The Full Time Clip: Charlotte FC Keep Fourth Consecutive Shutout in Scoreless Home Draw Against the LA Galaxy

May 18, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
Charlotte FC News Release

CLTFC are unbeaten in four matches behind Club-record shutout streak

First Half

Lineup: Kahlina, Byrne, Malanda, Privett, Pedro, Westwood, Diani, Bronico, Vargas, Dejaegere, Agyemang

Charlotte FC came into Saturday’s match – the third in eight days – riding a three-game winning and shutout streak. Despite threats of severe weather throughout the day, the storms held off and produced a lovely night of weather.

In the early stages of the first half, both teams traded periods of extended possession and some dangerous moments.

For their part, the LA Galaxy earned a free kick in a promising area outside the box in the 9th minute but hit their shot against CLTFC’s five-man wall. They also had Charlotte fans holding their breath a few minutes later, as Gabriel Pec broke contain down the right side behind Joao Pedro. Pec’s early cross into the box went through Dejan Joveljic and landed at Diego Fagundez’s feet. However, both Adilson Malanda and Nathan Byrne made impressive recovery runs to get blocks in and enable Kristijan Kahlina to tip a save over the bar.

Going the other way, Charlotte FC had some opportunities of their own in this early phase of the half. The biggest was a double chance in the 10th minute. First, Joao Pedro slotted Kerwin Vargas in behind with an inch-perfect pass, but Vargas’s cross was too high even for the 6’5″ Patrick Agyemang. Right away, CLTFC kept the ball in bounds and recycled it to Ashley Westwood, who played a clever pass into Brandt Bronico. Bronico, though, couldn’t keep his balance when he cut the ball back onto his left foot, and the chance was gone.

In the 31st minute, Agyemang went on a trademark run from the halfway line, sprinting past one Galaxy defender and shouldering another to the ground before playing a one-two with Djibril Diani.

Two stepovers later, he fired the ball across the goalmouth, but Bronico couldn’t quite reach it as he was blocked by a defender.

It was Agyemang again in the 39th minute. This time, he rose high inside the box to meet an early Westwood cross. It seemed he was too far out to trouble Novak Micovic in LA’s goal, but his header nearly found the upper 90 and had Micovic concerned before it drifted just wide.

Kerwin Vargas also had a strike from distance in the 45th minute after a good Charlotte build-up, but it lasered over the bar a few feet too high.

The Galaxy had a few chances throughout this period, too, and Kahlina was…