By Billy McGee
April 24, 2025
Charlotte FC extended their home winning streak to eight matches following a dominant 3-0 win over San Diego FC. The victory put Charlotte in first place in the MLS Eastern Conference with 19 points.
The Crown made a couple changes to their starting lineup for the match. Wilfried Zaha returned to the team after missing the previous game, while Nick Scardina got his first career start at right back, stepping in for the injured Nathan Byrne.
“It looks like we might have to go down the surgery route, he’s just waiting at the moment for a second opinion,” said head coach Dean Smith on Byrne’s disc injury. “That’s how he’s looking at the moment, which will probably put him out for six or seven weeks.”
It was a special day for Charlotte’s 2023 MLS SuperDraft class, as all four draft picks shared the pitch. Patrick Agyemang, Andrew Privett and Scardina started for Charlotte, while Hamady Diop came on as a substitute for San Diego.
Charlotte struck early when Pep Biel threaded a pass through the defense to Liel Abada, who calmly slotted it past the goalkeeper to take the lead in the 11th minute.
Tim Ream came on as an early substitution in the 38th minute, replacing Souleyman Doumbia at left back after an apparent hamstring injury. Moments later, Scardina played a ball through to Agyemang, who made a run behind the defense. San Diego defender Andres Reyes chased him down, but ultimately pulled him to the ground, drawing a red card. After a VAR review, it was determined the foul continued into the box, awarding Charlotte a penalty kick. The red card was rescinded, but Reyes was given his second yellow card, still resulting in him being sent off. Agyemang converted the penalty in the 45th minute, striking the ball past CJ dos Santos, who guessed correctly, but couldn’t make the save.
Charlotte stayed on the attack in added time, as another pass through the defense from Biel found Abada one-on-one with the keeper. But this time, dos Santos was able to make a big save to keep the score 2-0 heading into halftime.
The Crown came out of the half aggressively, generating four big chances in the first 10 minutes. In the 52nd minute, Biel backheeled a pass to Zaha, whose shot was saved by dos Santos. On the ensuing short corner, Biel delivered a cross into the box that Privett headed just over the bar. Moments later, Agyemang picked out an unmarked Abada, who took a touch around the goalkeeper and fired a shot that was cleared off the goal line by former Charlotte FC player Hamady Diop. Charlotte finally capitalized on their fourth opportunity of the half when Ashley Westwood’s free kick found Privett, who buried a header for his first career goal, extending the lead to 3-0.
Charlotte finished the match with a season-high 16 shots, 11 on target, and 4.3 expected goals. Biel was named Man of the Match after recording three shots (two on target), providing an assist, and creating several key chances for The Crown. His assist brings his season total to a league-leading six, with nine total goal contributions.
Charlotte’s defense delivered one of their strongest performances of the season, limiting San Diego to just nine total shots (two on target) and 0.4 expected goals. The backline made Kristijan Kahlina’s job easy, who only needed to make two routine saves. Privett earned Team of the Matchday honors for his solid defensive showing and second-half goal, while Dean Smith was recognized as Coach of the Matchday for the first time.
Charlotte will remain at home for their next match, taking on the Eastern Conference’s 11th-place New England Revolution. New England is coming off a 2-0 win over New York City FC, marking back-to-back victories and clean sheets. After starting the season winless through four matches with just one goal scored, the Revolution have won three of their last four.
Against NYCFC, New England had an early chance saved before breaking through in the 43rd minute with Leo Campana’s first goal for the Revolution, assisted by Ignatius Ganago. Ganago added another in the 48th minute, scoring off a Carles Gil cross — also his first goal with New England. Despite facing 16 shots, only two were on target, making it a relatively easy day for goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic.
Charlotte will look to extend their unbeaten home streak to six games this season against New England on Saturday. The Revolution’s only road win came against Atlanta United, a 1-0 victory secured by a Carles Gil penalty kick. Their defense is tied with Charlotte and Columbus for the second-fewest goals allowed in the Eastern Conference, but they’ve scored only six goals this season.
Charlotte leads the Eastern Conference in both goals scored and goal differential, with 16 goals and a +9 margin. Thirteen of those goals have come at The Fortress, where they’ve scored at least twice in every game. With their dominant home form and New England’s ongoing scoring struggles, Charlotte has a strong chance to earn a second straight clean sheet.
On Wednesday, Charlotte announced a deadline day move to acquire Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty on loan from CF Montréal for the remainder of the season in exchange for $100,000 in General Allocation Money. The 20-year-old Canadian international made six appearances for Montréal this season, including starts against Atlanta United and Minnesota United. With both Byrne and Doumbia sidelined due to injury, Marshall-Rutty adds much-needed depth at fullback.
Charlotte’s match against the New England Revolution is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, and will be available to stream on Apple TV and MLS Season Pass.
Read next:
