Idan Toklomati and Pep Biel scored within a minute of each other to start the second half, and Charlotte salvaged a 2-2 draw at home against FC Cincinnati.
FC Cincinnati put two past Kristijan Kahlina in the first half at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday night. Then Idan Toklomati scored in the 51st minute and Pep Biel scored in the 52nd, and the match was 2-2 before either side had settled. The scoreline held the rest of the way. Attendance: 26,252.
The point ends a two-match losing streak for Charlotte. It was the club's first home match since the 4-1 loss at Orlando and the 4-2 loss at Nashville — the two-game road blowout that knocked Charlotte from third in the Eastern Conference to fifth.
The First Half Belonged to Denkey and Evander
Cincinnati's opener came in the 36th minute. Kévin Denkey scored after Kahlina made a save on an Evander free kick from just outside the area. It was Denkey's seventh goal in MLS play this season; he has scored in three of his last four matches.
Evander made it 2-0 seven minutes later, in the 43rd. The Brazilian midfielder put a right-footed effort toward the top left corner of the goal, away from Kahlina, and beat him. It was Evander's sixth of the season and his 49th career goal contribution for FC Cincinnati — enough to pass Álvaro Barreal for third on the club's all-time list. Brandon Vazquez (60) and Luciano Acosta (125) are above him.
Ninety Seconds That Made It a Point Instead of a Loss
Charlotte scored in the 51st minute. Tim Ream and Ashley Westwood are credited with the assists; Toklomati put it in.
Cincinnati's restart had not run long when Charlotte scored again. Djibril Diani and David Schnegg are credited with the assists on Biel's 52nd-minute finish. Two goals, less than two minutes off the second-half clock. The match was level.
Neither side scored the rest of the way. Charlotte held the ball less than its visitor (46.2 percent possession) and took fewer shots (11 to Cincinnati's 13), but it was Cincinnati's two on target in the first half and Charlotte's two on target to open the second that decided the night. Ashley Westwood picked up a yellow card in the 54th. Cincinnati picked up four yellows: Gerardo Valenzuela (26'), Samuel Gidi (62'), Evander (77'), and Obinna Nwobodo (90'). Ismail Elfath was the referee.
What the Point Buys
Charlotte entered Saturday in fifth in the Eastern Conference with 14 points through ten matches. FC Cincinnati arrived in ninth on twelve. The draw closes that gap by a single point in either direction and stalls a slide that had picked up speed in late April.
The schedule does not relent. Charlotte is home again Wednesday against New York City FC, then Toronto FC the following Saturday, then New England the weekend after that. Three more matches in ten days, and a chance to climb back toward third in the East before the calendar turns to June.
A draw is not a win. It is a better Saturday night than the last two were.