Charlotte Independence held off a late FC Naples rally to win 4–3 in a wild USL League One contest on Saturday. Luis Alvarez led the way with two goals and an assist, while William Arevalo, Luca Mastrantonio, and Raul Miglietti found the net for Naples in a losing effort.
Alvarez opened the scoring early, putting Charlotte ahead in the sixth minute. Naples responded well. Marc Torrellas picked up a yellow card in the ninth minute, and the visitors leveled through Arevalo in the 21st, who finished off a Kevin O'Connor delivery. The teams went into the break locked at 1–1.
Charlotte seized control in the second half. Souaibou Marou restored the lead in the 59th minute, converting a chance created by Christopher Jaime. But Naples hit back again — Mastrantonio made it 2–2 in the 68th minute, and the game looked destined for a share of the spoils.
Then Alvarez took over. Already carrying a yellow card picked up in the 72nd minute, the forward showed no hesitation when he latched onto another Jaime pass to score his second of the night in the 82nd minute. Four minutes later, Viggo Ortiz put the result beyond doubt at 4–2, finishing a feed from Alvarez himself.
Naples refused to go quietly. Miglietti pulled one back in the 89th minute from an O'Connor assist — his second of the match — but time ran out before the visitors could find an equalizer.
The win moves Charlotte Independence further up the table and caps a statement performance powered by Alvarez's decisive second-half contributions.
USL League One