After an hour of scoreless soccer, two goals for Charlotte FC in the span of five minutes helped the home side to a 2-0 win over visiting Toronto FC on Saturday night.
In the sweltering summer heat, with the field temperature measured at 104 degrees, Charlotte FC (12-11-2, 38 points) kept cool with a match-winning goal by Idan Toklomati in the 60th minute. After a strong defensive start for both sides, Brandt Bronico sent in a cross from just outside the right corner of the 18-yard box, which Toklomati sent across the face of goalkeeper Sean Johnson to give the home side the lead.
Then, five minutes later, United States international defender Tim Ream disrupted Toronto’s defense at midfield, getting the ball to Wilfried Zaha in Charlotte’s offensive half. Zaha found a streaking Kerwin Vargas down the right wing, who finished the shot calmly, going off a diving Johnson and into the back of the net.
On his own flipping bobblehead night, Vargas celebrated the goal with a running backflip to give Charlotte a two-goal lead that Toronto (5-13-6, 21 points) would not threaten.
It was not all good news for Charlotte. In the 70th minute, Bill Tuiloma went down in the middle of a Toronto offensive run and grabbed his right leg, which forced his substitution by manager Dean Smith.
For Toronto, in the third minute of second-half stoppage time, Deybi Flores went up for the ball and collided with teammate Lazar Stefanovic. Flores stayed on the field for nearly a minute but did not leave the game despite a potential head injury for the substitute midfielder.
Offensively, Charlotte kept on the counter-attack after going up two goals and Johnson preserved the lead with two saves, with a third stop by Sigurd Rosted.
The victory for Charlotte FC gives the side four wins in a row, each win featuring multiple goals. Now the side from the Queen City takes a break from MLS play until Aug. 10. In the next two weeks, the club enters the Leagues Cup with matches against Liga MX sides Juarez, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Toronto has no matches until the league starts again on Aug. 9.
–Field Level Media
