The Columbus Crew found themselves in a tough spot before their match at Charlotte kicked off Saturday. Goaltender Patrick Schulte suffered an injury in warm-ups and could not go against the Crown. It was a close contest throughout, but Charlotte broke a 2-2 tie with a goal in the 75th minute for a 3-2 win.

The match began with some optimism for the Black & Gold. Aliyu Ibrahim, who was acquired from the Houston Dynamo in late April, scored his first goal as a member of the Crew in the fifteenth minute. Mohamed Farsi carried the ball to the right of the goal area and found Ibrahim in front of the goal, who headed it into the net.

Charlotte took a 2-1 lead on two scores from Patrick Agyemang, at the 18′ and 24′ marks. The Crew’s Malte Amundsen tied the score in the 65th minute. Dylan Chambost took a free kick outside of Charlotte’s box after Wilfried Zaha was charged with a foul. Charlotte keeper Kiristijan Kahlina blocked the shot but Amundsen chipped in the rebound.

Pep Biel put Charlotte ahead at the 75′ mark, beating Nicholas Hagen, who got the start when Schulte couldn’t go and the Crown held on for the victory. It was only the Crew’s second loss of the MLS season, but combined with six draws, the Black & Gold are tied with Orlando City and Nashville in the MLS Eastern Conference’s third spot.

The Crew are back in action with a mid-week game at home. They take on Nashville Wednesday at Lower.com Field beginning at 8:00 p.m. Nashville won 2-1 at Montreal Saturday. The Coyotes have not lost in their last eight outings, going 6-0-2.