Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Karol Swiderski had two goals and an assist, and Charlotte clinched a playoff spot with a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Fire. Charlotte (12-11-9) has beaten Chicago (7-17-9) in five straight matches. It marked the first time since 2015 that a Charlotte-based major professional sports team advanced to the postseason in consecutive years, joining the NFL's Carolina Panthers. Swiderski opened the scoring in the eighth minute after a give-and-go with Pep Biel. Swiderski scored again in first-half stoppage time by heading in a cross by Nathan Byrne for a 3-1 lead. Júnior Urso scored his first goal for Charlotte in the 30th minute for a 2-1 lead. Liel Abada made it 4-1 in the 58th off an assist by Swiderski.
