Idan Toklomati Strikes as 10-Man Charlotte FC Edge Revolution 1-0 Before World Cup Break

Three weeks earlier, Carles Gil had buried a stoppage-time penalty at Gillette Stadium to beat Charlotte FC by a single goal. On Saturday night, Charlotte returned the favor, and did it the hard way.

Idan Toklomati scored in the 16th minute, David Schnegg was sent off in the 58th, and 10-man Charlotte held on to beat the New England Revolution 1-0 in the rain at Bank of America Stadium. It was the last match for both clubs before MLS paused for the World Cup, and only one of them will spend the next two months feeling good about how it ended.

Fast Start, Then a Fortress

Charlotte came out swinging. Pep Biel sent a left-footer just wide in the fifth minute, Ashley Westwood made Matt Turner work from distance in the 12th, and Wilfried Zaha did the most Zaha thing imaginable a minute later: per MLSsoccer.com, he spun away from two defenders just outside the box, found himself with a clear look, and put it right at Turner. That same minute, Schnegg picked up a yellow for a foul on Peyton Miller. File that away.

The breakthrough came quickly anyway. Will Cleary, making his first MLS start according to the club, delivered the ball into the box, and Toklomati finished with his right foot from the middle of the area into the bottom left corner. A first start and a first-half assist: not a bad way to introduce yourself.

New England pushed back through Gil and Miller. Dor Turgeman met a Miller cross with a header in the 25th minute that Kristijan Kahlina saved, and Gil forced Kahlina into a stop from distance in the 35th. At the other end, Turner denied Zaha again in the 30th, after what the Revolution described as a giveaway by Ethan Kohler, then kept out Djibril Diani's point-blank header in the 40th. Morrison Agyemang fired over from a corner in the same minute. The Revs also credited Mamadou Fofana with a bicycle-kick clearance off the goal line late in the half, which is about as dramatic as defending gets.

Ten Men and a Long Night

The Revolution had more of the ball after the break. Then things got worse for Charlotte. In the 58th minute, Schnegg fouled Miller again and saw a second yellow, leaving the hosts a man down for the final half hour plus stoppage time.

Two minutes later, Miller had the chance to make it count. His left-footed shot from the middle of the box was headed for the bottom right corner until Kahlina got down to it. That save was the hinge of the night. Equalize there, with a full half hour against 10 men, and New England likely leaves with something. Instead, frustration crept in: Fofana, Kohler and Brayan Ceballos were all booked between the 62nd and 68th minutes.

The Revs kept firing crosses. Ceballos headed a corner high and wide in the 73rd minute, Turgeman put another header off target a minute later, and Griffin Yow had a shot blocked in the 79th. Charlotte nearly put it away on the break in the 82nd, when Biel got in behind and Turner made the stop. Miller then dragged a left-footer just wide in the 83rd, and two New England corners in stoppage time came to nothing.

Who Delivered

Idan Toklomati gave Charlotte the only thing it needed: one clean finish on two shots before he came off in the 79th minute.

Wilfried Zaha was everywhere. He put two of his three shots on target and was fouled six times, the most of anyone on the field. MLSsoccer.com noted he is the most-fouled player in the league, and on this night New England treated him accordingly.

Kristijan Kahlina made three saves, including the one on Miller that kept the 10-man plan intact.

For New England, Matt Turner finished with five saves and kept the margin at one. Carles Gil had three shots and, according to the club, a game-high four chances created. Peyton Miller, the 18-year-old Homegrown, had three shots, drew the foul that got Schnegg sent off, and was booked himself in the 27th minute. The Revs also handed Diego Fagundez his first Revolution start in MLS play since Oct. 28, 2020, per the club, and gave Homegrown Cristiano Oliveira his MLS debut off the bench.

The Save That Mattered

Red cards usually flip games like this. This one did not, and Kahlina's stop in the 60th minute is the reason. New England had just gained the extra man, and Miller found space in the middle of the box. Kahlina's save turned the remaining half hour into a siege Charlotte could survive rather than a collapse it had to explain.

The Numbers

• Possession: New England 60.7 percent, Charlotte 39.3 percent.
• Shots on target: Charlotte 6, New England 3, despite New England holding a 13-12 edge in total shots.
• Saves: Turner 5, Kahlina 3.
• Crosses: New England attempted 22 and completed 5.
• Discipline: New England was booked four times; Charlotte's only cautions were the two that sent Schnegg off.

Where It Leaves Them

Charlotte moves to 6-3-6 with 21 points and has won back-to-back matches after beating Toronto FC 3-1 on May 16. MLSsoccer.com had Charlotte sixth in the East, inside the playoff places, heading into the pause. The two clubs have now traded 1-0 wins this season.

New England drops to 8-1-5 with 25 points and has lost two of its last three, including a 3-0 home defeat to Nashville SC on May 13. The club said it sits fourth in the Eastern Conference entering the break. The Revolution open a two-game homestand against Toronto on July 22, and Charlotte hosts Atlanta United FC the same day.

The bigger story might be who will not be there. MLSsoccer.com billed the night as Zaha's swan song, reporting that he announced his departure from Charlotte the next day. If that was the last act, he went out looking like himself: fouled constantly, dangerous often, and denied twice by Turner.

Midseason Finale Energy

Charlotte heads into summer like a prestige drama going on a midseason break: a gritty win, a key cast member exiting, and plenty of questions for when the show returns in July. New England, meanwhile, gets two months to rewatch the 60th minute and wonder how Miller's shot stayed out.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Match notes from the New England Revolution (revolutionsoccer.net) and Charlotte FC (charlottefootballclub.com); context from MLSsoccer.com.