A lot was at stake for Westwood and The Crown heading into MLS Decision Day, but two first-half goals from forwards Wilfried Zaha and Kerwin Vargas helped Charlotte FC take down the Philadelphia Union.
No one would call it a perfect performance, but when Charlotte FC had to go on the road and get three points to keep their hunt for a top four spot alive, they got the job done.
A goal in the tenth minute from Charlotte FC forward Wilfried Zaha got the party started early for The Crown. It was all downhill, though, after defender Adilson Malanda was shown a red card for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity in the 20th minute.
Two successful penalty kicks from New York City FC forward Alonso Martinez put the historic Charlotte FC win streak to bed in The Bronx, with the Pigeons prevailing 2-0 over The Crown.
A historic night at the Fortress for Charlotte FC. A hat trick from Charlotte FC forward Idan Toklomati and an outstanding clean sheet performance from Kristijan Kahlina helped secure a 3-0 win over Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF. With the win, Charlotte FC tie the MLS post-shootout era record for longest winning streak.
It wasn’t a pretty night for Charlotte. New England owned possession, led the shot count 20-6, and trailed in expected goals scored 3.3-2.1. But as Head Coach Dean Smith said in his pre-match press conference, he’s not worried about how wins “look”.
Kerwin Vargas vaulted, and Charlotte FC vaulted up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference after a first-half goal and a fourth-consecutive clean sheet extended The Crown's winning streak to seven.
That’s six MLS wins in a row for The Crown, who are proving to the league that they are, indeed, for real. A 1-0 triumph over Real Salt Lake at Bank of America Stadium extends the Club-record win streak to six and their MLS unbeaten streak to seven matches.
For much of the first 70 minutes of the match, FC Cincinnati was on the ascendancy and it looked like the home team snagging the three points was all but inevitable.
The momentum from the regular season was nowhere to be found, though, as the campaign began with an inauspicious 4-1 defeat at the hands of FC Juarez. In a competition where only four out of 18 MLS clubs would qualify for the knockout stages after three phase one matches, starting with a loss and a -3 goal difference would make qualifying almost impossible.
Four in a row. Win your home games. That's all it can take in this league to push you into a playoff position.
A tale of two halves. It did not start like a Charlotte FC win, but it ended like one.
In one of the more complete performances we have seen from Charlotte, The Crown took down D.C. United 2-1 thanks to a brace from Pep Biel.
At times, it wasn't the prettiest match, but Charlotte FC got back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over New York City FC. It was the type of result we expect at home—two strong goals and grinding out a clean sheet. Classic CLTFC.
A match that saw fireworks in the sky post-match also saw them on the pitch as a four-goal thriller ended up in a disappointing 2-2 draw against Orlando City at Bank of America Stadium.
Charlotte showed fight, but it was too little, too late in Chicago. After going down three by halftime, Charlotte bounced back in the second half to make it 3-2 in the 59th minute. It was game on from there, and The Crown scrapped to find the equalizer. There were chances, but nothing fell for Charlotte, and the night ended in disappointment, marking the third straight loss for the black and blue.
That one stings. Philadelphia Union are in first place in the Eastern Conference for a reason. A late match-winner in the 98th minute sealed their 12-match unbeaten streak in all competitions.
Things you love to see. Two goals. Clean sheet. Road victory. It was a dominant performance from The Crown. They ended the night with 3.5 xG, five big chances created out of 18 total shots, and nine on target.
A tough one in the Garden State. Two penalties, four goals allowed—it was not a night Charlotte will want to remember.
That was fun. Charlotte FC put on a home show, scoring three goals en route to a victory over the Columbus Crew. There could have easily been more. Charlotte came to play today and was flying all over the attack.
A brutal night of weather and disappointment for The Crown in D.C.
Not the result you want to see at home. Chicago hung four goals on The Crown in their return home after four matches on the road. It was a rough night for the Black & Blue.
A couple of missed chances. A couple of unfortunate bounces. Another disappointing result.
Charlotte and Nashville end their season series at 1-1. Same score line as match one, home team wins once again.
The magic of the Open Cup never disappoints. Charlotte FC advance to the Round of 16 in the U.S. Open Cup after taking down North Carolina FC in extra time. The match was a slog for 90 minutes, and neither side could find a breakthrough. Then, extra time happened, and five goals were scored.
Another frustrating night for the Crown. There were moments of promising play for Charlotte. But for most of the match, the Columbus Crew were the Columbus Crew.
It was a tough night for Charlotte FC. The Crown dominated the first half, with some of their best attacking chances of the season. But what is plaguing this squad from reaching its potential right now is finishing chances.
It was a good night for a good night. Charlotte FC emphatically defeated San Diego FC, the third-place side in the Western Conference. It was San Diego's first trip out East, and the Crown handed them a strong message.
Dean Smith and the boys put in a professional performance in Montreal. They scored early, were hard to break down in the back, and didn't let anything in their net. And they are marching home with their first road three points of the season.
Good teams find a way to win even on their worst days. Today, Charlotte FC found a way. All signs were pointing to disappointment. Even a draw would have felt lackluster after Charlotte's run of form at home. Some late heroics changed that narrative entirely.
It was a rough one for the Crown. Sloppy. No major threats. Questionable calls. It's just all around, not a night Charlotte will want to remember.
Four goals. For the Crown. An emphatic performance from the rotated side. Completely dominant from start to finish. The Crown moved to 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. What a night for the boys.
A tale of two halves is a tale as old as time. It felt almost like deja vu. Charlotte FC found another gear in the second half as they powered past Cincinnati to a 2-0 victory. It's the same story from their first home match of the season.
There is no Sunday Funday here. Charlotte FC went into their second road match with ambitions high, deservedly so. However, they ran into a speed bump. That bump, Inter Miami.
What a way to start. Charlotte FC had a plan. Executed that plan. And delivered a Battle of the South beatdown on Atlanta to open up the 2025 season at home.
The Crown were up against the odds in this one but battled to the bitter end to take a point home in their season opener.