An incredible long-range strike from Dani Pereira helped Austin FC defeat Charlotte FC 1-0 on Thursday night at Bank of America Stadium. The victory lifts Austin to second place in the MLS Supporters’ Shield standings at the midway point of the Club’s season.
Scoring chances were few and far between in the first half, as the Verde & Black held Charlotte to no shots on target. Jhohan Romaña had the best opportunity for either side, heading a powerful shot over the bar.
The hosts fired a warning shot off the post in the opening minutes of the second half, but it was Dani Pereira who broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute after coming on as a substitute. Picking up a pass from Nick Lima 25 yards from goal, Pereira unleashed a swerving strike that rocketed off the underside of the crossbar and in.
Austin took a pragmatic approach to the remainder of the game, continuing to frustrate Charlotte’s attack until the final whistle to collect a second consecutive shutout win away from home.
THREE THINGS
- LUCKY NUMBER FIVE: The result was Austin FC’s fifth road win of the season as well as the team’s fifth shutout.
- DOUBLING UP: Dani Pereira’s goal was the second of his MLS career, and Nick Lima’s assist was his second in two games.
- CROSS-CONFERENCE CRUISING: The Verde & Black are unbeaten through six matches against Eastern Conference opponents, with five wins and a draw.
UP NEXT
Austin FC will play its tenth away match and eighteenth match overall of the 2022 Major League Soccer regular season against the Colorado Rapids on Monday, July 4 at 8:00 p.m. CT/7:00 p.m. MT. The match will feature a regional TV broadcast in English language on KBVO (MyNetworkTV), as well as a livestream on AustinFC.com and the Austin FC app.
In Spanish language, the match will feature a livestream on UnivisionAustin.com and the Univision Austin app.
On radio, the match will be broadcast on KASE-FM (ALT 97.5) in English, as well as on TUDN Radio Austin (104.3-HD2, KLQB) in Spanish.
