Patrick Agyemang’s 3 points power Charlotte as Revolution continue late-season meltdown

Speaking Friday before his Revolution traveled to face a similarly struggling Charlotte FC, coach Caleb Porter made clear what it would take for his team to begin to make something of its season with six matches to play.

“A complete 90-plus minute performance,” he said, “with a strong mentality whether we are up, even, or down.”

Mentality’s been a common theme for Porter in his first season. Largely because it’s been lacking, and rarely more than it was on Saturday, as Charlotte ended a three-match losing streak and a four-match winless run at home with a decisive 4-0 victory over New England.

East Hartford native Patrick Agyemang came on for the final 30 minutes and had a goal and two assists for The Crown (11-11-8, 41 points), which had been shut out in two of their last three.

The Revolution, meanwhile, crumbled amid more frustration with the officials. The lone MLS team not to receive a penalty kick this season again felt wrongly denied a handball in the first half, with team captain Carles Gil frustrated first to the point of a yellow card, then to angrily shoving teammate Xavier Arreaga as the players departed the field at halftime.

In the second half, Dylan Borrero received two yellows just 14 minutes after he entered as a substitute, dismissed for arguing what he felt was a harsh foul call. Charlotte scored its final two goals with the man advantage, the Revolution losing by at least four for the third time in 12 matches.

“I think sometimes when you have had frustrating things happen, they linger in your head. Not for every player, but for some players, that tends to become a pattern and a habit,” Porter said postgame, admitting he is “not getting the job done” of late. “I think that that has happened for some of the guys and I think, again, we have to be stronger.”

Saturday’s pain point for the Revolution (8-17-4, 28 points) came in the 31st minute, after Charlotte had them on their heels for much of the first half-hour. Peyton Miller charged into the Charlotte penalty area on a give-and-go with Esmir Bajraktarevic. Inside 6 yards from the end line, the 16-year-old Miller cut a deft left foot through the legs of Charlotte winger Pep Biel.

Gil ran on the pass and attempted a right-footed try on net, but it struck falling Charlotte center back Andrew Privett in the left arm. Privett had the arm extended behind him, using it to catch himself after a sprawling attempt to block the shot.

“That’s a handball 100000 percent,” veteran Revolution defender Andrew Farrell, who was unavailable for the game, posted on social media.

Referee Mark Allatin disagreed. At the next stoppage, with Porter arguing loud enough with fourth official Ted Unkel that field mikes picked it up, the play was not reviewed.

Porter said Unkel’s explanation was that a player on the ground is allowed to put a hand down to get up. Meaning, as was the case when New England was denied a handball call in their draw with St. Louis earlier this month, Prewitt’s arm was in a justifiable position and thus the hand strike was allowed.

“I don’t understand, but that was his explanation,” Porter said. “And what I said to him is, ‘We are just going to have our guys start playing crab soccer in the box, where they will just crawl around on their butts and their arms and if they block shots with their arms, then I guess that’s OK.’ ”

Gil’s yellow came after another minute of ranting at Allatin, and was greeted with sarcastic clapping.

Liel Abada broke through for Charlotte in the 39th minute. A deft Brant Bronico redirection of a pass from the center circle found Abada in space on the left side. His low shot was parried in front by diving Revolution keeper Aljaz Ivacic, with a charging Biel and a crawling Ivacic tangling for the rebound. The ball rolled to Arreaga, whose attempt to corral it pushed it past Ivacic to Abada, who blasted it home for just his second goal in his last 11 starts.

That came to mind when, after the halftime whistle blew, cameras caught Gil shouting at Arreaga. The two grew close and more animated, with Arreaga saying something that caused Gil to step around a member of team staff and put a two-hand shove into Arreaga’s chest. The staffer (and Carles’s brother, Nacho Gil) then held Arreaga back as Carles walked off next to Porter.

“We have addressed it, we talked about it, but that was certainly embarrassing,” Porter said. “It is just too emotional.”

The Revolution came out lively in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, but Agyemang helped make it 2-0 in the 65th. The former Eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island player held off Alhassan Yusuf and Tim Parker, then charged through the right side of the penalty area. Blocked at the near post, Agyemang slid a pass past Arreaga to Biel, who scored his first since joining Charlotte on a loan from Olympiacos last month.

Borrero was dismissed five minutes later. The Colombian raced roaring toward Unkel after he was whistled for a slide tackle on which he won the ball. Video review confirmed both yellows, given in quick succession by Allatin, were for Borrero’s arguing. (Allatin gave an animated Porter a yellow as well.)

“It clearly is a very good tackle, never a foul. But . . . we just need to let things go at times and know that as long as we continually execute the game plan and we’re mature, don’t let things affect us too much, we’re going to find ways to score goals and play well,” midfielder Matt Polster said. “I’ve talked to Dylan in the past and he needs to just become more mature in these situations. He’s a fantastic player when he’s focused and he’s in the game.”

Biel set up Agyemang in the 77th minute, Agyemang ripping a right foot across Ivacic (five saves) for his eighth goal of the season. Kerwin Vargas finished the scoring in the 87th, a right foot from the corner of the penalty area catching Ivacic flatfooted.

Kahlina finished with four saves in his 10th shutout of the season.

The Revolution remain last in the Eastern Conference, and are 1-6-3 in their last 10 matches. They host Nashville on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium.