There it is! Charlotte FC scored their first regular-season MLS goal against none other than their Southeast foe Atlanta United.
Adam Armour wrote his name in the expansion club's history books after scoring off a header in the 66th minute to level Sunday's eventual 2-1 defeat at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. ATLUTD had gone up in the 60th minute through Josef Martinez's penalty kick, but Charlotte took advantage of a corner kick to equalize.
In the end, the historic goal was not enough for Charlotte as Atlanta found a winner in the 96th minute through Jake Mulraney. Still, it was a momentous occasion for the visitors after going two weeks without scoring.
“Everyone loves to score goals but it being the first one in history is an amazing feeling,” Armour, a North Carolina native, said after the game. “I’m used to being the guy that stays back on corners to prevent a counterattack, but before I went in [Charlotte FC head coach] Miguel [Angel Ramirez] told me to be in the box and run from the penalty spot.”
“I knew Ben Bender had good service. I started at the penalty spot and found that I was pretty unmarked, so tried to put my head on it and put it somewhere towards goal,” the 19-year-old US youth international added.
It was quite a turn of events for Armour, who didn’t make the roster last week for Charlotte’s record-breaking home opener against the LA Galaxy, a move that motivated him to push himself harder ahead of Sunday’s match.
“It was tough, especially in a massive game like last weekend at home with the record attendance,” he admitted. “But I knew my opportunity would come. I kind of used that frustration to help do my thing in this game. It was a great feeling.”
