Charlotte FC 1-0 Inter Miami CF (21 Oct, 2023) Game Analysis - ESPN (UK)

In the game on Saturday, Kerwin Vargas managed to score for the second time consecutively. This helped to secure Charlotte FC's place in the MLS Cup Playoffs for the very first time. It wasn't an easy feat, as they had to hold on tight to a 1-0 lead against Inter Miami, who had superstar Lionel Messi on their side.

Vargas achieved his objective by scoring a goal and assisting another in a 2-2 draw against Miami on Wednesday evening. Combining this with the outcomes of other games in the Eastern Conference, Charlotte (with a total of 10 wins, 11 draws, and 13 losses, and 43 points) managed to move up to ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings on the last day of the season.

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On either Wednesday or Thursday, they are scheduled to play the New York Red Bulls in the play-in game of the Eastern Conference. The victorious team will then move on to compete against the FC Cincinnati, who won the Supporters' Shield, in a first-round series lasting three games.

Kristijan Kahlina prevented Miami (9-18-7, 34 points) from scoring by making three saves. He especially impressed by making two great saves in the second half when Miami was attacking.

Messi completed a full 90 minutes of play for the first time in a while. His previous longest appearance was in a winning game against LAFC on September 3rd. He suffered an injury and had to take part in international matches, so he only featured in two out of eight league games for Miami.

During that period, the Herons were officially knocked out of the playoffs. Despite Messi's impressive 10 goals that helped Miami win the 2023 Leagues Cup, he only managed to score one goal in the MLS regular season.

In the 13th minute, Vargas was able to score, giving the home team an early lead. The goal started with an offensive play moving from left-to-right up the field. Kamil Jozwiak then attempted to send a cross in towards the goal from the right wing.

During the game in Miami, a player from the opposing team tried to score but one of Miami's defenders blocked the attempt. The ball went straight back to Jozwiak who quickly saw that Vargas was to his left. Vargas pretended to shoot to trick DeAndre Yedlin, who was trying to stop him, then moved to the left and finally made his shot which went past the goalkeeper, C.J. dos Santos, and inside the right goal post.

In the second half, it seemed like Messi scored a goal but later on it was found out that he was offside. However, in the 62nd minute, he took a free kick from a difficult position on the right side. The ball hit Enzo Copetti and Kahlina and then the crossbar, but unfortunately did not go into the goal.

During the soccer game, Karol Swiderski had an opportunity to score Charlotte's second goal in the 72nd minute. However, dos Santos stopped the effort by jumping off his line and using his arms to block the shot, despite it coming from close range.

During the recent game, Kahlina displayed some remarkable skills. She made a stunning move to her left to prevent Leonardo Campana's flick-on header, which occurred in the last minute of the match. Nevertheless, she managed to pull off even more incredible feats in the following moments, mainly during a couple of scrambles near the goal-mouth.