Charlotte FC’s first MLS match wasn’t a win on the field, but the team showed promise
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Charlotte FC’s MLS debut
Expanded coverage of Charlotte FC’s first match at D.C. United
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Charlotte FC’s first MLS match wasn’t a win on the field, but the team showed promise
The expectations might have been tempered, but the crowd’s energy never wavered as Charlotte FC made its long-awaited debut in Major League Soccer on Saturday night.
Tepper Sports & Entertainment president Nick Kelly said that Charlotte FC supporter groups estimated that approximately 500 Charlotte FC fans traveled to watch the expansion team’s first official kick in Washington, D.C., with more than 300 of those tickets distributed to supporters, who showed up with scarves, flags and energy for more than 90 minutes.
“We’re excited with the number of people here,” Kelly told The Observer. “More importantly, it’s finally all coming together. It’s hard to not feel overly optimistic about the day. Regardless of the outcome, I think that we’re all pretty thrilled to see 500 fans here.”
The final score didn’t fall in Charlotte’s favor, as the league’s newest club battled one of its oldest, recording a 3-0 loss against D.C. United, which launched in 1996 with the league.
Some Charlotte fans made the six-hour drive to Audi Field that morning, leaving as early as 4:30, and said that there was never any question whether they’d show up. To them, the outcome — a win, loss or draw — didn’t matter as much as celebrating the fact that Charlotte FC was finally playing, after the pandemic delayed the team’s inaugural season by a year.
Pre-match predictions from fans and pundits heavily favored United, which barely missed the playoffs last season and is now more structured around the system of 39-year-old Argentine coach Hernán Losada, who’s entering his second season with D.C.
Charlotte wasn’t able to stop the high-pressure attacks of forwards Michael Estrada, who scored twice before the half, and Ola Kamara, who scored once in the 65th minute. The goals relinquished didn’t necessarily indicate a lack of opportunity on Charlotte’s part.
Estrada first converted on a tough penalty call on Charlotte midfielder Brandt Bronico for a hand ball in the penalty box. Estrada later fired his shot over goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, which deflected off Charlotte defender Christian Fuchs, and sunk into the back of the net. Kamara’s goal came after D.C. converted on a corner kick.
“Two situations, we (were) unlucky,” Fuchs, Charlotte’s captain for the match, said. “When you get stroked in the arm from such a short distance...there’s always controversy, but for me, what’s most important is how the team perceived the game, how we applied ourselves to the game.”
Charlotte was lacking attacking options prior to match, with striker Karol Świderski unavailable as he resolved an international paperwork situation in Poland. Daniel Ríos, a forward from Nashville who signed with Charlotte the day prior to its season opener, came off the bench in the last quarter of the match, marking the first time he’s ever played with the team.
Charlotte FC still nearly netted its first-ever MLS goal off a header by midfielder Titi Ortíz in the first half that was then revoked after the referees consulted the video replay. Ortíz was called offside, but the sequence leading to the near-goal showed the promised of the system head coach Miguel Ángel Ramírez is building. Ramírez similarly acknowledged the calls that didn’t fall in Charlotte’s favor, and said that the team improved over the course of play.
“We were able to recognize in the second half the game that we needed to play,” Ramírez said. “We were controlling much better.”
Ramírez commented on the “quality situations” that Charlotte FC was able to produce, although none amounted to a goal, which could continue to allude them until the team gains a little more time together. Still, the promise was there, and Charlotte FC looked like a vastly improved squad from its preseason match in Charleston, in which it lost to the USL’s Battery, earlier this month.
“I think the biggest thing that we can take away is that we can be a very good team,” Bronico said. “We can impose ourselves on the other team. We can control the game even if we’re away from home.”
Bronico, a former Chicago Fire player and North Carolina native, pointed out D.C.’s advantage in playing on its home field. Not to mention against an expansion team that’s still coming together. The energy of the Charlotte FC crowd still nearly matched that of the home team. The players walked to the sideline after the match, acknowledging the fans that could be 74,000-plus strong for its first home match against the LA Galaxy next weekend.
“It was a privilege to be out there,” said Bronico. “For me, especially, (it was) a dream come true.”
“To start for this club in the first ever game and make history. Everybody was very excited,” Bronico continued. “It was a great atmosphere, our traveling fans. And although the result didn’t go our way, I’m proud of the guys and the work they put in.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2022 at 9:21 PM.
