Union push unbeaten streak to 15 games with 2-2 tie vs. Charlotte FC
Milan Iloski and Bruno Damiani scored the Union's goals, with the latter coming after Charlotte had taken a 2-1 lead in the second half.
The Union’s team-record winning streak ended at eight games on Saturday, but they did extend their unbeaten run to 15 games with a 2-2 comeback tie against Charlotte FC.
It was a fair result for two teams at the end of three-game weeks. The fatigue showed on both sides, but there was some quality along the way, including in the goals.
Milan Iloski scored his 20th of the year in the 24th minute. He was a little fortunate, as the handball call on Pep Biel came when a free kick of his deflected off another Charlotte player, then hit Biel in an arm that was close to his body. Referee Jon Freeman stuck to his call, and Iloski had no trouble beating Kristijan Kahlina.
Andre Blake got a little lucky in the 34th when Ashley Westwood hit a nifty curler off the right post. Charlotte threatened a few more times after that in the half, but the Union’s defense stepped up each time. At intermission, the visitors had put just one of their seven shots on target.
Then again, the Union (13-10-7, 46 points) had done so with just one of their 10, and it was Iloski’s penalty kick.
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That luck ran out three minutes into the second half. Charlotte’s Nathan Byrne sent a quick throw-in from between the benches to Idan Toklomati, who turned and played a fine pass that split Nathan Harriel and Neil Pierre. Rodolfo Aloko latched on it, Harriel didn’t close him down, and Aloko dispatched a calm shot.
Iloski had an open look to regain the lead on his foot in the 53rd after a great pass from Cavan Sullivan, but he misplayed it and shot off the crossbar.
Ryan Richter made his first substitution in the 55th, withdrawing Indiana Vassilev for Quinn Sullivan after Vassilev got banged up in the first half.
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Charlotte (13-9-8, 47 points) took the lead in the 62nd when Toklomati headed in David Schnegg’s big cross. Harriel was beaten on this play too, and Blake was caught on his line as the ball bounced past him.
The Union looked to have equalized seconds later, but Cavan Sullivan was just barely offside when Iloski played him forward. Earlier in the sequence, Bruno Damiani got in a head-to-head collision with Charlotte’s Morrison Agyemang.
The stoppage for the injury let the video replay crew take a long look, and the offside decision stood.
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Damiani returned soon after play resumed and in the 73rd he delivered a terrific equalizer. Quinn Sullivan started the play with a drive down the right and a pass to the striker, who played a give-and-go with Danley Jean Jacques. The ball ended up on a platter at the top of the 18-yard box, and Damiani lashed it to the far corner for his 15th goal of the year.
Damiani finally ran out of gas in the 79th and was replaced after a stoppage by Malik Jakupović in the 82nd minute. It was unclear in the moment whether that was related to a concussion test he had to pass to return to the game after the earlier collision.
Richter said in his postgame news conference that it was too soon for him to know how Damiani was doing.
Charlotte should have won it in the 89th, but Henry Kessler’s header off Biel’s free kick hit the left post with Blake stranded. Both Sullivan brothers could have won it for the Union in a whopping 12 minutes of stoppage time, but their shots forced fine saves from Kahlina.
