Crystal Palace midfielder Pat Healey was ready to return to Baltimore on Saturday night following his team’s 3-0 loss at first-place Charlotte.

The team clinched one of six United Soccer League Second Division Playoff berths with a 2-1 win over the Harrisburg City Islanders on Thursday in a game in which two starters received red cards, preventing them from playing against Charlotte.

Healey, who scored in the win over Harrisburg, Pa., was tired and ready to get on the bus as he walked out of the locker room. The bus, however, was nowhere to be found.

The brakes on the bus that brought Palace (9-6-1, 28 points) to Charlotte (12-1-4, 40) needed to be fixed, stranding the team until a replacement arrived the next afternoon.

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For Palace, which has played three of its past four games away from Baltimore, it was the final hurdle before returning to Charm City to play its next three matches, beginning with Thursday night’s game against Real Maryland (3-14-1) at 7:30 at UMBC.

“That’s the way the season goes,” Healey, a former standout at Towson, said with a laugh. “After a very huge win in Harrisburg, Charlotte just took care of us. They were sitting there waiting for us, but they are a very good team and absolutely took advantage of us.”

The loss to Charlotte means Palace has little chance of catching the Eagles for first. But with four games remaining — one more game remaining than second-place Richmond (11-4-2, 35) — Palace has a chance to catch the Kickers and set up a showdown for a first-round bye when the teams meet in the final regular season game on Aug. 9.

But in order to make the match count, Palace must first beat Real Maryland and then Bermuda (4-10-2, 14) on Aug. 3 at Poly Complex and on Aug. 6 at UMBC.

“We have a very strong, deep squad,” Palace co-manager Jim Cherneski said. “I don’t feel like we miss a beat. I feel our players are that good.”

dcarey@baltimoreexaminer.com