Charlotte FC vs Inter Miami CF, 2023 MLS, Regular Season
· MLSCharlotte beats Miami to land first playoff spot
Kerwin Vargas scored his second goal in as many matches and Charlotte FC clinched their first-ever trip to the MLS Cup Playoffs by holding on to a 1-0 victory over Lionel Messi and visiting Inter Miami on Saturday.
Match Timeline
- 0': Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
- 0': First Half begins.
- 2': Offside, Inter Miami CF. Diego Gómez tries a through ball, but Benjamin Cremaschi is caught offside.
- 3': Corner, Charlotte FC. Conceded by Sergio Busquets.
- 4': Foul by Ashley Westwood (Charlotte FC).
- 4': Gregore (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 4': Ashley Westwood (Charlotte FC) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
- 7': Foul by Enzo Copetti (Charlotte FC).
- 7': Kamal Miller (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 13': Goal! Charlotte FC 1, Inter Miami CF 0. Kerwin Vargas (Charlotte FC) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Kamil Józwiak.
- 17': Corner, Inter Miami CF. Conceded by Nathan Byrne.
- 18': Enzo Copetti (Charlotte FC) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 18': Foul by Gregore (Inter Miami CF).
- 18': Gregore (Inter Miami CF) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
- 19': Attempt blocked. Karol Swiderski (Charlotte FC) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
- 20': Corner, Charlotte FC. Conceded by Diego Gómez.
- 20': Attempt missed. Jere Uronen (Charlotte FC) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left following a corner.
- 21': Foul by Gregore (Inter Miami CF).
- 21': Kerwin Vargas (Charlotte FC) wins a free kick on the left wing.
- 23': Offside, Inter Miami CF. Benjamin Cremaschi tries a through ball, but Diego Gómez is caught offside.
- 23': Foul by Brandt Bronico (Charlotte FC).
- 23': Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 24': Diego Gómez (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 24': Foul by Adilson Malanda (Charlotte FC).
- 24': Adilson Malanda (Charlotte FC) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
- 26': Attempt blocked. Kerwin Vargas (Charlotte FC) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Kamil Józwiak with a cross.
- 26': Corner, Charlotte FC. Conceded by Gregore.
- 28': Adilson Malanda (Charlotte FC) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 28': Foul by Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF).
- 34': Foul by Brandt Bronico (Charlotte FC).
- 34': Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 36': Delay in match because of an injury Nathan Byrne (Charlotte FC).
- 36': Delay over. They are ready to continue.
- 37': Foul by Diego Gómez (Inter Miami CF).
- 37': Nathan Byrne (Charlotte FC) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 38': Foul by DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami CF).
- 38': Kerwin Vargas (Charlotte FC) wins a free kick on the left wing.
- 40': Attempt missed. Diego Gómez (Inter Miami CF) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by DeAndre Yedlin.
- 41': Offside, Inter Miami CF. Lionel Messi tries a through ball, but Noah Allen is caught offside.
- 42': Attempt missed. Enzo Copetti (Charlotte FC) header from the left side of the six yard box misses to the left. Assisted by Kamil Józwiak with a cross.
- 45'+1': Attempt saved. Andrew Privett (Charlotte FC) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
- 45'+1': Attempt saved. Leonardo Campana (Inter Miami CF) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Sergio Busquets.
- 45'+3': First Half ends, Charlotte FC 1, Inter Miami CF 0.
- 45': Second Half begins Charlotte FC 1, Inter Miami CF 0.
- 46': Offside, Inter Miami CF. Kamal Miller tries a through ball, but Diego Gómez is caught offside.
- 49': Offside, Inter Miami CF. Diego Gómez tries a through ball, but Lionel Messi is caught offside.
- 51': Foul by Adilson Malanda (Charlotte FC).
- 51': Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 52': Attempt blocked. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Benjamin Cremaschi.
- 55': Corner, Inter Miami CF. Conceded by Adilson Malanda.
- 57': Offside, Inter Miami CF. Lionel Messi tries a through ball, but Diego Gómez is caught offside.
- 58': Foul by Noah Allen (Inter Miami CF).
- 58': Kamil Józwiak (Charlotte FC) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 59': Attempt blocked. Kerwin Vargas (Charlotte FC) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Karol Swiderski.
- 61': Hand ball by Kerwin Vargas (Charlotte FC).
- 61': Kerwin Vargas (Charlotte FC) is shown the yellow card for hand ball.
- 62': Attempt saved. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF) left footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the right is saved in the top centre of the goal.
- 64': Foul by Brandt Bronico (Charlotte FC).
- 64': Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 66': Attempt blocked. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
- 66': Corner, Charlotte FC. Conceded by Gregore.
- 67': Attempt missed. Brandt Bronico (Charlotte FC) right footed shot from outside the box is too high following a corner.
- 67': Substitution, Charlotte FC. Justin Meram replaces Kerwin Vargas.
- 67': Substitution, Charlotte FC. Brecht Dejaegere replaces Kamil Józwiak.
- 67': Substitution, Inter Miami CF. Jordi Alba replaces Noah Allen.
- 68': Foul by Nathan Byrne (Charlotte FC).
- 68': Leonardo Campana (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 69': Attempt saved. Justin Meram (Charlotte FC) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
- 69': Foul by Brandt Bronico (Charlotte FC).
- 69': Kamal Miller (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 71': Attempt saved. Karol Swiderski (Charlotte FC) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Brandt Bronico.
- 74': Delay in match because of an injury Karol Swiderski (Charlotte FC).
- 74': Substitution, Inter Miami CF. Robbie Robinson replaces Benjamin Cremaschi.
- 75': Substitution, Inter Miami CF. Dixon Arroyo replaces Gregore.
- 75': Delay over. They are ready to continue.
- 75': Substitution, Charlotte FC. Scott Arfield replaces Karol Swiderski because of an injury.
- 76': Offside, Inter Miami CF. CJ dos Santos tries a through ball, but Robbie Robinson is caught offside.
- 76': Brandt Bronico (Charlotte FC) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 76': Foul by Dixon Arroyo (Inter Miami CF).
- 78': Foul by Nathan Byrne (Charlotte FC).
- 78': Robbie Robinson (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 82': Attempt blocked. Scott Arfield (Charlotte FC) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Enzo Copetti.
- 86': Attempt missed. Leonardo Campana (Inter Miami CF) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right.
- 88': DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 88': Foul by Justin Meram (Charlotte FC).
- 88': Justin Meram (Charlotte FC) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
- 89': Substitution, Charlotte FC. Derrick Jones replaces Enzo Copetti.
- 90': Foul by Brandt Bronico (Charlotte FC).
- 90': Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami CF) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 90': Attempt saved. Leonardo Campana (Inter Miami CF) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Jordi Alba with a cross.
- 90': Corner, Inter Miami CF. Conceded by Kristijan Kahlina.
- 90'+1': Corner, Inter Miami CF. Conceded by Kristijan Kahlina.
- 90'+2': Attempt blocked. Dixon Arroyo (Inter Miami CF) right footed shot from very close range is blocked.
- 90'+2': Attempt blocked. Robbie Robinson (Inter Miami CF) right footed shot from very close range is blocked. Assisted by Diego Gómez.
- 90'+2': Attempt missed. Diego Gómez (Inter Miami CF) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the right following a corner.
- 90'+3': Andrew Privett (Charlotte FC) wins a free kick on the right wing.
- 90'+3': Foul by Kamal Miller (Inter Miami CF).
- 90'+3': Kamal Miller (Inter Miami CF) is shown the yellow card.
- 90'+4': Corner, Charlotte FC. Conceded by Robbie Robinson.
- 90'+4': Second Half ends, Charlotte FC 1, Inter Miami CF 0.
- 0': Match ends, Charlotte FC 1, Inter Miami CF 0.
Statistics
 MIA |
CLT |
|
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Fouls | 13 |
| 2 | Yellow Cards | 4 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 7 | Offsides | 0 |
| 4 | Corner Kicks | 5 |
| 3 | Saves | 3 |
| 61 | Possession | 39 |
| 10 | SHOTS | 11 |
| 3 | ON GOAL | 4 |
| 0.3 | On Target % | 0.4 |
| 0 | Penalty Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Penalty Kicks Taken | 0 |
| 492 | Accurate Passes | 285 |
| 603 | Passes | 382 |
| 0.8 | Pass Completion % | 0.7 |
| 2 | Accurate Crosses | 2 |
| 6 | Crosses | 13 |
| 0.3 | Cross % | 0.2 |
| 60 | Long Balls | 62 |
| 19 | Accurate Long Balls | 26 |
| 0.3 | Long Balls % | 0.4 |
| 4 | Blocked Shots | 4 |
| 6 | Effective Tackles | 6 |
| 11 | Tackles | 12 |
| 0.5 | Tackle % | 0.5 |
| 13 | Interceptions | 20 |
| 10 | Effective Clearances | 8 |
| 10 | Clearances | 8 |
Game Information
Competition: MLS
Venue: Bank of America Stadium
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Attendance: 66,101
Venue: Bank of America Stadium
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Attendance: 66,101
MLS Table
| # | TEAM | GP | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville SC | 28 | +37 | 63 |
| 2 | Inter Miami CF | 28 | +18 | 49 |
| 3 | Chicago Fire FC | 28 | +11 | 48 |
| 4 | New England Revolution | 28 | +6 | 46 |
Line-Ups
Charlotte FC (4-3-3)
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Kristijan Kahlina (GK) |
| 34 | Andrew Privett |
| 29 | Adilson Malanda  |
| 3 | Jere Uronen |
| 14 | Nathan Byrne |
| 8 | Ashley Westwood |
| 13 | Brandt Bronico |
| 11 | Karol Swiderski |
| 9 | Enzo Copetti |
| 18 | Kerwin Vargas |
| 7 | Kamil Jozwiak |
Inter Miami CF (4-3-3)
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 29 | CJ dos Santos (GK) |
| 31 | Kamal Miller |
| 6 | Tomás Avilés |
| 32 | Noah Allen |
| 2 | DeAndre Yedlin |
| 5 | Sergio Busquets |
| 30 | Benjamin Cremaschi |
| 26 | Gregore |
| 9 | Leonardo Campana |
| 8 | Diego Gómez |
| 10 | Lionel Messi |
MLS News
Messi tracker: Goals, assists, key moments in 2026
ESPN provides game-by-game analysis of Lionel Messi's performances for Inter Miami and Argentina.
Denkey's double sparks Cincinnati to win over Atlanta
Kevin Denkey scored two goals after a scoreless first half and FC Cincinnati snapped a six-match winless streak with a 3-1 victory over Atlanta United on Saturday night.
Cavan Sullivan's 2 assists help Union extend club-record unbeaten streak to 13
Teenager Cavan Sullivan had assists on goals by Bruno Damiani and Milan Iloski to help the Philadelphia Union extend their club-record unbeaten streak to 13 with a 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake on Saturday night.
Sounders extend unbeaten streak to 9 with victory over Revs
Seattle got goals from Hassani Dotson, Dejan Joveljić and Paul Arriola to back a clean sheet from Andrew Thomas and the Sounders extended their unbeaten run to nine with a 3-0 victory over the New England Revolution on Saturday night.
Angulo's stoppage-goal lifts Orlando past Columbus
Iván Angulo scored the go-ahead goal in the 89th minute, Antoine Griezmann added a goal and an assist, and Maxime Crépeau had 12 saves to help Orlando City beat the Columbus Crew 3-2 on Saturday night.