Charlotte FC gains tie vs. Colorado Rapids after stoppage-time mistake

Goalkeepers have little room for error.

Take the simple act of catching the ball. Charlotte FC’s George Marks did that effortlessly for 94 minutes Saturday night. Colorado Rapids attackers peppered him with shots, and Marks made the save, time after time.

Then came the 94th minute, a fumbled save, and a Colorado stoppage-time goal that prevented Charlotte from snapping a three-match MLS winless streak.

Instead, Charlotte FC settled for a 2-2 tie before 31,240 at Bank of America Stadium.

“I thought George played well, until that mistake,” Charlotte head coach Christian Lattanzio said. “But you have to stay focused — up until the final minute.”

Lattanzio’s team had rallied from a 1-0 deficit with two goals in a three-minute span of the second half. Charlotte made four substitutions after the 80th minute, in an effort to get fresh legs on the pitch and to counter Colorado’s pressure from the outside.

But it all came undone when Marks fumbled the ball and the Rapids’ Michael Barrios raced past the Charlotte goalkeeper and scored into an empty net.

“I feel really bad for the boys,” Lattanzio said afterwards.

Here are four takeaways from Saturday’s draw, which left Charlotte with a 1-4-3 record:

Every moment counts

Halfway through the seven minutes of stoppage time, Colorado’s Max delivered a long pass toward the Charlotte goal. Marks, a former Clemson standout, came out about 18 yards from the goal to grab the ball and stop the Rapids’ threat.

Marks snagged the ball but then dropped it, with Barrios standing just feet away.

“If he had dropped the ball anywhere else, it would have ended differently,” Lattanzio said.

Instead, the ball landed at Barrios’ feet, and he had a wide-open path to the Charlotte goal.

The mistake wasn’t at all representative of the game Marks played. He made five saves, including two spectacular stops of Colorado shots in the 67th and 68th minutes.

“I never would have imagined him doing that,” Lattanzio said of the error. “I’m sure that as a result of this, he will become a better player.”

The defense responds

After last week’s 3-1 thrashing at the hands of Salt Lake, Charlotte FC’s defense was much better Saturday night.

“We gave the ball away a few times, but the guys kept playing hard,” Lattanzio said.

For all but a few episodes in the game, Charlotte FC kept the Colorado attack held in check.

Charlotte had a 52% to 48% edge in time of possession and outshot the Rapids 17-13.

It was the momentary lapses that caused problems.

The first Colorado goal, like the second, was set up by a Charlotte mistake. The defense allowed Colorado’s Sam Nicholson to steal the ball and deliver a short pass to Max, who scored the match’s opening goal in the 54th minute.

Those lapses, however, were less common this week than last.

Offense comes alive

Charlotte FC’s two second-half goals tied the season high for the club, and both were well-executed.

In the 62nd minute, with a large group of players in front of the Colorado goal, Charlotte’s Harrison Afful tipped the ball to Kerwin Vargas, who scored on a short shot. The cheering had barely died down before Karol Swiderski sent a centering pass from the left side of the goal to an onrushing Kamil Jozwiak, who scored on a header.

“We had worked hard for that, and we came out in the second half and made those plays,” Lattanzio said.

He said it appeared as if his team tired a bit after the second goal, and that was one reason why he removed Vargas, Jozwiak and Swiderski for substitutes.

“I just felt that the team, at that point, needed a different structure,” Lattanzio said.

Home stand continues

Charlotte FC will have home-field advantage next weekend, as it attempts to snap the winless streak. Charlotte hosts the Columbus Crew at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Bank of America Stadium.

Also home next Saturday will be Crown Legacy FC, Charlotte’s entry in the MLS Next Pro league. Crown Legacy hosts Columbus Crew 2, with a 2 p.m. kickoff at the Matthews SportsPlex.

Crown Legacy ran its record to 3-0-1 onFriday night with a 3-0 blanking of Inter Miami II.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle