The Streak Stays Alive: Charlotte 3 - San Diego 0
Keeping a streak alive feels great. I’m sure Joe DiMaggio had a little smile when he got on base to extend his MLB Record 56 game hitting streak and I'm sure the boys in Uptown are smiling after beating MLS newcomers San Diego FC 3-0. This win puts Charlotte (for the moment) top of the east with 19 points and after a shutout, they have the second best goal difference in the entire league. Charlotte now has a plus nine goal difference, which is second to the white hot Vancouver Whitecaps who lead the league at plus eleven. A great showing from the Crown.
The lineup looked a bit different this week as there were rumors of three players not being fit to go. Tim Ream, Nathan Byrne, and Wilfried Zaha were questionable coming into the match and only Zaha made the start. Ream and Byrne did not start, so Dean Smith and the coaching staff had to make some changes. Souleyman Doumbia got the start at left back while Andrew Privett and Adilson Malanda were the center back pairing with Nick Scardina taking Byrne’s place on the right. Smith went with a midfield three of Bronico, Biel, and Westwood with Zaha, Abada, and Agyemang leading the attack.
The scoring started early in the Queen City as Pep Biel added another assist in the 11th minute when he found Liel Abada who put one past the San Diego Keeper to give the Crown an early 1-0 lead. Just before the half, Big Pat Agyemang beat the keeper on a penalty, 2-0 Charlotte heading into the break. The penalty came after San Diego defender Andres Reyes received a second yellow card (which became a red) in the 43rd minute. After the halftime break, Charlotte wasn’t done scoring as Andrew Privett scored his first MLS goal in the 56th minute. The milestone moment for Privett came on a free kick delivered by captain Ashley Westwood. 3-0 Charlotte. The deficit was too much for San Diego to overcome and when the final whistle blew, Charlotte had three points and an unbeaten home streak.
I’m sure it feels good to be at the top and next week provides another chance to extend the unbeaten streak and stay near the top of the table as the boys welcome New England to the Fortress.
Kickoff for the New England match is scheduled for 7:30 pm on the 26th.