Goal by Obregón Jr. (61’); Levy recorded nine saves
RICHMOND, Va. (October 26, 2024) – The Charlotte Independence earned a 0-1 victory in the regular season finale against Richmond Kickers on Saturday evening at City Stadium. J.C. Obregón Jr. scored his 15th goal of the USL League One season, and goalkeeper Matt Levy made nine saves in his first professional start.
The USL League One playoffs bracket will be released once all matches conclude on Saturday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Both teams had chances on the attack in the opening 20 minutes but none too challenging for the goalkeepers. #28 Matt Levy made a pair of comfortable saves, then #8 Joel Johnson had a shot from distance deflected out of bounds for a corner kick in the 18th minute.
The Kickers were awarded a free kick inches outside the penalty area in the 24th minute, but the Independence wall blocked the shot and Levy caught the following cross.
#14 Luis Álvarez swung in a dangerous corner kick in the 27th minute that #4 Nick Spielman got a head on, but it was blocked at the goal line. The Jacks had a string of corner kicks just a few minutes later, but did not capitalize on the chances.
Levy made a crucial save in the 35th minute, getting in the way of #27 Chandler O’Dwyer’s shot from close-range.
Kickers’ captain #2 Dakota Barnathan received a red card in the 41st minute for a violent tackle on #6 Omar Ciss. The Jacks looked to take advantage of this situation before half. In first-half stoppage time, #29 J.C. Obregón Jr. unleashed a powerful shot from distance that deflected before reaching the goalkeeper for a diving save.
Halftime: Richmond Kickers 0, Charlotte Independence 0.
The Jacks came out of halftime with heavy pressure on the attack, holding 67.1% possession in the first 15 minutes of the second period. The first chance of the second half belonged to Álvarez with a curling effort over the crossbar in the 50th minute.
On the other end, Levy made a quick diving save to keep it scoreless in the 52nd minute.
Charlotte found the breakthrough in the 61st minute with a goal by Obregón Jr. #9 Kharlton Belmar dribbled through the center of the pitch from the Jacks’ half before slotting a pass through the Richmond defense to Obregón Jr. for an easy finish.
Levy continued to put on a goalkeeper clinic between the sticks for the Jacks with a reaction save in the 87th minute, pushing the ball over the crossbar. On the ensuing corner kick, Levy raced to save the ball from going out for another corner kick to keep the possession in Charlotte’s favor.
On Levy’s punt up field, Obregón Jr. was pulled to the ground by #7 Landon Johnson, resulting in another red card for the Kickers. The Independence played with a two-man advantage for the rest of stoppage time.
Fulltime: Richmond Kickers 0, Charlotte Independence 1.
IN THE NUMBERS:
- Charlotte Independence scored in 18 of 22 games, no team has done so more often in the USL League One this season.
- #28 Matt Levy made his first professional start. He made his professional debut on July 6, 2024.
- Levy’s nine saves were the most in a single game by any Independence goalkeeper this season in all competitions.
- #29 J.C. Obregón Jr. scored his 15th goal of the USL League One season.
- With his goal, Obregón Jr. became just the third player in USL League One history to score 20 or more goals in a single season across all competitions.
- #17 Clay Dimick played every minute of every match for the Independence across all competitions this season.
- The Jacks are undefeated in the last three road matches in all competitions.
- This win snapped a seven-game winless streak for Charlotte. It was also the first clean sheet for the Independence since August 30, 2024.
QUOTES:
Head Coach Mike Jeffries
On the confidence gained from winning today heading into playoffs
“We started the game well and showed a lot of confidence from the beginning. The team has done a great job; I know it’s been a long and frustrating stretch for us, but the team has retained its confidence and belief that we’re capable of winning games. It’s nice to get some vindication for that confidence and belief, and it’s certainly good for us to head into the playoffs on a winning note.”
On Matt Levy’s performance in goal
“Matt was fantastic. He’s trained unbelievably well and worked hard all year and been really solid, very patient, and has shown a lot of the capabilities he showed tonight in training. The guys all have a tremendous amount of confidence in him, and tonight he showed why they have confidence in him and showed his qualities. I’m super happy for him. It’s always a long year as a No. 2 goalkeeper, but at least it gives him a big day to come up with a shutout and make some fantastic saves.”
#28 Matt Levy
On the confidence he had in his first professional start
“First and foremost I just need to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the ability and opportunity to play the sport I love. Secondly, I think the hours of work before and during training with Blake, our goalkeeper coach, definitely helped me be prepared for this moment. Finally, the guys played a huge part in helping with my confidence going into the game. I knew they had confidence in me, so their belief in me allowed me to play freely because I knew they trusted me.”
#9 Kharlton Belmar
On his assist for J.C. Obregón Jr.’s goal
“The picture I saw was straight from the training ground. We practice those rotations and runs week in and week out. J.C. made a very good run, so I had to feed our goal scorer!”
On the morale boost this win provides
“I think it is very important getting a win going into playoffs and grinding out a result on the road because that the scenario we’re going into next weekend, so it’s a great warm-up for that.
