Charlotte will face D.C. United in the next round of the tournament.
CARY, N.C. β Liel Abada, Patrick Agyemang, Nikola Petkovic, and Kerwin Vargas scored in extra time to give Charlotte FC a thrilling 4-1 win over North Carolina FC in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32.
All five of the match’s goals came in the two extra periods, with Vargas’ strike being the final score in stoppage time.
After a 90-minute deadlock, Abada scored the first goal of the match in the 97th minute. Abada scored off a decisive cross from Nick Scardina.
The celebration was short-lived for Charlotte, though, as North Carolina scored in the next minute. Rafael Mentzingen scored from just inside the box and gave a perfect shot that Charlotte’s goalkeeper could not stop.
The teams only stayed even for a few minutes as Agyemang scored in the 103rd minute with a goal headed into the net off a cross from Djibril Diani. Petkovic and Vargas scored in the 119th and 120th minutes, respectively, to ice the game for Charlotte.
North Carolina FC, which competes in the USL Championship, put up a valiant effort on their home turf, but ultimately could not take down the powerhouse MLS squad of Charlotte FC.
Charlotte advances to the Round of 16 in the U.S. Open Cup with the victory. Charlotte will face D.C. United in the next round of the tournament.
Charlotte has lost its last two MLS contests and sits fifth in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte faces Nashville SC on the road on Saturday.
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