Saturday evening out at the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews, the young side of the Charlotte FC family got one back. Three different names on the scoresheet, a 3-2 win over Chicago Fire FC II, and a home record that keeps getting harder to argue with.
This is Crown Legacy FC, the MLS NEXT Pro team where Charlotte FC grows its next players, and Saturday they closed out a three-match homestand with a bounce-back win. Nathan Richmond opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, running onto a Nimfasha Berchimas cross and finishing first time. Chicago equalized before the break, but Michael Ayovi broke through a cluster of defenders to knock in a rebound right at halftime, his first goal for the club since he arrived in April.
Then the one to circle. Wyatt Holt, an academy defender, rose in the 78th minute to meet a Sebastian Ventura flick and headed home the FIRST goal of his career. Ventura, another academy kid, picked up the first assist of his. That is the entire point of this team, folks. That is the pipeline working in real time, right in front of you.
Chicago pulled one back in the 82nd to make the last ten minutes nervy, but Legacy held on. The win pushes Crown Legacy's home record to 7-1-2. Richmond now has six goals and 14 goal contributions in his first professional season, which is a very grown-up stat line for a kid still learning the pro game. And Hugo Mbongue made it back onto the field for the first time since May 22, which matters more than the box score lets on.
Next up is a four-match road trip that starts Friday, July 24 at Red Bull New York II.
The big club just signed a Premier League star. The little club spent Saturday building the next one. Good week to be the Crown.