By Billy McGee
May 1, 2025
Charlotte FC’s eight-match home winning streak came to an end with a disappointing 1-0 defeat to the New England Revolution.
It was a physical match between the two teams, with New England committing 17 fouls and Charlotte 12. Tensions escalated in the 70th minute after a yellow card to Brandt Bronico led to a free kick, sparking a confrontation in which Wilfried Zaha clashed with several New England players, resulting in some shoving before Tim Ream stepped in to separate them. Charlotte looked like the better team for most of the match, creating chances with ease but struggling to finish them — tallying a season-high 18 shot attempts, yet only managing four on target. Charlotte generated 2.1 expected goals (xG) while their defense limited New England to just 0.5 expected goals against (xGA), and they also won the possession battle.
The lone goal in the match came with some controversy. Carles Gil attempted a shot from the right side of the box that beat Kristijan Kahlina at the far post. While the ball was in the air, Matt Polster — appearing to be in an offside position — attempted to head the ball as it passed him, but made no contact. Charlotte appealed to the referee, but it fell on deaf ears, as the goal stood.
“He was offside, that’s why I’m upset,” said head coach Dean Smith. “That’s probably the most incompetent performance from the officials, in my opinion, that I’ve seen.”
“It’s a tough job they’ve got,” said captain Ashley Westwood. “But, he just wants to make it about himself and he’s got all the attention tonight, so well done to him.”
Smith and Westwood were both fined by the league for their comments.
The Crown will begin a four-match road trip with their next game against the Columbus Crew. The Crew currently sit in second place in the Eastern Conference with 21 points and are coming off a 2-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes. Their first goal came in the 28th minute from a free kick delivered by Diego Rossi, finding midfielder Sean Zawadzki at the back post, who finished to give them a 1-0 lead. San Jose equalized in the 40th minute when midfielder Beau Leroux connected with former MLS MVP Josef Martínez, who chipped the goalkeeper. Columbus nearly retook the lead in the 43rd minute when Rossi received the ball near the penalty spot and fired a shot that was cleared off the line by defender Dave Romney.
Rossi had another chance in the 52nd minute, hitting the post from the edge of the box. The Crew retook the lead in the 62nd minute when US international Max Arfsten showed impressive skill while being marked by Max Floriani to create space for a shot that found the top net for a goal. San Jose had a few near misses in the second half, but wasn’t able to find another equalizer.
Columbus created numerous chances in the match, recording 16 shots, with only three on target, and several attempts narrowly missing the mark. Defensively, they allowed San Jose 15 shot attempts, six of which were on target, with five saved by Patrick Schulte.
Both Columbus and Charlotte boast strong defensive records this season, tied for the second-fewest goals allowed in the Eastern Conference with eight. However, both teams’ attacks will face tough challenges — especially Charlotte’s. The Crown have struggled to score on the road, managing more than one goal in just a single away match, with the second goal in that game coming from an own goal. They’ve secured only one road win this season — a 1-0 victory over Montréal — while the Crew have lost just once in six home matches: a 1-0 defeat to Inter Miami at Huntington Bank Field, their lone game on the Cleveland Browns’ turf this season.
Charlotte will be without Nathan Byrne for the foreseeable future following surgery to address injured discs in his neck. Nick Scardina, who started the last two matches, is expected to continue at right back in Byrne’s absence. To bolster depth at fullback, Charlotte also recently acquired Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty on loan.
Pep Biel will also likely miss the match against Columbus after being substituted off against New England with a hamstring injury. The Crown will need someone to step up to fill Biel’s role in the attack. With Djibril Diani and Eryk Williamson the most likely candidates to start in the midfield, the front three of Zaha, Patrick Agyemang, and Liel Abada will be expected to shoulder more of the offensive load.
The match between Charlotte FC and Columbus Crew will kick off at 7:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, May 3, and will stream on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass.
Read next:
