Source: Michael Janosz/ISI Photos / Getty
If you are looking for an example of resiliency, what you saw in Bank of America Stadium on Saturday night might be the best in a while in terms of Charlotte sports. Charlotte FC rallied not once or twice, but rather three times to pick up a draw against one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
Kristijan Kahlina had a some nice saves in the early moments of the match before Seattle’s Cristian Roldan would slip behind the back line to bury the first goal of the game eleven minutes in. The Crown would waste no time responding, though, striking back just six minutes later with one of the most unprecedented goals in the MLS this season.
Midfielder Ashley Westwood would send a long ball into the box for Karol Swiderski that appeared as if it was heading outbounds. Instead, Swiderski would find a way to hold it in with two amazing mid-air touches. The final touch ended up being a perfect cross to defender Jaylin Lindsey, who knock it into the back of the net for his first goal in a Charlotte FC uniform.
Charlotte would have a few opportunities to grab the lead following Lindsey’s goal, but Seattle would retake the lead in the 35th minute on a world-class strike from Raúl Ruidíaz outside of the box. The Sounders would take that 2-1 lead into the halftime break.
The Crown would come out of the gates quickly in the second half and tie the match again in the 53rd minute. Some great passing on the break created an opportunity for Kerwin Vargas that was blocked, but Ben Bender corraled the loose ball and found Ashley Westwood. Westwood would rocket one into the top corner of the net past Stefan Frei from outside the box for the first goal of his Charlotte FC account.
Bender would nearly make it a 3-2 game in favor of Charlotte in the 60th minute, but his shot would glance off the left post. Ten minutes later, Ruidíaz would strike for his brace on a perfectly timed run to the back post that would put the Sounders ahead one more time.
That third goal from Seattle would change the pace of the game as Seattle began to park the bus with the help of multiple substitutions. Charlotte wouldn’t create a ton of chances after that, but in the 89th minute, they got one last opportunity to tie and seized it. Nathan Byrne would send a cross into the box that the towering 6’4 striker Patrick Agyemang would direct the ball into the back of the net with a beautiful header to tie the game for the third and final time.
The draw for Charlotte FC send them into the international break with a 6-8-4 record with 22 points. That has them sitting just outside of the playoffs right now in 10th in the Eastern Conference. The team will now have an eleven-day break before heading on the road next Wednesday night to face the New York Red Bulls. Coverage will begin at 7:00 PM right here on the flagship for Charlotte FC with Will Palaszczuk and Jessica Charman.
