MADISON, WI (August 22, 2026) – In a battle between two championship hopefuls, the Charlotte Independence and Forward Madison played to a 1-1 draw at Breese Stevens Field Saturday night.
Joey Skinner put the Jacks in front just 11 minutes in, but Ryan Carmichael’s 10th goal of the campaign pulled Madison level early in the second half. Neither side could find a winner from there, and the two teams shared the spoils. With Union Omaha drawing at home against Sarasota, a Charlotte victory would have moved the Independence into first place.
No stranger to quick starts, the Jacks got on the board in the 11th minute. The goal featured fantastic interplay between Reudd Manin and Souaibou Marou at the edge of the area before Manin picked out the advancing Skinner, who finished past goalkeeper JT Harms to get Charlotte off on the right foot.
Following Skinner’s goal, the hosts controlled the play, but Charlotte didn’t make it easy. The Jacks remained resolute at the back, with the center back pairing of Kevin Riascos and Sega Coulibaly – who hadn’t started together since March – holding firm defensively.
Matt Levy made his best save of the first half in the 38th minute. It was a Carmichael connection, as winger Ryan Carmichael set up Kevin Carmichael sprinting into the box, but Levy reacted excellently, closing down the angle and denying the wing-back.
Charlotte came inches from doubling its lead shortly before the break. Clay Dimick’s one-time cross made its way to the back post, and after Madison midfielder AJ Edwards failed to deal with it, Viggo Ortiz pounced and nudged his effort narrowly wide.
Skinner’s goal held through the intermission, as Charlotte carried its advantage into a pivotal second 45 minutes.
Madison equalized in the 58th minute. Joshua Bolma picked up the ball at the edge of the box and attempted to slide it over to Stephen Annor, but it got caught in the attacker’s feet. Out of nowhere came a surging Ryan Carmichael, who beautifully finished with the outside of his boot for his 10th goal of the season.
The game began to open up as both teams looked dangerous each time they gained possession in the attacking half. Carmichael continued to be a major threat in transition, nearly chipping Levy in the 71st minute.
Christy Manzinga nearly went straight from the bench onto the scoresheet in the 77th minute. Finding space 25 yards from goal, the striker stepped into a strike that rattled the woodwork to Harms’ left.
Bolma came close in the 85th minute. Edwin Munjoma whipped a low cross toward the near post, where Bolma got the slightest of touches, trickling it just wide of Levy’s goal. A minute later, Munjoma created a chance of his own, cutting inside before blasting an effort directly at Levy.
Stefano Pinho earned a foul right on the edge of the area as stoppage time began. Manzinga stepped up to take the ensuing free kick, but his effort was rejected by the wall. Madison quickly came the other way and earned a corner. The ensuing set piece landed perfectly on the head of Kevin Carmichael, but Levy produced a brilliant reflex save, tipping the effort onto the crossbar to preserve a point for the Jacks.
The Independence return home Friday night to take on AV Alta at the Sportsplex at Matthews.
POST-GAME QUOTES
Head Coach Mike Jeffries on the match:
“I thought we rode out the first half pretty well and maybe had some half chances to get a second one, but obviously they had the bulk of the game. In the second half, they pushed the tempo pretty hard from the beginning of the half. I thought we tried to match it, but we never really got a hold of the ball quite enough in the second half.
“The goal is a good play on their part off a counter. We lose possession in the middle and they got out of it. From there, actually, I thought our response was good. We kind of got back into the game and pushed to try and get the winner. But I think 1-1 was a pretty fair result with the chances and the intensity from both sides.”
Jeffries on the difficulty facing Madison when they have the momentum in the match:
“The long throws and so forth were hard for us to manage, but they also kind of just took the tempo away from the game a little bit. So that gave us breaks on that, and I think that helped a little bit. I just thought that we kind of took the switch a little bit and said, ‘Hey, look, this game’s back on, and let’s try and find a way to get a result and win.’“
Joey Skinner on his goal:
“I was really pleased to get a goal tonight. It is always nice to get on the scoresheet. It was a good build up as a team, I thought we did well to move them around and when Marou and Manin linked up, Manin played a nice ball to break their backline where I got the finishing touch. It was also nice to get a result on the road in a tough environment against a good opponent.””
Viggo Ortiz on the performance:
“We played a tough opponent away, but we gave it our all and are happy to come away with a point. Thought we had some really good moments on both sides of the ball, so I think as a team we had a pretty strong game. We’ll learn and take the positives for the next game.”
