Charlotte FC capitalizes in extra time vs. North Carolina FC

GREG NG

North Carolina FC's Collin Martin runs with the ball as Charlotte FC's Eryk Williamson defends during NCFC's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match Tuesday in Cary.

For 90 minutes they were equals.

The next 30 minutes would prove they were not.

The second-tier USL Championship side North Carolina FC deferred nothing to the visiting top-level Charlotte FC, currently one of the best sides in MLS despite losses in their last two matches.

In the end, history will record a 4-1 victory for the big club at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.

“It was good game for us,” said Charlotte coach Dean Smith. “I enjoyed how we played at times. Again, we just didn’t take the chances. A bit like the New England game. “Idan (Toklomati) missed one in the first half. We missed two or three in the second half as well. And if you do that, you can get punished. They had the big chance in the last minute. We missed two tackles, and David (Bingham) had to make a good save for us.
“But you know, I thought we deserved to win. I thought we were the best team overall and controlled large parts of the game. I just felt the first half was it was a little bit too slow on the ball. I thought the tempo with the game wasn't good enough. I thought it was a lot slicker in the second half.”

Smith started a heavily rotated side with Kerwin Vargas, Idan Toklomati, and Tyger Smalls up front, Iuri Tavares, Erik Williamson, and Djibril Diani across the middle, with a backline of Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, Andrew Privett, Bill Tuiloma, and Nick Scardina. David Bingham got his first start in goal for the Crown this season, his second in two years with the team. Wilfried Zaha was not in the lineup, nor was captain Ashley Westwood.

Usual starters Liel Abada, Patrick Agyemang, Brandt Bronico, and Tim Ream were all on the bench. Adilson Malanda was out after receiving two yellow cards against Birmingham FC in a Cup match two years ago. Pep Biel is still coming back from injury.

The first 90 minutes provided but a few memorable moments, the most dynamic a scare early for Charlotte as a long throw in by Mikey Maldonado was nodded over Bingham at the six-minute mark at the near post. The ball looked like it was sneaking in the back post before Scardina rose to clear it off the line with an overhead kick.

When Smith introduced Agyemang in the 78th minute, along with Abada and Bronico in the 86th, there also came a greater urgency and pressure on the NCFC goal. It increased as the game went into extra time with three goals in the first 15 minutes.

Abada scored in the 97th on a cross from Scardina. Two minutes later, the home team equalized on a terrific shot by Rafa Mentzingen. With a minute left, Diani’s looping pass was nodded inside the far post by Agyemang, making it 2-1 with 15 more to play.

Smith brought in Ream and Jack Neely to freshen the defense. Another sub, Nikola Petkovic, made his season debut and scored on an assist by Vargas to seal the game in the 119th minute. Vargas was rewarded with his own goal from an Agyemang assist three minutes into added time just before the final whistle.

“It's good to come here, and our fans to come here, and play NCFC,” Smith said. “They are well-coached and well-organized and gave us a test. We’re through to the last 16 now, so it’s a really good opportunity for us to go and get some silverware. I said that to the players before the game. (The club is) only four years old; it’s a chance for them to make some legacy for themselves and go and try and win the first trophy.”

The Crown will travel to D.C. United for the Round of 16. They beat Charleston Battery 2-0 on Tuesday.

David versus Goliath

MLS teams won all five matches on Tuesday with 11 more on Wednesday. If a lower-division club wins, it may be a “Cupset,” but it shouldn’t be a surprise.

The Charlotte Independence, in their first season as a third-tier USL club, advanced to the fifth round of the 2015 U.S. Open Cup, beating the New England Revolution 1-0 on the road before losing to Chicago Fire 3-1 in the Round of 16. 

The David vs. Goliath matches make the Open Cup special. It’s also what made the MLS league office decision last year to totally pull out of the competition, later revised to commit only eight teams, such a foolish choice. The Open Cup, particularly when MLS teams travel to non-league cities, provides a unique and valuable marketing opportunity to build connections with fans across the b country. This can create new fans, especially the impressionable younger ones, who get to see MLS teams and players for the first time. That can impact the sale of merchandise and TV viewership.

Seeing a team in person has great value. Even a lesser-known English club like Bolton Wanderers, currently in the third tier but then in the Premier League, which played the Charlotte Eagles in a summer exhibition at UNC Charlotte 15 years ago, created a local following. 

New Canuck on the block

A bright spot in the match was the play of recent addition Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, who was signed on a loan from Montreal FC on April 23.

The 20-year-old Canadian had already amassed 88 appearances in MLS. He signed a Homegrown contract with Toronto FC as a 15-year-old in 2020 and in 2021 became the youngest player to be called up to the Canadian national team, surpassing FC Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies who is widely considered to be one of the best left backs in the world.

Marshall-Rutty played in six matches for CF Montreal this season before the move and made his Crown debut as a 61st minute sub for Nick Scardina as a right-back against Columbus on Saturday. Smith gave him the start on the left side last night in the previously mentioned rotated lineup.

“It was the right time to put Jahk on,” said Smith after the match. “(He gave) us a little bit more pace going forward. He did well. He got forward. He put some decent crosses into the box. Got into some decent areas. Held the ball well when he needed to.”

CLTFC acquired Marshall-Rutty until the end of the season in exchange for $100,000 GAM in 2025. Anything permanent would be far more expensive. Toronto initially received $850,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) from Montreal with add-ons that could take the deal up to $1.3 million in GAM.

Neely note

The club’s third Homegrown player, Charlotte native Jack Neely, made his official debut for the Crown in the Cup match, coming on for Scardina in the 105th minute.

“It’s what I’ve been working for and a dream come true,” he said after the match, adding that Smith didn’t embellish the moment in any special way. “He just told me where I was going to go. Nothing sweet. Just go do the job, finish the game off for us, and I felt like I did that.”

The former CLTFC Academy and CSA player signed his professional contract in 2023, following the first team preseason where he made his unofficial debut against LA Galaxy.
Since then, he’s been a fixture in defense with the MLS Next Pro side, Crown Legacy FC, making 22 appearances (19 starts) in 2024. The centerback made 25 appearances (22 starts) in 2023, his first professional season.

Neely is another sign the club’s development program through the academy and Crown Legacy is making an impact.

“You’ve already seen the pathway with players like Brian (Romero) and Nimfa (Berchimas),” he said. “I think we’re starting to see that with other kids playing on the second team as well. Getting a lot of opportunities and I think that’s what this club is offering for young players. They give us opportunities when they think we’re ready and they expect a lot from us.”

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