Defender Henry Kessler headed Charlotte FC in front six minutes into Saturday's game against Orlando City, and Charlotte won 4-0 in its last home game of the regular season.
Charlotte will play the regular-season finale without forward Allan Saint-Maximin. He scored the second goal, then was sent off in the 89th minute, and the club said he will miss the match at Inter Miami.
Charlotte (15-10-8), already in the playoffs, is fifth in the Eastern Conference with 53 points, two behind fourth-place Chicago, according to MLS's official standings. The club says Charlotte can finish fourth only by winning in Miami while Chicago fails to beat Columbus. The match is Saturday, Nov. 7, on Decision Day, the last day of the regular season, at 4 p.m. ET on Apple TV.
Coach Dean Smith, who said he had spoken to Saint-Maximin since, called it "a pathetic red card." Describing what happened, Smith said, "The lad said something to him and he said something back or did something back."
Kessler's goal came off a free kick from midfielder and captain Ashley Westwood. Saint-Maximin made it 2-0 in the 49th minute, his second league goal of the season and his first at Bank of America Stadium, according to the club. Midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure, the former Everton player Charlotte signed in October, scored his first goal for the club in the 83rd minute, in his second appearance. "I was waiting for that moment to score goals," he said.
Forward Rodolfo Aloko scored the fourth in stoppage time, set up by forward Tyger Smalls and midfielder Pep Biel. It was Biel's 17th assist of the season, which the club says ties him for the league lead.
Goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina made seven saves, according to the club, for a second straight clean sheet, three days after the 4-0 win over CF Montréal. On Monday, he and Kessler were named to Major League Soccer's Team of the Matchday, the league's pick of the best 11 players from a round of games. Smith said Kahlina "does what he's paid to do, which is keep the ball out the back of the net."