Alcivar’s corner kick lifts Charlotte victory
Jordy Alcivar scored on a corner kick in the 11th minute and Charlotte FC held off late bids from Atlanta United for a 1-0 victory Sunday afternoon in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Kristijan Kahlina recorded six saves in the shutout as Charlotte avenged a 2-1 loss last month in Atlanta.
Charlotte (3-4-0, 9 points) got a boost from the early goal and sustained that momentum for long stretches.
Atlanta (3-2-1, 10 points) seemed unable to overcome lineup changes necessitated by a recent rash of injuries.
Alcivar’s outstanding goal came as he launched a rightfooted shot on the set piece, with the ball finding the net in the top right corner. The midfielder put the ball just over the outstretched hand of Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan.
Guzan finished with three saves.
After being shut out in its previous game, Charlotte made the early strike hold up.
Atlanta threatened at times during the second half, particularly during a stretch midway through the period.
Miles Robinson’s header from the center of the box sailed to the right in the 64th minute. That was followed two minutes later by Franco Ibarra’s near miss from the right side.
Still, Charlotte had the better of the play for much of the second half.
There were four yellow cards in the final 20 minutes in a game that became physical. There were 26 fouls called in the game, with 17 of them on Charlotte.
Christian Fuchs, Brandt Bronico and Jaylin Lindsey all were shown yellow for Charlotte, while Ibarra picked up a yellow card for Atlanta.
This was the only home match in five April assignments for Charlotte, which improved to 3-1-0 at home in its first season in MLS.