Four days ago, the Union stomached a 2-2 draw with FC Cincinnati that felt like a loss.
Wednesday, escaping Charlotte with a 2-2 decision felt much more like a win.
Daniel Gazdag’s penalty in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time, drawn by Olivier Mbaizo off an unfathomable challenge by Brecht Dejaegere, gave the Union a share of the points in a game it trailed 2-0 in the 61st minute.
Goals by Justin Meram and Karol Swiderski six minutes apart gave Charlotte the edge and what for all the world looked like three points. But Christian Lattanzio’s side has now dropped 24 points from winning positions this season, hence why it ends the night in 13th place in the East. Charlotte is 1-3-9 in its last 13 games.
The Union (14-8-6, 48 points) were at one juncture set to drop to sixth in the conference but they remain fourth, still ahead of third-place Columbus on points per game. They clinched a playoff berth, thanks to a loss by Chicago and a draw by D.C. United. They’re in the postseason for the sixth straight year.
Quinn Sullivan dragged a goal back in the 70th minute, connecting with fellow sub Julian Carranza. Then Mbaizo drew the penalty in stoppage time when Dejaegere, a 32-year-old designated player and veteran of more than 200 games in Europe, made an unconscionable challenge in the box.
Jim Curtin went in with a plan to rotate his team. With Alejandro Bedoya back from suspension and Jack Elliott banned for a red card, it ended up as five changes, including a wholesale swap of the forward line, Tai Baribo and Chris Donovan in. That duo was industrious and effortful in pressing a Charlotte team with a lot of the ball – 57.7 on the final count – but they created precious few chances.
By the time they exited in the 56th minute, they had combined for five shots, three on target, but the team had just a marker of 0.4 on expected goals. The best chance, in the fourth minute, was a header by defender Adilson Malanda that deflected off Donovan and off the post.
“The plan was to rotate and trust our depth,” Curtin said. “We had five guys that will keep fresh legs for the rest of the week. Part of the plan was executed well to get to halftime with the zero. That meant a Charlotte team that is desperate to get into the playoffs has to start to throw bodies forward. I think the plan worked until we conceded.”
The Union got to halftime with the zero for the just the fifth time in 15 road contests. But it didn’t last long. They appeared to clear the danger in the 55th minute when Damion Lowe snuffed out a shot on the foot of forward Enzo Copetti. But Bedoya couldn’t sort his feet over the ball, and it dribbled into the path of Meram for the MLS veteran to hammer it home.
Lowe again appeared to do enough six minutes later when Brandt Bronico got to the byline inside the six-yard box. Lowe’s first slide tackle knocked the ball away, but Bronico was quicker to his feet, and Swiderski and Copetti swapped defenders, the Polish international’s glancing run getting to the ball ahead of the fists of Andre Blake to angle a header past him for his team-leading eighth goal of the year.
Meram’s opener triggered Curtin to bring on Carranza and Mikael Uhre. But it was the second batch of subs, Sullivan and Jack McGlynn in the 67th, that opened the game up. Carranza got loose down the right wing, managing to control the ball on Charlotte’s slippery, slipshod artificial surface. He cut the ball back to Sullivan, who buried his first goal in all competitions this season and his fourth career MLS tally.
With increased depth at forward and a thinner midfield to choose from, Curtin said he’s using Sullivan more as a midfielder. The early returns Wednesday looked good.
“It was good to see him on the side of the diamond make a big play for us, and also helped set up the second one as well,” Curtin said. “He did a really good job. That’s what we need from all of our players, to come in and make an impact.”
The Union should’ve been put to the sword in the 80th if not for a little help from an old friend. Swiderski and Derrick Jones, the former Union Homegrown, launched a 3-on-2 break in the 80th, but Jones spurned the chance well over the bar. Beyond Swiderski’s goal and Gazdag’s penalty, it was the best chance of the game.
Gazdag stepped to the spot in crunch time, the MLS record-holder for single-season penalty-kick conversions adding to his tally by sending Kristjian Kahlina the wrong way. He’s 11-for-11 this season and 19-for-19 all-time in MLS regular season PKs, setting the MLS record for the most consecutive successful penalties to start a career in the league.
Source: Berkshire mont