Now is the time for Charlotte FC to string wins together

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

After more than a month of frustration, Charlotte FC and midfielder Ashley Westwood have a chance to create a win streak Wednesday against DC United at Bank of America Stadium.

One in a row. 

Since a three-game winning streak in April, Charlotte hasn’t been able to build any momentum. Their 2-0 win over NYCFC July 12 was the first since May 31, with three losses and a draw in between.

Wednesday's tilt against D.C. United at Bank of America Stadium will be a true measure of whether this team has what it takes to make the postseason playoffs for a third consecutive season. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. The match will be televised on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass with radio coverage on WFNZ 92.7 FM (English); WOLS 106.1 FM (Spanish).

After last weekend’s results, Charlotte is back in the playoff picture, but tenuously in ninth, their 29 points just one ahead of Chicago. While a desired fourth-place spot by the end of the regular season with only 12 games remaining is a reach, the Crown is just six points out of sixth, so a string of positive results can rapidly move them up the table.

Charlotte is 10th in the league in scoring with 36 goals, but has given up just as many, one less than they conceded in all 34 regular-season games last season.

It’s Toklomati time

After scoring the winner against NYCFC, Idan Toklomati now has four goals in 18 appearances for the Crown, with six of his seven starts coming in the last six games as Patrick Agyemang was on U.S. National Team duty. He has deputized well, scoring three times in the last four games. With Agyemang joining Derby County on what’s reported to be a record $8-10 million transfer for the club, the 9 spot is Toklomati’s to lose. 

A very different profile of player than Agyemang, who combines size (6-foot-4) with deceptive speed and touch, Toklomati, 20, has demonstrated a keen instinct for being in the right place at the right time. His goal against NYCFC was evidence of how well he reads the game and his teammates.

After taking a long ball down the left side, he laid it back to Wilfried Zaha and moved back to the middle at the top of the penalty area, watching and waiting as Zaha paused before playing the ball to Pep Biel, making a cut-through run to the left of the 6-yard box. Toklomati was already darting down the middle, so he was Idan-on-the-spot when Biel’s first touch pass across the goal met his foot and then back of the net. 

With the MLS transfer window opening soon, expect Zoran Krneta to add another striker to the mix. Not just in case of injury, but also to ensure competition keeps everyone sharp. Toklomati is also in the national team pool for Israel, so he could be called up along with Liel Abada during the international windows, for which MLS play doesn’t stop.

Charlotte’s got game

MLS Commissioner Don Garber will be in Charlotte Wednesday to announce Charlotte FC will host the 2026 All-Star Game. This has been expected since the Crown debuted in 2022. This year’s game is scheduled for July 23 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, home of Austin FC, which joined the league in 2021.

Charlotte hosted the NBA All-Star weekend twice, in 1991 and 2019.

Open All-Star spot

With Agyemang’s departure for the English Championship, Charlotte FC is losing the first player in team history to be named to the MLS All-Star Team. The club’s second-leading all-time scorer (22 goals in 72 matches across all competitions) was scheduled to participate in this year’s showcase against Liga MX stars. He was one of two Commissioner’s picks for the game.

CLTFC hasn’t been totally shut out of the previous two celebrations as it also includes the All-Star Skills Challenge in which Crown Legacy goalkeepers Issac Walker and Chituru Odunze took the trophy in the Goalie Wars competition.

Players are routinely replaced on the roster due to injury, but it’s undetermined at this point if any player has missed a game due to being transferred out of the league before participating.
With Garber coming to town, it provides the perfect opportunity for him to replace one deserving Crown player with another who is having an excellent season. 

Pep Biel is unquestionably worthy with seven goals and 10 assists in 21 games this season. Last season’s MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, Kristijan Kahlina, would also be a choice despite a fall in form for part of this season. He deserved the recognition last year but was ignored by voters and Columbus coach Wilfred Nancy. 

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