Charlotte FC advances in US Open Cup with 5-1 blitz of Richmond Kickers
Charlotte FC dominated its USL League One opponent 5-1 on Wednesday night to advance to the Round of 16 in the U.S. Open Cup tournament.
The Major League Soccer expansion side Charlotte FC netted five goals, four coming in the second half, to defeat the Richmond Kickers on the road. Charlotte forwards McKinze Gaines, Daniel Ríos, Yordy Reyna and Andre Shinyashiki contributed to the scoring, with Gaines knocking in two goals.
Here’s what we learned during the match.
First-time scorers for Charlotte FC
It was only a matter of time before Ríos, Reyna and Gaines scored for Charlotte FC, but the attacks came in rapid succession and highlighted the depth of the club’s recently expanded front line.
“We showed today that we’re a reliable team,” Charlotte FC head coach Miguel Ángel Ramírez said. “We go and we (do) the job that we have to do. And that’s, for me, so important to show this.”
Ríos, the Mexican striker from MLS side Nashville SC, has seen minutes in all 11 league games for Charlotte this year, but had yet to score for the club heading into Wednesday. The 27-year-old played a ball off his head that was stopped by Richmond goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald, who batted it to winger Reyna.
Reyna knocked the ball back to Ríos from the left side and Ríos finished the play, tapping it by Fitzgerald on his second attempt. The goal gave Charlotte the advantage leading into the second half, in which the club pulled away after a slow start.
Quick scores in second half
Reyna continued to unlock the scoring for Charlotte FC, finding space in the 54th minute off a quick pass by Titi Ortíz just after Richmond found the back of the net off a goal by Dante Morán. Richmond’s shot deflected off Charlotte center back Jan Sobociński and rolled by goalkeeper George Marks, a SuperDraft pick from Clemson’s men’s soccer program.
But Reyna retaliated a minute later, and minutes after that McKinze Gaines, a Charlotte FC winger playing on the right side, scored twice in a matter of three minutes.
“I think I’ve been close a number of times this season,” Gaines said. “And it’s obviously great to get on the scoresheet not once, but twice.”
“It was a good step today,” he continued. “Obviously, I got the goals and helped the team win, and we advance to the next round, which is the most important, but yeah, you always want more.”
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Despite the divisional differences between the two teams, it was a promising sign for Charlotte FC’s attacking line that earlier this year struggled to find its footing on the road. Shinyashiki, who scored Charlotte’s only goal in its last MLS game, netted the game’s final goal of the night in the 86th minute.
Reyna highlighted the entire team’s contributions in the second half to elevate the score, calling it a “complicated game,” but noting that Charlotte FC took advantage of its opportunities.
Ramírez also appeared pleased with result by a heavily rotated lineup that didn’t feature appearances by usual starters like goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, defender Christian Fuchs or forward Karol Świderski. The team relied on a 4-3-3 formation that it trialed during preseason with less decisive results. But on Wednesday, with new players like Shinyashiki, as well as an enlivened Reyna and Gaines on the wings, the attack was clicking.
The expansion MLS club will advance to the next round of the U.S. Soccer-organized tournament in which Charlotte has so far played two lower-level teams. The competition will be stiffer in the next round with the draw for a next opponent set for Thursday.
Charlotte FC (4-6-1 in MLS) hosts CF Montréal in its return to league play 7 p.m. Saturday at Bank of America Stadium.
This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 8:54 PM.
