Goals scored by Álvarez (9’) and Corea (75’)
CHARLOTTE, NC (August 10, 2024) – The Charlotte Independence secured a 2-1 victory in the USL Jägermeister Cup over Greenville Triumph SC on Saturday evening at American Legion Memorial Stadium. The Jacks travel for midweek action against Forward Madison FC on Wednesday, August 14 at 8:00 p.m. The match can be streamed on ESPN+.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Charlotte began the match with heavy pressure on the Greenville goalkeeper. The Jacks took the lead in the ninth minute with a goal by #14 Luis Álvarez. He received a pass from #29 J.C. Obregón Jr. in the center of the attacking half and placed a shot inside the far right post after dribbling closer to the penalty area.
The lead did not last long as the Triumph scored in the 10th minute off a long ball sent to #9 Lyam MacKinnon who slotted it in the back of the net.
Álvarez nearly had a second goal with a curling shot in the 34th minute that sailed just over the crossbar.
As the first half neared stoppage time, #1 Austin Pack recorded a crucial aerial save, punching the ball out for a corner kick. He subsequently caught the cross in from the corner, flipping the field.
Halftime: Charlotte Independence 1, Greenville Triumph SC 1.
The Independence started the second half on the attacking front again. A central rebound left by the Greenville keeper was almost finished twice by the Jacks in the 55th minute, but both attempts were blocked by defenders.
After entering as a substitute, #21 Dustin Corea scored his first goal for the Charlotte Independence to put the Jacks in the lead in the 75th minute. He took on multiple defenders with a solo dribble followed by a shot into the corner past the keeper.
The Charlotte defense remained composed to hold onto the win, keeping the Independence in contention to advance in the USL Jägermeister Cup.
Fulltime: Charlotte Independence 2, Greenville Triumph SC 1.
IN THE NUMBERS:
- #21 Dustin Corea scored his first career goal for the Charlotte Independence.
- #29 J.C. Obregón Jr. recorded two assists in the match.
- The Charlotte Independence and Greenville Triumph SC have never tied each other. The overall series record is 5-5-0.
QUOTES:
Head Coach Mike Jeffries
On the match overall
“It’s great to get the win and live to get to the final game of the USL Jägermeister Cup with a chance to advance. The game had a pretty good ebb and flow; we had some good chances early on. The first goal was a great counter and finish by Luis. Credit to MacKinnon for hitting a worldie. The first half played out relatively evenly; they may have had more of the ball, but I thought we stayed with the game pretty well. The second half we pushed the game a lot. Great play by Dustin for the goal, and it’s nice to close one out in this cup.
On Dustin’s addition to the team
“He’s great. He’s shown the quality that we believed in him. It’s just about getting him fit and getting him more minutes each time, but he’s capable of making those kinds of plays. You could see some of his quality on the ball tonight.”
#21 Dustin Corea
On scoring his first goal for the Independence
“It’s exciting to finally get back on the score sheet. I’m happy to help the team pick up an important win.”
#6 Omar Ciss
On the offensive production lately
“We combine a lot. We worked on that in practice, and we’ve been able to find the chances and score a lot.”
NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE:
The Charlotte Independence are on the road on Wednesday, August 14 at 8:00 p.m. against Forward Madison FC. The match can be streamed on ESPN+.