The Charlotte Independence lost their third straight game for the first time in club history on Friday night. This loss will likely sting the most of the three as the Jacks essentially dominated FC Cincinnati but couldn’t put the ball into the back of the net, which unfortunately for Charlotte, is the point of the game.

The Independence started brightly, but similar to their loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies last week, they would lose 1–0 even while playing well throughout. Charlotte was unable to finish several shots, going inches wide inside the box in the first half. An early two-on-one breakaway with Enzo Martinez and Lewis Hilton resulted in nothing as well, as Enzo had the ball taken off of him before he could turn the breakaway into a shot.

FC Cincinnati played a more conservative game than I expected, often conceding possession to the Jacks in favor of keeping their defensive shape. But despite Charlotte’s struggles breaking down defenses in these situations, they actually created several high quality chances… they simply couldn’t finish them. It was agonizing to watch, and I can’t imagine how much more agonizing it was for the players.

These two tweets sum up the first half for the Jacks.

The second half featured less chances, and the Jacks ended up conceding from a set piece, something that has been happening often in this post-beatless slide. A corner kick to the back post found the head of Djiby Fall who headed it toward the front post, and the ball was tapped home by an unmarked Kevin Schindler in the 75th minute. It was an untimely mistake from the Jacks who just can’t seem to put a complete game together lately.

The Jacks were backed by some fresh legs: Jaime Siaj, Caleb Calvert and David Spies all had their chances down the stretch. Calvert’s first effort on target for the Jacks this season came when he connected with a Lewis Hilton free kick, but Mitch Hildebrandt was there with the save. The best chance came from David Spies playing a nice pass that connected with Jorge Herrera on a near post run, but Herrera uncharacteristically sent it high and wide.

Moments later Herrera was denied from the penalty spot after Enzo Martinez drew a foul in the box. It wasn’t his night and it wasn’t the Jacks’ night at all. They’d lose 1–0.

Man of the Match

Lewis Hilton

Lewis Hilton was phenomenal on Friday night. He once again ran the midfield, completing 89% of his 64 passes and creating SIX chances for his teammates that on another day would likely have netted a couple of assists. Missing Jun Marques Davidson was easier tonight with the performance of Hilton.

(Photo Credit: Alex Warren)

Takeaways

Better to be lucky than good

It’s a popular phrase in soccer, and I’m starting to think it’s true. The Independence have been good this season, but I would say they haven’t been lucky at all, especially of late. The stats in this game look like the Jacks should have earned an easy 2–0 victory, but the finishing was lacking and while a lot of that is often down to skill, I think it’s fair to say the Jacks were simply unlucky.

Can’t win if you don’t score

The Jacks haven’t scored in their last three games and unsurprisingly, they’ve been unable to earn a single point as a result. Despite shooting 20 times and putting six of those on frame, the Jacks couldn’t find the back of the net at the Sportsplex. This scoring drought couldn’t have come at a worse time as the competition around the Jacks have now closed the gap.

Home playoff game in serious doubt

Rochester and Louisville played to a 0–0 draw on Saturday, so Louisville will have to wait at least one more week before clinching first place in the East. The Jacks have a chance to play spoilers if they can manage to win at Louisville, where they’ve never won before (more on that below).

The Charleston Battery drew 1–1 on Sunday afternoon to draw even with Charlotte on 48 points with two to play. They lead on goal differential by just one (that 3–0 September loss in Charleston really hurts). Obviously, the October 14th season finale with the Battery was going to be big before, but depending on next week’s results in the top six, it could potentially become a literal tiebreaker for the last top four spot. It’s an uphill battle for Charlotte, but it’s a hill that they built for themselves.