The Charlotte Independence looked like a team that was missing their rhythm on Saturday night against the Ottawa Fury. Only a late equalizer saved the evening for the home fans, as the two Eastern Conference teams played to a 1–1 draw.

The Jacks came out flat and were under pressure from the start, conceding in the 11th minute on a header from Jamar Dixon. It was a great goal, but the defending before the goal needed to be better.

The home team didn’t fully come alive until about halfway through the first half, but they turned it around enough to control 65% of the possession and nearly got an equalizing goal. The Fury collected three yellow cards in the half as well, putting a few of them on thin ice.

The Independence came out firing in the second half, clearly the better team, but were unable to channel their energy into quality chances on goal. As the game dragged on, the Fury bunkered more and more and Charlotte dominated but couldn’t find the back of the net.

Coach Jeffries shook things up as the Independence were getting desperate, taking off Henry Kalungi in favor of Austin Yearwood in the 82nd minute.

Yearwood was just the player that was needed as his fresh legs and pace helped create the equalizing goal just six minutes later. Jorge Herrera was also immense in the buildup to the goal, collecting a pass and putting it out wide to Yearwood who put the ball into the box where Lewis Hilton put it away with his left foot.

The Jacks pushed hard for a game-winning goal after that, almost to their peril: the goalpost saved them from conceding a game-winner the other way. After four minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle blew and the points were split.

Not exactly what we hoped for in our push towards the playoffs and potential home field advantage, but one point is better than none.

Man of the Match

Austin Yearwood

Austin Yearwood was a game changer. With only 12 minutes on the field, he was just what the Jacks needed to push through and find their equalizer. Austin used his speed to blow by defenders on the left a couple different times and put in dangerous balls on the ground in the box. He also grabbed the assist that earned the Jacks a point.

Sweet tea on me Austin!

(Photo Credit: Alex Warren)

Also a tip of the cap to head coach Mike Jeffries for making an unconventional sub at the end going with Yearwood over a forward.

Takeaways

Missing Jun

The Independence are stretched thin right now. Jun Marques Davidson was absent from the gameday 18 with an injury once again, and his absence was obvious. The Independence lacked a tempo setter in the midfield, and while Ross and Hilton both contributed on the night, neither have the presence that Davidson brings. The Independence have a 1–3–1 record without him.

Plan B

Injuries and suspensions have left Charlotte without much of a choice, but Jeffries started Jaime Siaj, a player with a lot of skill and goal scoring threat. In my opinion though, Jaime is our best option to be a super sub. Starting him left the Jacks with little in the way of attackers off the bench; all three subs used have a total of one goal between them. As the team gets back to full strength, I expect a player like Caleb Calvert to help against teams that bunker in against the Independence. This tactic has been quite effective this season as the one thing Charlotte does not have a lot of is size and aerial threat.

Grit personified

Lewis Hilton did not have a good first half on Saturday night. If you listen to our podcast, Talkin’ Jacks, you know that Ben and I are HUGE fans of Hilton, but his first 45 minutes were poor. He wasn’t the only one, but it’s worth mentioning because he kept fighting all game long, and despite not having his best performance, he found himself on the end of Austin Yearwood’s ground cross and put a perfect left-footed shot into the back of the net. Hilton’s performance was a testament to the type of team the Independence are: always fighting, despite things not going well.

Looking Ahead

The Independence have a tough two-game road trip this week; the rescheduled game against the Charleston Battery on Wednesday is next up and it’s going to be huge! After dropping two points at home, the Jacks need to do whatever it takes to get three points and head to Tampa Bay with some momentum.

(Photo Credit: Alex Warren)

For more on this game and the two games coming up this week, stay tuned here on Soccer ‘n’ Sweet Tea and listen to the next episode of Talkin’ Jacks.

And, as always, come on you Jacks!