CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Force is strong with this team.
Charlotte FC was back at Bank of America Stadium Saturday to face off against the Portland Timbers for the first time ever. On May the Fourth - also affectionately known as Star Wars Day for its allusion to the phrase "May the Force be with you" - the black and blue was able to renew hope after last week's road loss to New York City FC.
The scoring, however, wouldn't happen until after halftime. In the first half, both teams saw two players get yellow cards, and a penalty originally granted to Charlotte was overturned after a video review.
Charlotte was able to attack, however, with midfielder Nikola Petkovic scoring at the 54-minute mark, aided by Nathan Byrne. Enzo Copetti scored the final goal of the match, torpedoing it in one minute into stoppage time.
Portland was unable to strike back, leaving the field menaced by the loss. Charlotte shut out the visitors 2-0 and added a trilogy of points to the MLS standings.
Fans won't need to travel to a galaxy far, far away for the next match; Charlotte hosts Nashville SC on May 11, with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. Eastern time. Bojangles is helping present a giveaway night, with the first fans in the gates getting a limited-edition deck of Charlotte FC cards.
It'll take more than the luck of the cards for Charlotte to trounce Nashville. Over the last three meetings, Nashville has a pair of wins against the black and blue, while Charlotte has just one. There's also a draw shared.
Prior to Saturday's match, Charlotte FC honored the lives of the four law enforcement officers who died while trying to serve a warrant earlier in the week. A set of four crowns were placed on the throne to honor them.