CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte FC was looking to jump into playoff contention on Sunday but instead, Orlando City SC proved why they sit in that position.
Charlotte lost on Sunday 2-1 to Orlando in Sunday's match at Bank of America Stadium.
All of the match's scoring came in the second half. Orlando SC struck first with a goal from Ercan Kara in the 62nd minute.
Charlotte evened things just a few minutes later when Orrin Gaines knotched ina cracking header.
The game sat tied until Orlando's Tesho Akindele got back-to-back chances on a goal opportunity in the 89th minute. Akindele shot the ball at the goal but Charlotte FC's goalkeeper blocked it right back to Akindele, who was able to make good on his second chance.
The loss drops Charlotte FC to an overall 10-15-2 record and 7-11-1 in Eastern Conference play. Charlotte sits 10th in the conference standings in their inaugural season.
On the other side, Orlando is now 8-8-3 against Eastern Conference opponents and 10-10-6 overall. Orlando is now slotted 5th in the conference standings.
After Charlotte FC's surprising big win over the reigning MLS champs New York City FC on Wednesday, a win on Sunday could have made their playoff chances more of a reality for the team's inaugural season.
Charlotte looked at full form in Wednesday's match against New York by winning 3-1 over the reigning MLS champions, erasing some of the negativity put over the team after their devastating loss to Los Angeles FC in a previous match.
Charlotte FC's next match is against Toronto FC on Friday at Bank of America stadium.
New York City FC came in as the favorites in this match with a 12-6-7 record that has them third in the MLS Eastern Conference standings. The defending MLS champions are still looking to prove they can repeat after being the best team in the league last season.
Charlotte FC didn't exist last season, though, and was unphased on taking on the champs as they found a way to put three goals on the scoreboard during the first meeting between the two teams.
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