MLS expansion side Charlotte FC traveled to City Stadium to take on the Richmond Kickers and came away with a 5-1 win on Wednesday night. While the hosts from USL League One held their own for much of the game, it was a barrage of Charlotte goals early in the second half that dashed their hopes of an MLS upset.
After Charlotte went into the halfime break leading 1-0, the Kickers came out strong in the second half, scoring an equalizer in the 53rd minute. However, any momentum they gained in front of their home fans quickly faded as the MLS side scored a minute later. It was the first of three goals in a seven-minute span which cracked the game wide open.
Yordy Reyna was the player who turned the tide for Charlotte. The Peruvian forward scored a goal and added three assists to send the first-year club to the Round of 16.
The greater Richmond community is no stranger to MLS teams coming to town. The Kickers have hosted MLS teams 13 different times prior to Wednesday’s match. City Stadium had a buzz to it as the Kickers were hosting their first MLS opponent since 2015 when the Columbus Crew beat them 3-1 in the Third Round.
Wednesday’s game featured the oldest running soccer franchise in the United States against one of the newest. The Richmond Kickers, winners of the 1995 US Open Cup, were founded in 1993 and have won three USL championships that pre-date the current USL Championship and USL League One.
Charlotte FC have rallied the support of the greater Charlotte area in a very exciting way. Their home opener broke a record in the United States when they drew 74,479 fans to Bank of America Stadium, a stadium they share with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Members of the Charlotte FC supporter’s group, the Crown, made the five-hour trip to Richmond to support Charlotte FC and made their voices heard.
The first half of the game provided for a lot of excitement. Early on, Richmond had the better chances and created a lot of opportunities for their striker, reigning two-time USL League One MVP Emiliano Terzaghi. However, it would be Charlotte who would get on the scoreboard first with a goal from Daniel Rios.
Charlotte FC had the ball in the Kickers 18-yard box and maneuvered passes around until Rios could slot it home past the Kickers keeper, Akira Fitzgerald.
The chances continued for Richmond throughout the first half and at halftime the score was 1-0.
The announced crowd of 4,621 at City Stadium was buzzing with excitement for the second half and the home team delivered. Zaca Moran scored in the 53rd minute from the top of the 18-yard box after the ball took a deflection in front and ended up in the back of the net. The equalizer gave Richmond a sense of hope that they could upset the MLS side.
“(After the first half) we were feeling great, we scored a great goal and got back in the game,” Richmond Kickers head coach Darren Sawatzky said after the game. “I think we had more of the ball then them at the start of the second half, goals change games and when you give one away it changes the momentum of the game.”
That would be the story for the rest of the game as Charlotte FC got one back only a couple of minutes after the Kickers equalizer. Yordy Reyna scored after a give-and-go in the 54th minute and it would eventually open things up for Charlotte FC to score three more goals before the night was over.
McKinze Gaines helped open up the floodgates when Reyna broke open on a counter attack down the left wing. With plenty of space and the Richmond defenders trying to get back to recover, Reyna played it across into the box for Gaines who slotted it home to make it 3-1.
Reyna would play a role in his fourth straight goal, picking the ball up near the midfield circle and playing a through ball up to Gaines on the right side. After a couple of touches, Gaines pulled the ball back to his right foot and beat Fitzgerald to the far post.
Andre Shinyashiki scored the fifth and final goal of the night for Charlotte FC in the 86th minute. On a corner kick, the ball fell to him right in front of goal and he roofed the ball from close range.
“This is the beauty of the Open Cup,” said Shinyashiki. “You get teams from different divisions playing each other. They were a very good team, they made it hard for us and they played really well in the first half.”
Charlotte will learn their Round of 16 opponent on Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. ET when the USSF conducts the draw.