CHARLOTTE — Charlotte FC ran away with a win, 3-1, Wednesday night against New York City FC at the Red Bull Arena.
Forward Karol Swiderski opened the scoring with a tap-in goal in the fourth minute. NYCFC answered with a goal of its own in the 28th minutes and the match went to halftime tied, 1-1.
In the second half, Charlotte FC netted two goals to take a commanding lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
[ READ MORE: Charlotte FC picks permanent HQ location in southeast Charlotte ]
Midfielder Brandt Bronico netted a goal in the 77th minute on an assist for Swiderski. Defender Christian Fuchs scored the punctuating goal on a penalty kick in extra time to secure the 3-1 victory.
Charlotte FC improved its record to 10-14-2 and earned just its second road win in the club’s inaugural season. NYCFC suffered its second home loss of the year and fell to 12-4-3.
Charlotte sits in 10th place in the MLS standings with 32 points and a -7 goal differential. The club remains in the thick of the MLS Cup Playoff race just one point behind seventh place Orlando FC.
The club returns home to Bank of America Stadium on Sunday for a pivotal match with the Orlando club that sits above them in the standings. Watch the match on TV64 or our livestream at 7 p.m.
New York City FC to host Charlotte FC in race for playoffs
As the race for spots in the MLS Cup Playoffs heats up, New York City FC is hosting Charlotte FC on Wednesday night.
With less than 10 matches remaining, Charlotte FC is looking to gain ground on Eastern Conference foe NYCFC.
The clubs are set to kickoff from Red Bull Arena at 8 p.m.
[ SCHEDULE UPDATE: Charlotte FC match vs Columbus Crew to resume on Oct. 5 ]
Charlotte FC will have a quick turnaround before Wednesday’s match. The club has to cross the country after a 5-0 loss to Los Angeles FC in California on Saturday night.
Road matches haven’t been kind to Charlotte FC in its inaugural season. The club has won just one match away from Bank of America Stadium, tied two others and lost the remaining 10 appearances as the road team.
Charlotte FC sits in 11th place in the MLS’ Eastern Conference with 29 total points, four points outside the last playoff position.
NYCFC is in third place in the conference with 42 total points. The club has been formidable when playing as the home team, winning eight of its 12 matches and losing just once.
This is the first time the two clubs have faced off in Charlotte FC’s brief history.
Wednesday’s match can be seen live on TV 64 or HERE at 8 p.m.
(WATCH BELOW: Charlotte FC signs 16-year-old Concord native to ‘homegrown’ contract)
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