Charlotte FC Rout Red Bull New York 6-1 for Club Records in Goals and Margin of Victory

Archie Goodwin had been on the field for two minutes when he headed in Charlotte's fifth goal. By the time he added a sixth in stoppage time, Bank of America Stadium had stopped counting goals and started counting records.

Charlotte FC hammered Red Bull New York 6-1 on Saturday night, and MLSsoccer.com reported that the win set club records for goals and margin of victory. Pep Biel scored a free kick and set up the opener, Wilfried Zaha scored his first goal of the season, and Goodwin came off the bench for a late brace. Charlotte improved to 2-2-1 with eight points, while the Red Bulls fell to 2-1-2 with seven.

A Fair Fight, For a While

It is easy to forget, given the final score, that the Red Bulls started brightly. Inside the first four minutes, Cade Cowell and Julian Hall both missed the target from close range, and Emil Forsberg had a shot blocked in the 8th. The visitors would finish with 22 shots and 54.9 percent of the ball. This was not a team that showed up asleep.

Charlotte simply made their moments count. In the 14th minute, Biel swung in a set-piece cross and Idan Toklomati headed it into the bottom left corner. Jorge Ruvalcaba kept testing Kristijan Kahlina, forcing saves in the 29th and 42nd minutes, and Ronald Donkor smashed a shot off the crossbar after a corner in the 43rd. Zaha nearly doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time, but Ethan Horvath got down to stop it. Charlotte led 1-0 at the half, and the Red Bulls had every reason to think they were in the game.

The Second-Half Avalanche

That feeling did not survive the first minute of the second half. Kerwin Vargas finished from very close range in the 46th minute to make it 2-0. He was flagged offside four times on the night, but this time he was exactly where he needed to be.

Then the night fell apart for the Red Bulls. Gustav Berggren was shown a red card in the 52nd minute, and two minutes later Biel stood over a free kick just outside the box and struck a left-footed shot into the bottom left corner. That made it 3-0, and it was Biel's fourth goal in five matches this season, according to MLSsoccer.com.

The 10 men kept firing. Kahlina saved from Mohammed Sofo in the 60th minute and from Omar Valencia in the 62nd. But in the 68th, Harry Toffolo found Zaha on the left side of the box, and Zaha drove at his defender before curling a right-footed shot into the far corner. It was his first goal of the year, per MLSsoccer.com, and he picked a highlight-worthy way to break the seal.

The Goodwin Show

Dean Smith's bench then got in on it. David Schnegg and Goodwin entered in the 75th minute. A minute later, Ruvalcaba hit the right post for New York, the second time the visitors had struck the woodwork. Then, in the 77th, Schnegg delivered from a set piece and Goodwin headed into the top right corner.

Hall pulled one back for the Red Bulls in the 81st minute, poking in from close range after a corner. The Red Bulls said it was his fourth goal of the season. Charlotte had the final word anyway. In stoppage time, Liel Abada set up Goodwin, who finished with his left foot into the top left corner. According to MLSsoccer.com, they were Goodwin's first MLS goals.

Who Ran the Show

Pep Biel scored with his only shot on target and assisted the opener. MLSsoccer.com said that assist was his first of the year.

Wilfried Zaha had a goal from three shots and was involved all night, setting up Vargas for an early chance and Abada for a late one.

Archie Goodwin scored twice on two shots in about 20 minutes. Not a bad way to open the MLS account.

Kristijan Kahlina made six saves. A 6-1 win can hide a goalkeeper's night, but his early stops kept the game at 1-0 when New York were pushing.

For the Red Bulls, Julian Hall scored and Jorge Ruvalcaba had five shots, two on target, plus the post.

The Turning Point

Berggren's red card. Charlotte were already up 2-0, but the Red Bulls had been creating chances all night and still had time to claw back. Down a man, they lost their shape and Charlotte poured through. Biel's free kick two minutes later put the game away, and everything after that was a highlight reel.

Stats That Matter

• Shots on target: Charlotte put 10 of their 15 shots on frame. New York put 7 of 22 on target.
• Saves: Kahlina made 6, Horvath 4.
• Woodwork: The Red Bulls hit the bar once and the post once.
• Possession: New York had 54.9 percent of the ball and got outscored 6-1.
• Long balls: Charlotte completed 51 of 65, the direct route that kept turning New York around.

What It Means

After picking up one point in their first two matches, Charlotte have taken seven from their last three, and MLSsoccer.com had them third in the Eastern Conference after the win. They also stayed unbeaten at home this season. Philadelphia Union visit on April 4.

For the Red Bulls, this was a second lopsided loss in three weeks, after a 3-0 home defeat to CF Montréal on March 8. They host FC Cincinnati on April 4.

Head coach Michael Bradley sounded like a man trying to keep the bigger picture in view. "We're building something," he said. "We're on the path to becoming a really good team. But unfortunately, nights like tonight are part of it sometimes, and we have to be able to take the lessons."

The Last Word

Bradley also offered a line worth remembering: "Understand the things that are going in a good direction, understand the things that need to get better." On this night, almost everything was in the second category for New York. For Charlotte, it was the kind of performance that makes the rest of the league redo its notes.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by NewYorkRedBulls.com; additional details from MLSsoccer.com.