CHARLOTTE, NC (November 1, 2026) – The Charlotte Independence thumped FC Naples 5-1 in the USL Quarterfinals Sunday night at American Legion Memorial Stadium.
It was a dominant display from the Jacks, who jumped on the visitors early and never looked back. An own goal started the scoring, before Christopher Jaime added a goal and two assists. Stefano Pinho came off the bench to score a brace, while Prince Saydee struck just before halftime to give Charlotte their first postseason victory since 2023.
Charlotte came out of the gates strong, keeping the pressure up in Naples’ end and were rewarded with the game’s first goal ten minutes in. Following a Lalo Delgado save off Jaime, the ensuing corner from Jon Bakero nicked off Joey Skinner’s head then off Naples defender Hal Uderitz for an own goal opener, bringing the American Legion Memorial Stadium crowd to their feet early.
After neither side generated many clear-cut chances for much of the first half, Charlotte doubled its lead in first-half stoppage time. The Jacks forced a turnover deep in Naples territory, allowing Souaibou Marou to brilliantly flick a pass into the path of Jaime. With numbers surging toward the Naples goal, Jaime squared the ball across the goalmouth to a wide-open Saydee, who tapped home.
Matt Levy preserved Charlotte’s two-goal advantage early in the second half. A Naples corner kick found the head of Uderitz, who directed a close-range effort from inside the six-yard box straight into Levy’s grasp.
The Independence extended their lead to three in the 59th minute. Marou collected the ball on the left flank following a long switch of play before picking his head up and delivering a pinpoint ball toward the back post. A slight deflection off a Naples defender sent the ball into the path of Jaime, who took a touch before rifling a half-volley into the side netting.
Charlotte earned a penalty kick in the 70th minute following a brilliant attacking move. Saydee accelerated toward the Naples defense, beating his defender before being brought down from behind inside the penalty area. Marou stepped up to the spot but was unable to convert, rattling his effort off the crossbar.
Marou was denied again just four minutes later, this time by the offside flag. Jaime surged forward with pace before slipping a pass across to Marou, who finished past Delgado in a one-on-one opportunity, only for the flag to go up.
The fourth goal finally arrived for the Jacks in the 79th minute. Jaime produced another moment of brilliance, using a slick drag move to evade two defenders before whipping a cross into the box. Pinho battled off his defender to meet the delivery, powering a header home to add to the scoring.
Pinho wasn’t done. Charlotte continued to attack in waves, with Pinho swinging the ball wide to Skinner. The attacking fullback spotted the striker following into the six-yard box, and perfectly put it on his foot for a tap-in brace.
Naples broke the shutout late. Following an excellent stop from Levy, the ensuing corner kick found the head of Luca Mastrantonio, who got enough on it to turn it in.
The Jacks will now turn to Madison visiting the Queen City on Sunday. Tickets are available here.
POST-GAME SOUND
Head Coach Mike Jeffries on the performance:
“Very good night for us. I thought we started really well, with great intensity. Clearly, getting the goal from a set piece 10 minutes in was a big boost for us and helped.
I did feel like they, at 1-0, had kind of worked their way back into the game a little bit. I do feel like we managed it and bent a lot but didn’t break. I didn’t feel like Matt had a lot of big saves he had to make in the first half.
Getting the goal at the end of the first half was huge. I think that put us in a really good spot heading into halftime.”
Jeffries on Jaime’s excellent night:
“I thought he was fantastic. He was winning balls at the back, playing forward. When he did get chances to make runs with the players, he was very effective. The final pass on both goals was really good, and obviously a heck of a finish.”
Chris Jaime on his goal:
”Honestly, it’s one of those things that comes with the flow of the game. I just had confidence throughout it, and it was a beautiful switch from Marou. I was able to take it down and just rip it.
It’s something that comes with confidence, and just as a collective, that influenced me to take that shot.”
Jon Bakero on Madison coming to town:
“I think with a crowd like tonight, that energizes us for sure. It’s been a great environment. I think we know that if we play at the highest quality, play to our level, we’re going to have a good chance to win”
