Charlotte Draws Orlando City 2-2 Despite Missing Pieces
Pep Biel adds a goal and an assist to his contributions this year and Bill Tuiloma gets his first MLS goal in three years, while a controversy over "beer rockets" leads to season ticket cancellations.
Orlando City SC and Charlotte FC battled to a 2-2 draw on Saturday night, despite Charlotte missing more pieces than usual.
The match was Charlotte’s first at home since late May, and the Crown came back to Bank of America Stadium motivated to end a three-match losing streak. They went ahead in the first half and eventually led 2-0 despite missing Patrick Agyemang and Tim Ream to international duty, Wilfried Zaha to yellow card accumulation, and Souleyman Doumbia and Andrew Privett to injury (Privett would come on late in the second half, but was not expected to play).
Charlotte FC vs. Orlando City SC
Saturday, July 5
7:30 PM EDT
Bank of America Stadium
Charlotte, NC
Final Score: 2-2
Charlotte FC Goals
Pep Biel 40' (Assist: Scardina)
Bill Tuiloma 65' (Assist: Biel)
Orlando City SC Goals
Ramiro Enrique 69' (Assist: Ojeda)
Marco Pašalić 80' (Assist: Muriel)
Soccer Sheet’s Players of the Match
Adrian: Pep Biel
Jake: Nick Scardina
Jorge: Nick Scardina
Matt: Nick Scardina
Sam: Bill Tuiloma
Yara: Pep Biel
Charlotte FC midfielder Pep Biel, who had two goal contributions on the night, wasn’t happy that Charlotte’s lead evaporated.
“I think we are throwing away too many games,” Biel told reporters in Spanish. “It’s not the first. It’s something that is happening to us here recently. We need to look at how to improve this, because it can’t be happening to us every weekend.”
Meanwhile, Orlando City SC were riding the momentum of two consecutive road wins and were able to fight back after falling behind early.
Charlotte FC took the lead late in the first half, thanks to what looked like — but wasn’t — an easy goal from Biel, off of an assist from defender Nick Scardina.
The play started with Bill Tuiloma in back, who took enough time to find Scardina on the right, running towards the goal line. The center back’s pass was half the length of the pitch, but Scardina let it bounce without trapping it, and sent it inside the box with one touch to Biel on the run. Despite being closely guarded by Orlando’s César Araújo, Biel was a step ahead and his successful strike found the side net for his seventh goal of the season.
After a long drought for the Crown, it was hard to contain our excitement in the press box.
After the halftime break, Orlando stepped up their attack, but Scardina kept Charlotte ahead with a crucial goal-saving defensive play. In the 62nd minute, Orlando forward Ramiro Enrique thought he had Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina beat as Kahlina fell to the ground and Enrique made his way around, but Scardina ran to the goal line in time to block a certain goal.
Minutes later came the feel-good moment of the night as Bill Tuiloma scored his first league goal for the Crown in the 65th minute. Tuiloma’s header connected with Biel’s set piece strike to give the home team a two-goal advantage.
For Biel, the assist was his ninth of the season, putting him 4th in the MLS this season — and ahead of Lionel Messi. It was also his 20th goal contribution for the club, making him the fastest player to reach that mark.
The performance also earned Biel a spot on the MLS Team of the Matchday. Biel now leads Charlotte in both goals and assists, earning an strong .5 assists per 90 minutes.
Tuiloma previously scored his first competitive goal for Charlotte FC in U.S. Open Cup play this year, but hadn’t scored a goal in MLS since 2022, when he played for the Portland Timbers.
Charlotte looked poised to secure a win as they appeared on track for only their second clean sheet since April.
However, Orlando City showed resilience and determination in the second half. Enrique cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 69th minute after an assist from Martin Ojeda. Then, deep into the 80th minute, Marco Pasalic struck a late equalizer, silencing the crowd. Orlando goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was instrumental in keeping the team in the game, making three key saves throughout the match.
The match was physical and intense, with Charlotte committing ten fouls in the first half alone. Both teams showed moments of discipline and pressing, but also some vulnerabilities that led to the late goals. Charlotte’s energy and urgency were clear throughout the match, especially considering the team’s desire to rebound from recent losses, while Orlando’s comeback highlighted their persistence and ability to capitalize in crucial moments.
However, towards the end of the match, the injured Charlotte side looked out of shape. Contrary to Charlotte FC head coach Dean Smith’s game plan, the still-recovering Privett had to come in to replace Tuiloma, who was cramping up after a strong performance.
“We were hanging on at the end. Definitely,” Smith told reporters after the match. “I thought we started both halves really well. Pep had two shots, you know, at the start of the second half as well. But we looked a little bit too gassed at the end.”
In the end, the 2-2 draw reflected the closely contested nature of the game, with both teams gaining valuable points. Orlando City extended their unbeaten streak on the road, improving to 9-5-7 on the season with 34 points, while Charlotte FC continues to build momentum at home, now sitting at 8-11-2 with 26 points.
“We had a couple of chances to go three-nil up, and that would have killed the game,” Smith said. “You know, when they go and get that equalizer, that equalizer was too easy for me. A ball just played inside our fullback and centre back, and a cut back and a tap-in, and I think that gave them a little bit of belief and probably just took a little bit of wind out of our sails.”
The match showed the competitive spirit that we’ve seen at times from Charlotte FC, but with four more matches at the Bank this month, will it continue? Biel thinks it can if the team can play smarter.
“I’ve said it before many times, about the mentality and also the intelligence,” said Biel. “At the end of the day, football is a game that’s tactical at times, and we need to be more intelligent, so that certain errors and certain plays that they are doing don’t happen, and to try to stop them in somehow on the pitch.”
Beer Rockets Dampen Spirits, Lead to Calls for Action
The “beer showers” that are a staple of goal celebrations in Charlotte’s supporters section have too often become “beer rockets,” full containers of alcohol that are chucked like projectiles and sometimes harming fans. Now, fans and supporters groups are taking action.
Mint City Collective board member Matt Chantry cancelled his season tickets after his friend was struck in the head by a projectile during Saturday’s match, and he’s not the only one. Soccer Sheet confirmed multiple Charlotte FC supporters have cancelled their season tickets in the wake of multiple incidents in the supporters section.
According to documents posted on social media by Mint City Collective, a health care provider determined the concussed fan was assaulted and ordered a CT scan for their head.
“Last night was the final straw for me and many others. It’s not fun anymore. Too many frat bros that are there to be dickheads rather than for the game and the club has fostered that atmosphere and not reined it in,” Chantry shared on social media yesterday. “I’m mostly sad and angry for my friend that now has a concussion. The latest in a series of them in the section. The only actions have been lipstick on a pig. It’s not just the cup throwing. It’s the whole vibe now.”
Last year, the Charlotte FC Chief Fan Officer social media account posted a suggested how-to, making sure that if fans celebrated with beer to not throw projectiles, and not throw it on fans.
This simply isn’t how you “beer shower.” If you’re going to do it, have the slightest bit of respect for your fellow supporters and throw the beer up in the sky and NOT directly towards others.
Throwing objects of any kind is explicitly against the MLS Fan Code of Conduct. This year, Charlotte FC has stepped up enforcement against projectiles and has added additional in-game warnings about appropriate fan conduct.
However, the implicit suggestion that throwing beer up into the air is OK is part of the party atmosphere Chantry derided in his comments. Charlotte FC and Tepper Sports and Entertainment’s “Welcome to the Party” advertising campaign was also the target of criticism from Mint City Collective and fellow Charlotte FC supporters group Southbound & Crown. Both groups issued statements on Sunday.
“Culture in the Supporters Section is about passion, inclusivity, and SAFETY,” read the statement from Mint City Collective. “Our supporters should not be concerned about going to the ER as a result of attending a match. There have been at least 6 injuries requiring medical attention, including an incident last night where one of our members left the match in an ambulance. Supporters in the 200 level that throw objects every match have shown that they cannot be responsible with liquids, cups, and even food. MCC stands with our injured members and calls for an immediate ban of all liquid/object throwing (aka beer showers), a club campaign informing supporters of the problem and expected behavior, and stopping the party-based marketing that has contributed to this behavior.”
American soccer culture is different from football culture in other countries, with one significant difference being how alcohol is treated. Drinking within view of the pitch has been banned for 40 years in England, and almost all drinking in football stadiums has been banned for 45 years in Scotland. Even the tamest beer showers would be unheard of at an association football match across the pond.
In Germany, beer is permitted at soccer matches, but we’ve never seen it intentionally wasted at a Bundesliga match.
Soccer Sheet asked Charlotte FC to comment on the statements and the report of the fan being sent to the hospital. While the club does not release figures on arrests or ejections, a spokesperson for Charlotte FC confirmed to Soccer Sheet that multiple spectators were ejected on July 5 due to violating rules against throwing projectiles.
Additionally, the spokesperson informed Soccer Sheet that the club had held a call with supporters groups representatives before the most recent match to address the concerns surrounding beer showers. Outcomes from the meeting included a club commitment to enhanced messaging in the stadium — above and beyond the messaging that started this year — to remind fans of the code of conduct and of consequences for violating the code. Additionally, the club spokesperson confirmed to Soccer Sheet that there was enhanced security in the supporter section at the last match, and will be more going forward.
Soccer Sheet reporters also noticed something else on Saturday night.
While Bank of America Stadium hosted a lot of soccer in the month of June, Charlotte FC hadn’t played at home since a May 24 win over Columbus Crew, so it’s no surprise the atmosphere felt a little different.
Soccer Sheet reporter Yara Al Bayyari spoke to many fans at the stadium who were attending their first-ever Charlotte FC match, and our man in the stands Matt Cramer — attending his second soccer match of the day after his Bayern Munich side fell in Club World Cup play — reported that the post-July 4th crowd was more annoying and vulgar than usual, comprised of many first-time or once-a-year fans.
Earlier this year, Charlotte FC head coach Dean Smith told reporters that his squad has a “no dickhead” policy. Chantry’s request that that policy extends to fans seems reasonable enough to us — and we’re encouraged by the club committing to solve the problem as well.
But let’s be real: with how expensive a beer is at Bank of America Stadium, how can y’all afford to throw them in the first place?
Jorge Torres and Adrian Singerman contributed Spanish and French translation to this article. Yara Al Bayyari, Matt Cramer and Sam Spencer contributed to this report.
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