last year because the team spirit was very good tonight, sometimes in football that happens - you cannot score the second one.”
Despite the draw, the French defender was happy about the way his team played - and the direction of the season for Charlotte FC.
“[We should] keep going, because we are going in a good way,” said Malanda. “They should be happier than us to get a point [tonight].”
Charlotte, now 0-3-2 with two points all time on Canadian soil, heads to Toronto next week to try and find its first-ever win abroad on Satuday, March 9.