Written By: Oliver Dahlén
In the first ever meeting between the two sides, the Sarasota Paradise fall to the Charlotte Independence 3-1 at American Legion Memorial Stadium.
Charlotte Independence is the highest scoring team in USL League One, and they demonstrated their attacking prowess early on.
In the 2nd minute, midfielder Jon Bakero whipped in a cross first time which found the head of Forward Souaibou Marou at the back post. A second goal soon followed, with midfielder Christopher Jaimie dispossessing Reid Valentine and launching a quick counter attack. Jaimie was able to hit a low driven ball into the box, finding the foot of Jon Bakero for a 2-0 lead.
Charlotte tripled their lead in the 13th minute, when the Paradise were unable to clear their lines properly, when midfielder Christopher Jaimie latched onto a loose clearance and blasted the ball at the near post.
The Paradise showcased their resilience despite the deficit, still battling for loose balls and keeping possession. Towards the end of the first half, midfielder Ethan Bryant created his own space and launched a strike on net that just barely missed the target.
In hopes of steadying the ship The Paradise made two changes at half-time bringing on Chandler O’Dwyer and Robert Burlew. The changes at the break proved fruitful as the Paradise came out of the break aggressive and creating chances.
Alex Sutton showed his goalkeeping prowess, as he stopped Charlotte from going up four. Charlotte substitute Viggo Ortiz found himself in a dangerous position within Sarasota’s penalty box, but was thwarted by the outstretched leg of Sutton, keeping the deficit at 3.
In the 51st minute, substitute Chandler O’Dwyer registered a dangerous chance for the Paradise from a set piece. The midfielder curled a ball into the box and forced an uncomfortable save from the Charlotte keeper, forcing a promising rebound.
In the 71st minute the other half time substitute helped create a promising chance for the Paradise. Fullback Robert Burlew received a ball in the air from substitute Sander Røed and aimed to take his man on down the right hand side. He floated a cross in, finding the chest of forward Garrett McLaughlin, who was able to combine with Røed inside the box. After receiving the ball back from Røed, McLaughlin launched a volley on net, forcing an acrobatic save out of Charlotte goalkeeper Matt Levy. Brendan Krueger was unable to convert the follow up rebound, but the chance signaled the fight from the Paradise camp.
The resilience and persistence would pay off for the Paradise in the 82nd minute. Substitute Emiliano Terzaghi dropped deep into the midfield and received a ball from Aaron Walker. Terzaghi was able to switch the point of attack, playing a long ball to the right hand side which found the attacking run of Robert Burlew. The fullback took the ball in stride and hit the ball in the air, sailing over Charlotte goalkeeper Levy and finding the back of the net. Burlew’s second goal of the year and Terzaghi’s second assist of the season brought down the deficit to 2.
In the 93rd minute, midfielder Aaron Walker was shown a red card after committing a foul, leaving him unavailable for selection in the Paradise’s next game.
While going 3-0 down early in the game, the Paradise showed extreme fight and determination and were able to reduce the deficit in the second half. Sarasota was able to register 15 shots throughout the game, with 6 on target.
Stats to know:
- Aaron Walker: 46 passes, 4 interceptions, 71% challenge success, crucial in midfield battles.
- Declan Watters: 53 passes, 3 interceptions, 100% challenge success, defensive rock.
- Brendan Krueger: 2 shot assists, 67% challenge success
Post Game Quotes:
“Charlotte is the highest scoring team in our league, and they came out of the gate aggressive and attack-minded, and we were not able to match that with our defending. I commend our players’ desire to keep fighting and try to get back in the game, but our quality wasn’t good enough tonight.”- Head Coach Mika Elovaara