Pep Biel lifts Charlotte over Crew to halt 5-game skid

Pep Biel scored the tiebreaking goal in the 75th minute and Patrick Agyemang had two goals when host Charlotte FC ended a five-match losing streak with a 3-2 victory against the Columbus Crew on Saturday.

Biel, who assisted on the first goal, spun away from defender Yevhen Cheberko to score his fourth goal after Charlotte (7-7-1, 22 points) had squandered a 2-1 halftime lead.

The Crew (7-2-6, 27 points) had a five-match unbeaten streak end, although the past three results were draws.

Charlotte, which is 6-2-0 at home, starts a five-match road trip on Wednesday. The Crew lost for the first time on the road (3-1-3) and are 0-3-1 all-time at Charlotte.

Ibrahim Aliyu scored in the 15th for the Crew before Agyemang had goals in the 19th and 24th minutes to put Charlotte ahead. Malte Amundsen tied it in the 65th.

Injuries hit the Crew hard.

Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte was injured in warmups and was replaced by Nicholas Hagen, who made his first start of the season. Hagen made eight saves.

Then in the 20th minute, MLS Defender of the Year Steven Moriera was replaced by Amundsen.

Charlotte was all over the Crew early but after Adilson Malanda hit the crossbar in the 13th minute, the Crew immediately responded to take the lead when Aliyu, acquired from the Houston Dynamo on April 26, headed a cross from Mo Farsi for his first Crew goal.

The lead did not last long thanks to Agyemang, who earlier in the week was named to the 27-player U.S national team roster for friendlies against Turkey in Switzerland in June.

He got the equalizer when he made a run to the near post to head a corner by Biel.

Agyemang made it 2-1 with his fifth goal off a through ball by Wilfried Zaha that sent him down the left flank for a shot to the far corner.

Amundsen put in a rebound after Dylan Chambost’s low-driven free kick was saved by Kristijan Kahlina.

But Charlotte avenged a 4-2 loss at Columbus on May 3, the second defeat of the losing streak.

–Field Level Media