Charlotte FC earned a season-opening victory behind a Malanda set piece goal in front of 62,291 at Bank of America Stadium _
CHARLOTTE, NC (Monday, February 26, 2024) – Charlotte FC defender Adilson Malanda earned a spot on the MLS Team of the Matchday after his opening goal and defensive leadership earned CLTFC a 1-0 victory against New York City FC.
The match was Charlotte FC’s 2024 season and home opener with 62,291 fans in attendance at Bank of America Stadium.
Malanda opened the scoring in just the eighth minute from a corner kick. Kerwin Vargas delivered the ball to the front post, where Iuri Tavares – making his MLS debut as a starter after leading Crown Legacy FC in goals in 2023 – headed the ball off the crossbar and down onto the line. Malanda was then on hand to power it into the net from point blank range to give Charlotte the advantage.
After a blistering opening 20 minutes in which CLTFC poured the pressure on with the large crowd at their back, the game settled into a more back-and-forth rhythm. Despite NYCFC dominating possession, they could not effectively break down Charlotte FC’s defensive structure, led by Malanda.
The 22-year-old Frenchman had five interceptions, four recoveries, four ground duels won, and three tackles over the course of 90 minutes. After four straight clean sheets to end preseason, CLTFC has kept the defensive momentum going into the regular season.
Next up, The Crown has three straight away matches over the next three weeks, starting with the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, March 2nd at 7:30 p.m. ET.
For the full MLS Team of the Matchday, please see below:
F: Antony (POR), Christian Benteke (DC), Lionel Messi (MIA)
M: Brian Gutiérrez (CHI), Riqui Puig (LA), Asier Illarramendi (DAL), Robin Lod (MIN)
D: Omar Campos (LAFC), Adilson Malanda (CLT), Dagur Thorhallsson (ORL)
GK: Drake Callender (MIA)
Coach: Phil Neville (POR)
Bench: Sean Johnson (TOR), Dante Sealy (DAL), Deybi Flores (TOR), Aidan Morris (CLB), Eryk Williamson (POR), Carles Gil (NE), Emil Forsberg (RBNY), Mateusz Bogusz (LAFC), Cristian Arango (RSL)
