Revolution can’t find late equalizer in Charlotte, lose final match before World Cup break

Idan Toklomati’s first-half goal stood up despite a furious second-half push from the Revolution, who lost their final match before the World Cup break, 1-0, despite host Charlotte FC playing the final 35 minutes with 10 men.

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A damp, gray night in North Carolina was more than tinged with yellow, as referee Fotis Bazakos handed out six cards for dangerous play. Charlotte’s only two both went to defender David Schnegg for fouls on New England’s Peyton Miller — the first in the 13th minute when Miller appeared to trip while Schnegg’s arm touched his back, which meant the second yellow left Charlotte (6-6-3, 21 points) short after the 58th minute.

The Revolution (8-5-1, 25 points), however, were unable to capitalize. Already shorthanded with striker Leo Campana missing his 10th straight match due to a lower-body injury, New England announced about an hour before kickoff that Luca Langoni had “returned home to Argentina to be with his family during a difficult time.”

The team and staff offered an on-field salute before the game to Langoni, who had scored in back-to-back matches and is tied with Carles Gil for the team lead with nine goal contributions (three goals, six assists).

“We are together in everything and that’s why we did that for Luca,” coach Marko Mitrovic said. “That’s what I can [say] right now.”

That left the Revolution’s front three as Dor Turgeman, Miller, and Diego Fagundez, the 31-year-old Leominster native making his first MLS start of his return to New England after eight appearances as a sub. Mitrovic essentially emptied his bench of offensive options in the final 20 minutes, plugging in Griffin Yow, Marcos Zambrano, Eric Klein, and Somerville’s Cristiano Oliveira, but no truly dangerous chance emerged despite the Revolution having nearly three-quarters of the possession after halftime and 22 touches in the opposition penalty area.

Miller had two of the best, forcing Charlotte keeper Kristijan Kahlina to his left in the 60th minute, then firing a left-footed curler just wide in the 83rd. Gil did have a first-half free kick that appeared just wide of the post, but was covered by a diving Kahlina regardless.

“I felt maybe we rushed to create better situations or to bring more numbers higher in the box. But I would also say that Charlotte was defending very well, they were still very dangerous in those moments in transition,” Mitrovic said. “And all of our backline almost [had] yellow cards, and kind of hesitated to step higher and to squeeze spaces even more so that we could recover those second balls, which I understand would take a lot of risk. But, it is what it is.”

Kahlina needed just three saves for the shutout.

Matt Turner, reportedly among the goalkeepers who’ll be officially named to the US World Cup roster on Tuesday, had five. They included what could have been a game-changer on Charlotte star Pep Biel, who was denied on a late breakaway as the Revolution pushed forward for the equalizer.

Toklomati got the better of the Revolution defense in the 16th minute, during one of Charlotte’s early periods of patient buildup. After New England couldn’t clear, the ball recycled to Will Cleary, who found Toklomati in the corner of the penalty area. With one dribble to create space near an off-balance Mamadou Fofana, Toklomati fired along the ground and across Turner into the far corner.

The match may have been the last in MLS for Charlotte’s Wilfried Zaha, whose loan from Turkey’s Galatasaray ends on June 30. Though he didn’t make the scoresheet, he was a constant presence. Three of New England’s yellow cards (to Miller, Fofana, and Brayan Ceballos) were via fouls on him, he sent Biel in on his breakaway, and he blocked New England’s last-gasp corner to end the match.

Turner’s loan from France’s Lyon also ends June 30, but New England has an option to purchase the contract of the 31-year-old, who has called his return last season “a home run situation” and praised longtime Revolution goalkeeper coach Kevin Hitchcock for helping rebuild his confidence.

Asked Thursday whether he would be interested in staying in New England, Turner was direct.

“Yeah, of course. Why would I not be?,” he said. “Again, there are a lot of things that have to happen between now and then, and a World Cup, so I’m going to take things one day at a time.”

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