By Billy McGee
March 6, 2025
Photo: Kurt Shackelford / CLTure
Charlotte FC defeated Atlanta United 2-0 in their home opener, with Wilfried Zaha making his debut and the defense preventing Atlanta’s attack from creating many big chances.
The match started off slow, with each team having stretches of possession but neither managing to score in the first half. The best chances came from Atlanta, forcing Kristijan Kahlina to make two relatively easy saves, while Pep Biel had two shots blocked in quick succession by the Atlanta defense.
The second half told a different story, as Charlotte scored two early goals. The first came in the 50th minute on a counterattack when Zaha ran onto the ball, cut inside to create space, and inadvertently passed to Biel, who fired a shot past the goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead. The second goal followed in the 54th minute on another counterattack. Nathan Byrne played the ball to Liel Abada on the right wing, who took on a defender and fired a shot. Brad Guzan made the save, but the rebound fell to Zaha, who volleyed it home to make it 2-0.
Charlotte had a few more chances in the second half but couldn’t find the back of the net with any of them. Kahlina also made a couple of saves to preserve the clean sheet and secure the win in the home opener, his 26th for Charlotte FC in MLS regular season play.
Zaha was named Man of the Match for his performance and was also selected for the MLS Team of the Matchday earlier this week.
“I want to win. I just thought, we need to speed up what we’re doing. And once we did speed it up, I don’t think they could live with us in the second half,” Zaha said in the post-game presser
The Crown’s next match will be on the road against the reigning Supporters’ Shield winners, Inter Miami. Inter Miami is coming off a 4-1 road win over Houston Dynamo FC without Lionel Messi. Luis Suárez and Telasco Segovia were both named to the MLS Team of the Matchday, with Suárez scoring one goal and assisting two, while Segovia scored two and assisted one.
Fixture congestion may play a role in how the match goes, as Inter Miami will take on Cavalier FC in the Concacaf Champions Cup on Thursday, March 6 — their fifth match since February 19. These extra matches have helped Inter Miami get into form, but have also caused them to rotate their squad to avoid fatigue. Even with this dilemma, Inter Miami is among the best teams in MLS, and with Messi sitting out on the road against Houston, he should be in the starting lineup against Charlotte at home.
A major factor for Charlotte in the match will be Zaha having a full week of training with the team. Zaha returned last Thursday before the home opener after spending time with his family for the birth of his daughter. A full week of training should allow him to be at his best and raise Charlotte’s ceiling. If Charlotte’s defense can maintain its form and limit Inter Miami’s attacking output, The Crown should be able to leave Miami with at least one point.
The last time Charlotte and Inter Miami faced each other was on September 28, 2023, in an away match for Charlotte. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, which was their only draw during a five-match unbeaten streak to close out the regular season.
Charlotte FC takes on Inter Miami at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 9, and it will be available to watch on Apple TV MLS Season Pass.
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