Charlotte FC earns a piece of MLS history, playoff berth

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Charlotte FC striker Idan Toklomati slams the ball past Inter Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari for the second of his three goals in a 3-0 win Sept. 13, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium. The win was Charlotte's ninth straight, tying the MLS record.

Everything’s going right for Charlotte FC.

The Crown tied Major League Soccer’s consecutive wins streak at nine with a 3-0 result against Inter Miami despite the sideline absence of coach Dean Smith, who was suspended for yellow card accumulation. Charlotte can set a new standard Sept. 20 with a win at New York City.

Saturday’s win, coupled with New York Red Bulls’ loss, clinched a third straight postseason appearance for Charlotte (17-11-2), whose 53 points trails only Cincinnati (55) and frontrunner Philadelphia (57) in the Eastern Conference. The top four teams earn home pitch advantage in the first round.

“Eleven games ago at halftime, down 3-0 at Chicago and they’ve turned themselves around,” Smith said. “That second half performance in Chicago we could’ve gotten something out of it and we’ve continued that momentum. Credit to them for what they’ve been doing. Now we’ve become record holders in this league. Nine on the spin takes some doing. Not many teams get to do that in any league.”

Striker Idan Toklomati was the hero on Saturday with his first hat trick for Charlotte FC and the second in club history. Toklomati, who has tallied 11 goals in his first full season with the Crown, has a goal contribution in seven straight matches, making him the second 21-year-old in MLS history to do so.

Toklomati had plenty of help in building a historic stat line. Passes from Kerwin Vargas and Ashley Westwood led to his first goal while Brandt Bronico and Zaha assisted on his second. He buried a penalty kick to close the assault.

"I feel amazing,” Toklomati said. “I cannot explain my feeling right now. After I scored two, we get a penalty, and I look at [teammate Wilfried Zaha] and he says, ‘You want a hat trick?” I look back at him, like ‘Oh my God, he’s an angel.’ I looked at him like an angel. After I scored the hat trick, I almost lost my mind. It was the best feeling I ever had.” 

Toklomati has been on a roll since moving into the starting lineup in June when Patrick Agyemang was called to U.S. national team duty. Since then, Toklomati has had a game-winning goal or an assist in six straight matches, with Saturday’s hat trick against MLS’s highest-profile club his most dynamic result.

"First of all, that is the best moment and best team to play against to score a hat trick,” he said. “We are playing well and standing on nine games in a row when we win. I cannot even explain the feeling.” 

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