SALT LAKE CITY — Superstitious soccer fans in Charlotte may start getting antsy about the number three after a tough road loss in Salt Lake City.
Charlotte FC got the scoring started in its road match against Real Salt Lake on Saturday, but the home time froze out the black and blue after halftime with a trio of seemingly rapid-fire goals.
Karol Świderski got the scoring game started, striking in the net with a Ben Bender assist 27 minutes into the match. But that would be the only time Charlotte would find the net the entire match.
Halftime came and went, and then Real Salt Lake got to scoring. Pablo Ruiz, a midfielder, tied the score up for both teams at the 56-minute mark. Then striker Anderson Julio found the net just three minutes later with help from Andrés Gómez.
Another three minutes would pass, and Gomez again helps Real Salt Lake find the net, assisting midfielder Jefferson Savarino for the goal.
Three goals by Salt Lake with three-minute intervals in between each. And to boot, Charlotte FC players garnered a total of three yellow cards: one for Bender, one for defender Harrison Afful, and one for striker Kamil Jóźwiak.
The scoring for both teams stopped after Savarino's goal for Real Salt Lake. But even with nearly 30 minutes of match time and eight minutes of stoppage time left on the board after that, Charlotte FC couldn't answer back. Real Salt Lake would defend their home turf 3-1 against the visitors.
Saturday's loss means Charlotte FC falls in the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference rankings. Their next chance to add points to the board is Saturday, April 15 at home against the Colorado Rapids.
The last time Charlotte FC faced off against Colorado was in April 2022. That match ended in a scoreless draw.
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