Mike Peters, The Examiner
2007-06-11 07:00:00.0
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BALTIMORE -

It took Crystal Palace USA five games, but they finally delivered a win to their home crowd.

Charlie Sheringham deflected Matthew Mbuta’s goal-line pass into the net in the ninth minute to lead Crystal Palace past Charlotte, 1-0, Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis Saturday.

“It’s a big win for us,” said Crystal Palace co-coach Jim Cherneski, after his team avenged a loss to the Eagles in the season-opener. “We sure hope this carries over.”

Mbuta dribbled the ball into the left corner and set his sights on the net.

Mbuta sent a cross-pass to Sheringham, who put Crystal Palace (2-4-2) ahead for good when his shot got by Charlotte keeper Dan Benton.

“We work a lot on getting our third-man run, getting our midfielders involved, and that’s exactly what it was,” Cherneski said.

“Matthew has the special ability to dribble past defenders, and that’s what he did. He’s lightning fast.”

Crystal Palace keeper Brian Rowland collected nine saves for the shutout.

Crystal Palace’s rematch with Charlotte (7-3) was a far cry from the teams’ meeting on April 20.

Charlotte jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the 30th minute then, taking advantage of a defense struggling to find its chemistry and cruised to a 4-1 win.

After suffering four consecutive losses to begin its season, Crystal Palace has been on a roll. The defense has led the team to a 2-0-2 stand since, rising Crystal Palace from the bottom of the 10-team USL Second Division to seventh.

“It’s something that we’ve put a huge focus on since the second week of the season, and it’s come together well,” Cherneski said of his defense.

“The general direction of the team is exactly what we’ve been expecting. The performances have been justly rewarded now.”