CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte FC was back home at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday, determined to defend the fortress against D.C. United.
And defend they did.
The first - and only - goal of the night came courtesy of striker Kerwin Vargas. He found the net with an assist from full-back Jere Uronen as the first half ticked into stoppage time.
D.C. United didn't have enough time to respond then. But while the match was certainly not over then, the window for the visiting team to score was quickly closing in the second half.
Defense again proved to be Charlotte's strongest suit. Goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina prevented D.C. from kicking the ball in, even though he was offsides.
The clock ticked on, and D.C. United still could not at least take the match out to a draw even with stoppage time factored in. In the end, Charlotte FC defended the home pitch 1-0 and tacked on three more points onto its MLS standing.
The black and blue have a short break before hosting Orlando City SC on Wednesday, June 19, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. The team will honor and celebrate Juneteenth with its theme night.
The historical record between Charlotte and Orlando is even: 2 wins each and a draw shared.