FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Monday, May 18, 2026) - Crown Legacy FC walked away with a resounding victory over Inter Miami CF II on Monday afternoon, posting a 5-1 win at Chase Stadium. CLFC saw forward Nathan Richmond nab a hat trick of assists while Rodolfo Aloko secured a brace. Richmond now leads MLS NEXT Pro in assists with seven while Aloko and Hugo Mbongue are tied for the Golden Boot lead with eight apiece.
Crown Legacy struck in just the ninth minute of the match when Richmond stole the ball off a Miami defender after a bad touch. The winger rounded into the penalty area and slipped a pass to Mbongue who slid in for the finish.
CLFC doubled its lead in the 38th minute thanks to Nimfasha Berchimas. After Richmond won an aerial duel and nudged the ball on to Berchimas, who took a touch before rocketing a shot to the far right corner of goal.
It took only two more minutes before Legacy found another. Starting on the left flank, Berchimas found Mbongue on a run into the box who faked a shot to open up Aloko on his right, with the Beninese forward finishing calmly in front of goal with his left foot.
CLFC took a 4-0 lead into halftime when after stringing together quick passes in the midfield, Aloko found a wide-open breakaway and was able to sprint to a one-on-one opportunity for him to convert with a right-footed strike.
Richmond completed his hat trick of assists by setting up Crown Legacy's fifth of the afternoon. The forward picked out pass for Emmanuel Uchegbu in the box, who took a touch before blasting a left-footed strike that slipped through the hands of Miami's keeper.
Miami brought one back to end the contest's scoring when Idoh Zeltzer-Zubida slipped through two defenders outside the box to find an opening for a long ranged strike that found its way to the bottom left corner.
Crown Legacy FC returns home to take on New England Revolution II on Friday, May 22. Kickoff at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex is set for 7:00 p.m. ET and admission to the match is free.
Match Notes:
- CLFC regained the top spot of the Eastern Conference, bringing its point total to 26, with a +20 goal differential (34-14).
- Forward Nathan Richmond tallied a hat trick of assists, which brings him to front of the pack in MLS NEXT Pro's assist tally (seven).
- Forwards Hugo Mbongue and Rodolfo Aloko are tied with each other for MLS NEXT Pro's Golden Boot with eight goals apiece.
- Forward Hugo Mbongue scored his eighth goal and second and third assists since joining Crown Legacy FC. The forward has notched a goal contribution in nine of his 10 matches with the Club.
- Charlotte FC winger Rodolfo Aloko returned to CLFC for the first time since signing his MLS contract, picking up where he left off by securing a brace.
- Homegrown winger Nimfasha Berchimas sits one goal off the Golden Boot lead after scoring his seventh of the season.
- Nigerian winger Emmanuel Uchegbu also found the scoresheet, scoring his second goal of the season.
- Academy defender Jeremiah Alexander-Munoz made his professional debut with his substitution in the second half. He is the fifth youngest debutant in Club history, coming in at 16 years, 2 months and 23 days old.
Scoring Summary:
- 9' - CLFC - Hugo Mbongue (Nathan Richmond)
- 38' - CLFC - Nimfasha Berchimas (Nathan Richmond)
- 41' - CLFC - Rodolfo Aloko (Hugo Mbongue)
- 45'+2' - CLFC - Rodolfo Aloko (Hugo Mbongue)
- 74' - CLFC - Emmanuel Uchegbu (Nathan Richmond)
- 81' - MIA - Idoh Zeltzer-Zubida (Matthias Vieux)
Disciplinary Summary:
- 28' - CLFC - Assane Ouedraogo (Caution 🟨)
- 31' - MIA - Jo Jo (Caution 🟨)
- 50' - MIA - Ian Urkidi (Caution 🟨)
- 70' - MIA - Mateo Saja (Caution 🟨)
- 72' - CLFC - Assane Ouedraogo (Caution 🟨 / Ejection 🟥)
- 86' - MIA - Ian Urkidi (Caution 🟨 / Ejection 🟥)
- 86' - CLFC - Daniel Brown (Caution 🟨)
