TAMPA, Fla. – As with all his Charlotte Independence teammates, Christian Flores went into Sunday’s 2023 USL Academy League Playoffs Final knowing there might be a moment that fell his way.

In the third minute of extra time in a hard-fought contest against Orange County SC at the Tournament Sportsplex of Tampa Bay, it arrived.

Off a corner kick from the right side, Isaac Scheer’s delivery found Sam ter Linde, who rose highest in the center of the penalty area to knock down a header. Independence teammate Ryan Sietz almost seized the moment, attempting a turning finish that glanced off his right foot, but the ball fell to Flores, who showed composure to control and finish from the top of the six-yard area to send his side to a 1-0 victory and the league title.

“We practice that in training,” said Flores. “Just always be ready for your moment. Capitalize in the moment. That’s what I did.”

“[It was] absolutely something we talked about prior to the game,” added Independence Head Coach Jeff Bilyk. “That would be a massive piece of any final where it’s tight. It was going be tight, two really, really good teams. Credit to Orange County, they’re a fantastic team, but it was always going to come down to that one moment and who was better in those little moments from a set piece. Those are the differences in matches like that where there's a lot on the line and a lot of pressure. Credit to our guys to execute.”

Both teams had chances to break the deadlock in regulation, with the Independence getting the first good look on goal in the 13th minute when Joshua Moore pulled a shot wide of the right post from 20 yards. Orange County grew into the game more as the half went on, meanwhile, as midfielders Ben Norris and Taj Eagleston both started to find more space in their rotations with full backs Oscar Trujillo and Joseph Buckley.

The defenses remained on top going into the second half, however, with Behrmann making some crucial challenges to stop OCSC opportunities in their tracks and both Miles and Buckley doing stellar work in Orange County’s back line. Buckley also showed his awareness with four minutes to go in regulation, almost catching Delgado-Melchor off his line with a quickly-taken shot off a free kick from just inside the Charlotte half that went just over the crossbar.

In the end, however, Flores’ moment proved decisive as the Independence capped a sterling season in which the side lost just once in the regular season and playoffs to claim the trophy.

“We always knew right from the start of the season that this was a pretty special group, and that they had big moments in big games in them,” said Bilyk. “You always set this as a goal, but trying to accomplish it is easier said than done sometimes. I now think that they’ll go on to have that confidence to know that they can win big, big matches like this and big, big tournaments.”