Pep Biel Scores Twice as Charlotte FC Beat 10-Man Austin FC 3-1 for First Win of the Season

Pep Biel took eight shots on Saturday night. One goal was wiped out by VAR, one hit the crossbar, and two found the net. That was plenty.

Biel's second-half brace carried Charlotte FC to a 3-1 win over 10-man Austin FC at Bank of America Stadium, the club's first win of the season after a draw at St. Louis and a loss in Los Angeles. Idan Toklomati also scored for Charlotte in front of 35,611, while Austin's only goal came courtesy of a Charlotte own goal. The visitors played more than an hour a man down after Guilherme Biro was sent off in the 25th minute, and they finished without a single shot on target.

Austin Started Brightly, Then Lost a Man

For about 20 minutes, Austin looked like the more dangerous side. The club's own report said the Verde & Black started well, and the shot log backs it up: Myrto Uzuni fired over in the seventh minute, Ilie Sánchez headed just wide in the 11th, and Facundo Torres and Jayden Nelson both let fly from distance in a two-minute span. Charlotte's best early looks came through Liel Abada, whose header Brad Stuver saved in the 15th minute, and Biel, who forced another Stuver stop in the 20th.

Then it all changed. In the 24th minute VAR upgraded a card on Biro, and a minute later the Austin defender was shown red. Charlotte's report said Biro dug his boot into Toklomati's heel. Austin responded by sending on Jon Bell for Nelson in the 28th minute.

Two Goals, Two Minutes

Charlotte made the extra man count almost immediately. In the 29th minute, moments after a Wilfried Zaha shot was blocked, Toklomati finished from close range. Austin's report described it as a tap-in off a deflected cross, and Charlotte said it was the club's first home goal of 2026.

The lead lasted two minutes. Sánchez launched a long ball forward and, according to Austin, Charlotte defender Morrison Agyemang headed it past his own goalkeeper. 1-1. It was a rough moment for Agyemang, who Charlotte said was making his first start a week after his first-team debut.

Austin then lost Dani Pereira to an injury in the 36th minute, and the first half dragged on through eight minutes of added time. Stuver saved a Biel shot from distance in stoppage time, and the teams went in level.

Biel Breaks It Open

The second half was one-way traffic. Charlotte peppered the Austin box, with Harry Toffolo and Biel both having shots blocked in the first 10 minutes. In the 55th minute Biel thought he had scored, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review; ESPN's feed also logged a Brandt Bronico handball in that same minute. Uzuni and Abada were both booked as the tension rose.

Charlotte finally broke through in the 68th minute, when Biel finished from very close range with ESPN crediting Abada for the assist. 2-1.

Both benches moved quickly after that. Charlotte sent on Luca de la Torre and Kerwin Vargas in the 69th minute, and Austin answered with a triple change between the 74th and 75th minutes, bringing on Besard Sabovic, CJ Fodrey and Christian Ramirez to try to find a way back.

Austin did not manage a single shot after halftime, per ESPN's feed. Charlotte kept coming: Stuver denied Toffolo in the 81st minute, Toklomati twice around the 90th, and Zaha from close range in the 92nd. The goalkeeper could not stop everything. In the 93rd minute, after a corner, Luca de la Torre found Biel in the middle of the box, and he finished with his left foot into the bottom left corner. 3-1. Biel nearly added a third in the final minute when his left-footed shot clipped the crossbar.

Who Stood Out

Pep Biel: Two goals, eight shots, four on target, a disallowed goal and the crossbar. He also set up chances for Toklomati and Zaha late on. Charlotte called him the performer of the match, and that undersells it.

Brad Stuver: Eight saves in a losing effort. Without him, this is a blowout. Charlotte put 11 shots on target, and he stopped every one that was not a goal.

Idan Toklomati: A goal and three shots, all on target.

Liel Abada: The assist on the go-ahead goal plus an early header that forced a save.

Luca de la Torre: Off the bench in the 69th minute, he assisted the third goal from a corner and later teed up the Biel shot that hit the bar. Instant impact.

For Austin, it was a night to forget in the attacking third: five shots, none on target.

The Turning Point

The 25th minute. Austin had been the better team for the opening 20 minutes. Biro's red card flipped the match, and Charlotte scored four minutes later.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Charlotte 25, Austin 5. On target: Charlotte 11, Austin 0.
• Saves: Stuver 8, Kristijan Kahlina 0.
• Possession: Charlotte 72.4 percent, Austin 27.6 percent.
• Passing: Charlotte completed 564 of 621 passes; Austin completed 176 of 229.
• Corners: Charlotte 12, Austin 3.

What It Means

Charlotte moves to 1-1-1 with 4 points after a 1-1 draw at St. Louis and a 3-0 loss at the LA Galaxy. Aron John, signed to a short-term agreement before the match, made his first-team debut off the bench in stoppage time, per the club. Next up is a home date with Inter Miami at Bank of America Stadium next Saturday.

Austin falls to 1-1-1 with 4 points after a 2-2 home draw with Minnesota and a 1-0 home win over D.C. United. Next up is a trip to Real Salt Lake on Saturday, March 14, which the club noted will be its second road match of the season.

Closing Take

Austin will look at the red card, the own goal that briefly saved them and the zero on the shots-on-target line and wonder how it was ever 1-1 at halftime. Charlotte will look at Biel. He was the main character from start to finish, the kind of performance that turns a home crowd into a fan club. If the Crown needed someone to step up after a tough trip west, they found him.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Club notes from Charlotte FC (charlottefootballclub.com) and Austin FC (austinfc.com).