Charlotte FC’s rivalry vs. Atlanta United gets a dramatic finish. Here’s what we learned
.JPG "Christian Fuchs and Charlotte FC are still searching for their first point of the season.")
Charlotte FC left Atlanta with its first goal, but without a win or even a draw. A late shot scored by Atlanta United in the 96th minute dealt Charlotte a 2-1 loss in its third-ever Major League Soccer match.
Charlotte has dropped its first three games of the season, the latest coming to its Southeast rival on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The result was nearly a bright spot following back-to-back losses for the new team, but Charlotte instead left with a late heartbreak.
“It definitely hurt,” said Adam Armour. “But I feel like going forward, the opportunities are going to keep coming.”
Charlotte gets its first goal
Despite the late shot netted by Atlanta’s Jake Mulraney, and Charlotte’s offense looking outplayed early, second-half substitutions made the difference. Armour came off the bench for midfielder Titi Ortíz, and in the 66th minute, he headed in Charlotte’s first-ever goal.
Ben Bender sent a cross from the corner into a pack of his teammates, and Armour found the ball at the center of the box and knocked it past Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan to the bottom left corner of the net.
“Everyone loves to score goals,” Armour said. “But to be the first one in history is an amazing feeling.”
He noted that the final result wasn’t what the team wanted, but that the connection was a “step in the right direction” for the expansion squad.
“We know that we have the quality to win the game,” Armour said, comparing the first goal to a “ripping the band-aid off” moment for the club that has struggled to find offensive timing early in the season.
Charlotte FC head coach Miguel Ángel Ramírez said after the match that Armour made his decision difficult when it came to the lineup this week, and that he worked his way into the match through strong training sessions.
Bender, Kahlina highlight match
After a slow first half, Charlotte found some rhythm, ending the match with a comparable number of shots. Charlotte took 12 shots (seven on goal) while Atlanta took 14 (eight on goal).
SuperDraft pick Bender debuted in the starting XI for Charlotte as a winger, with Yordy Reyna out due to an injury he recently picked up. Bender, a 20-year-old Generation Adidas player from the University of Maryland, didn’t net any goals, but he provided sharp feeds throughout the match, then continued to find open space near Atlanta’s net. It was a strong debut for the rookie. Bender said that Ramírez spoke with him earlier in week and told him that he would be in the starting lineup. Bender said that, “Today was just a waiting game.”
He looked comfortable on the pitch despite the limited MLS experience and stepping into a winger role.
“The first half is always tough to break down the opponent,” Bender said. “We started to play more composed and the opportunities just came from there ... I think just whipping the balls in from the wing (is) really good.”
Goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina also posted another strong performance, recording six saves, equal to that of Atlanta goalkeeper Guzan. He just wasn’t able to stop two of Atlanta’s shots, the first one off a converted penalty by Josef Martínez after Christian Makoun was called for fouling Brooks Lennon in the penalty area.
Atlanta’s second goal came during the additional seven minutes of stoppage time in the second half, when Mulraney fired the ball with his left foot from the right side of the box, sending it deflecting off Makoun and into the net.
Is the rivalry real?
Even before there was team, there was a supposed rivalry, thanks largely to Charlotte FC team owner David Tepper taking an early jab at Atlanta in the wake of Charlotte’s MLS expansion bid announcement in December 2019.
“Screw that other city,” Tepper said at the time, calling the Charlotte-Atlanta matchup, “One hell of a rivalry.”
Atlanta United president Darren Eales also stoked the flames earlier this year, sarcastically commenting on Charlotte’s lofty goal of hosting a playoff match despite a lack of Designated Players on its roster.
“Setting the bar finishing top four in the conference makes me a bit nervous about who they’re going to be signing in the coming weeks,” Eales said during pre-season. “But it’s good because that raises the bar for everyone, so you know, we’re excited about that.”
Charlotte last weekend broke the league’s single-match attendance record previously held by Atlanta in its home debut, hosting a crowd of 74,479 fans at Bank of America Stadium. Turnout for the match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium was similarly strong, at least for the venue’s converted soccer configuration, as it hosted 43,055 fans to watch the league’s newest team play one of its most successful.
The regional rivalry between fans is real, but on the field? Charlotte didn’t get the win, but at least proved it can hang.
This story was originally published March 13, 2022 at 7:07 PM.
