Carles Gil Buries Club-Record 19th MLS Penalty Goal as Revolution Edge Charlotte FC 1-0

Ninety-six minutes of pushing, probing and near-misses came down to twelve yards and one man who has scored more MLS penalties than anyone in New England Revolution history. Carles Gil stood over the ball, waited, and sent a left-footed penalty into the bottom right corner. Gillette Stadium exploded, Gil got booked for celebrating a little too hard, and nobody in Foxborough cared one bit.

The New England Revolution beat Charlotte FC 1-0 on Saturday night in front of 22,851, with Gil's spot kick in the seventh minute of stoppage time settling a match that looked destined for a scoreless draw. According to the Revolution, it was Gil's 19th penalty goal in MLS, a club record, and it pushed New England to 5-0-0 at home for just the second time in club history.

A First Half of Almosts

New England set the tone early. Luca Langoni forced Kristijan Kahlina into a save from outside the box in the 15th minute, Griffin Yow had two efforts blocked inside three minutes, and Gil tried his luck twice in the 22nd, once blocked and once high and wide. The Revs, per their own count, outshot Charlotte 7-3 before the break.

Charlotte's three looks were arguably better ones, though. Andrew Privett headed a Pep Biel flick toward the top of the net in the 10th minute and Matt Turner pushed it away. Biel himself tested Turner in the 31st. Then, in the 37th minute, Idan Toklomati crashed a right-footed shot off the crossbar after a Biel pass. A little lower and this is a completely different recap.

Peyton Miller nearly broke the deadlock for New England a minute before halftime, but his shot from outside the box missed narrowly to the right.

Kahlina Holds the Fort

The second half became a test of nerves. Toklomati headed wide from very close range off a corner in the 47th minute, and Morrison Agyemang sent two headers wide from the right side of the six-yard box. At the other end, Kahlina made saves on Gil in the 51st minute and Alhassan Yusuf in the 67th, and Miller glanced a header past the post off a Yow cross in the 74th.

The card count kept climbing. Referee Pierre-Luc Lauziere booked seven players, including Wilfried Zaha in the 60th minute and Charlotte captain Ashley Westwood in the 82nd, when ESPN's feed recorded that Westwood had gone down and the referee judged it simulation. Gil fired one just wide in the first minute of stoppage time, and for a while it felt like the night would end with a shrug.

Turning Point: The Handball

Then came the 94th minute. ESPN's match data charged Agyemang with a handball in the penalty area; the Revolution's recap credited it to Westwood. Either way, the spot was pointed to, and Gil did what Gil does. Left foot, bottom right corner, 1-0.

Charlotte threw everything forward in the final minutes. Turner saved a David Schnegg header off a Westwood cross, Agyemang had a header blocked, and Liel Abada's header slid just wide. Whistle. Revolution 1, Charlotte 0.

Star Watch

Gil was the engine all night: five shots, two on target, the winner, and five key passes, according to the club. The Revs noted it was his third goal of the season and that he has now been on the scoresheet in four straight games. He also made his 203rd regular-season appearance, which the club said tied Lee Nguyen and moved Gil into the top 10 in club history.

Turner made three saves for his third clean sheet of the campaign, all of them at home, per the Revs. In front of him, Ethan Kohler completed 100 percent of his team-high 84 passes, and Will Sands, who drew five fouls, was credited by the club with shutting down Zaha. For Charlotte, Kahlina also made three saves and kept his team alive until the very end.

In Their Own Words

Head coach Marko Mitrović praised his captain's composure. "Carles taking that responsibility and not shaking," he said. "Congratulations to Carles being calm and being so sharp in that moment."

Sands pointed to a promise the squad made to each other at the start of the season: "We all said, 'We've got to be willing to suffer to get three points.'"

Gil framed it as proof of a culture shift. "We want to be better in many things, but for sure we are showing that we are a different team than the last two years," he said.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: New England 14, Charlotte 9. Both teams put four on target.
• Possession: New England 54.8 percent, Charlotte 45.2 percent.
• Saves: Turner and Kahlina made three apiece.
• Fouls: Charlotte committed 16 to New England's 10.
• Corners: Charlotte won five, New England three.

What It Means

New England climbs to 6-1-3 with 19 points, and the club said the win lifted it to second in the Eastern Conference. The Revs are unbeaten in six league matches (5-0-1), and their perfect home start matches the best in club history, last achieved in the 2021 Supporters' Shield-winning season. This was also the first match of a four-game homestand, with the Philadelphia Union up next on May 9. The club noted it was the Revs' seventh match in 22 days across all competitions, which makes the late winner even sweeter.

Charlotte falls to 4-2-5 with 14 points and has now lost three straight, following a 4-1 defeat at Orlando and a 4-2 loss at Nashville. The good news for The Crown is a four-game home stand of its own, starting with FC Cincinnati at Bank of America Stadium.

Closing Take

Every great team needs a closer, and the Revs have their Mariano Rivera in a number 10 shirt. Charlotte did enough to steal a point, hit the woodwork and made New England sweat for 96 minutes. But when the moment called for ice in the veins, Gil had it, and Foxborough has a home record that suddenly looks like a statement.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes and match notes as reported by the New England Revolution (revolutionsoccer.net). Additional notes from Charlotte FC (charlottefootballclub.com).