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USL Charlotte Independence

Charlotte Independence Fall Short in Pittsburgh

July 3, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charlotte Independence News Release


CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Charlotte Independence fell to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds by just one goal tonight at Highmark Stadium. The Jacks will return home for their Grand Re-Opening Match at American Legion Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, July 7 vs. New York Red Bulls II. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

The Charlotte Independence defense was tested early after a number of high pressure attacks by the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Their biggest stop came in the 39th minute. It was a scramble in the box which led to a save on the line by the Jacks defense. The rebound was struck by Pittsburgh's #11 Kenardo Forbes, and Independence Goalkeeper #33 Brandon Miller came up with a huge save to keep everything level at 0-0.

The Riverhounds connected again in the third minute of stoppage time after a flick from #9 Albert Dikwa landed at the feet of #15 Anthony Velarde. He took the shot first-time and placed it in the bottom left corner of the net. The Charlotte Independence trailed at halftime, 0-1.

Miller came up with another big save early in the second half that came off a free kick from Riverhounds #7 Alexander Dixon.

When asked about his mentality in goal tonight, Miller's focus was solely to "Do what I can to keep the team in the game."

The Jacks finally started to gain momentum in the 66th minute when #2 Kevin Riascos got on the end of a corner kick. His header missed high and wide.

#9 Irvin Parra had the best chance of the night for the Independence after he got on the receiving end of a long ball in behind the Pittsburgh defense. He opted for a chip over Goalkeeper #1 Danny Vitiello, but the defense filled in behind, and cleared the ball out of play.

Ultimately, the Jacks couldn't convert and the final score remained, CLT 0 - PIT 1.

"I think we were very poor the first half and never found the rhythm at all in the game," stated Charlotte Independence Head Coach, Mike Jeffries. "I thought we battled hard in the second half and fought and created a little bit and were able to push the game, but it was definitely uphill for us trying to chase at the end. It's a tough road venue and concludes a long stretch of a fair amount of travel for us. It's a disappointing way to finish that out, getting shut out and not really playing at the level we'd like to."

The teams' focus moving forward: "First we have to take physical stock of the group and it's going to be a lot of recovery. It's been a busy stretch with a lot of games, so for us just kind of managing the physical side will be the first priority," stated Jeffries. "Then, preparing for New York. New York's a different kind of team than what we just played so we have to make the adjustments in how we want to play and what we want to do to manage them. Everybody has earmarked the date on their calendars, so the guys are very much looking forward to it and we'll be ready to show up."

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE: The Charlotte Independence return home for Grand Re-Opening Night at American Legion Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, July 7 vs. New York Red Bulls II. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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