Charlotte FC Bows Out of Leagues Cup; Independence Lead League One
Charlotte FC Bows Out of Leagues Cup; Independence Lead League One
Also, Charlotte FC’s Nimfasha Berchimas shines for the United States in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship Final, and you can still vote for your local favorites in the Footy Awards
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The Footy Awards Ballot is still live and we have more prizes to give away, so vote today and be entered to win!
Charlotte FC is the Odd Man Out in a Leagues Cup Game of "Rock Paper Scissors"
Charlotte FC’s short Leagues Cup run was like a bad game of Rock Paper Scissors.
In their three-team group (East 4), Philadelphia United hosted Charlotte on July 27, winning 1-0. It was an underwhelming effort for Charlotte, especially after beating Philadelphia 0-2 the previous month at Subaru Park off of a Patrick Agyemang brace.
In their second Leagues Cup match on July 31, Charlotte FC beat Mexican club Cruz Azul 4-2 in penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw in regulation. Veteran MLS goalkeeper David Bingham got his first competitive minutes for Charlotte FC since signing with the club as a free agent in January, and played like a starter, with four saves in regulation and two saves in penalty kicks.
We were skeptical that Bingham could match starting goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina’s performance against Cruz Azul in last year’s Leagues Cup, in which Kahlina also blocked two shots, but Bingham’s performance - arguably Charlotte FC’s only bright spot in the tournament - proved us wrong.
With that result, Cruz Azul headed to Pennsylvania with one point in group play, while Charlotte had two and Philadelphia led with three. To advance to the knockout state of the tournament, which features clubs from MLS and Mexican Liga MX, Charlotte needed Philadelphia to win outright, or draw and win in penalty kicks.
Instead, Cruz Azul played a dominant match against Philadelphia, leading 0-1 at halftime at Subaru Park. Over the course of the match, Cruz Azul would land a total of six shots on target to one for Philadelphia - but that one shot for Philly in the 88th minute would end up in the net, sending the match to penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in regulation and keeping Charlotte’s hopes alive.
Alas, it was not meant to be, as Cruz Azul took the penalty shootout 3-5 and advanced to the Round of 32.
1. x-Philadelphia Union, 1-1-0, 4 Points
2. y-Cruz Azul, 0-2-0, 3 Points
3. e-Charlotte FC, 0-1-1, 2 PointsNotes
x - Clinched first place in Group, advanced to Round of 32
y - Clinched second place in Group, advanced to Round of 32
e - Eliminated from Leagues Cup
Charlotte FC has nine MLS matches left this season, and attention will now turn to the roster as the team works to secure additional support during the transfer window to make a playoff run. The club is expected to announce the long-anticipated signing of U.S. Men’s National Team defender Tim Ream as early as today, and according to sources with knowledge, other roster moves are in the works. MLS clubs can sign or trade players through August 14.
The Crown has a three-week break as other teams continue in Leagues Cup. Their next match is August 24 at home against the New York Red Bulls. Charlotte is currently 6th place in the Eastern Conference, with 37 points and a 10-8-7 record.
Charlotte Independence Climbs Atop USL League One Table After Hard-Fought Draw
The Charlotte Independence never gave up on Saturday night, overcoming a 0-3 deficit to draw Lexington SC 3-3 at American Legion Memorial Stadium and take first place in the USL League One standings.
After giving up three goals in the first 45 minutes, the Independence stayed in the game with a stoppage time goal from Gabriel Obertan and entered the locker room down 1-3.
The Independence were the better team in the second half, but needed all 45 minutes to break through. In the 85th minute, a short corner kick for the Jacks found Anthony Sorenson, who crossed the ball into the area for his second assist of the night when he found the head of Bachir Ndiaye. The header was the first professional goal for the Senegalese midfielder.
“I was very excited to get my first goal,” said Ndiaye. “I missed the first chance, and got a little too excited on the first chance, but I’m excited to get the goal and open my career with a bang for sure.”
Two minutes later, USL League One golden boot leader Juan Carlos Obregón, Jr. slotted in a loose ball, tying the match and netting his 10th goal of the season in league play.
“[The comeback] gives us some belief and confidence that we can come back from a bad situation, hang in the game, and get a result,” said Charlotte Independence head coach Mike Jeffries. “We’ll try to take as many positives as we can from it. Hopefully we’ll also learn to be ready from the beginning, but credit to the guys for the mentality and to the subs for changing the tempo of the game.”
With the point from the draw, the Jacks are riding high atop the League One table with 24 points and a 7-3-3 record. However, three teams are in striking distance with 23 points each, including Union Omaha, Forward Madison (which hosts the Jacks in their next regular season match on August 14), and the Greenville Triumph (who come to Charlotte on August 10 for the next match in USL1’s in-season tournament, the Jägermeister Cup).
Charlotte FC’s Nimfasha Berchimas Shines for the United States in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship Final
Nimfasha Berchimas became the ninth-youngest player in MLS history when he made his Charlotte FC debut on February 24, just two days after his 16th birthday. Since then, he’s played for Charlotte’s MLS NEXT Pro squad, Crown Legacy FC; for the Charlotte FC Academy’s U-17 team in the MLS NEXT tournament championship game; and now with the U.S. Under-20 Men’s Youth National Team in the championship final of the 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship Final.
In the August 4 final in Mexico, Berchimas scored the lone goal for the United States, showing off his technical skills as he dribbled 35 yards down the field towards the area, then bent a shot from outside the penalty box into the upper 90 in the 52nd minute.
The final result was heartbreaking for the U.S., as Mexico equalized in stoppage time, then found the winner in the stoppage minutes of the second extra time period.