By Billy McGee
March 4, 2026
Photo: Kurt Shackelford / CLTure
After a shaky start to the 2026 MLS regular season — settling for a 1-1 draw against St. Louis City and falling 3-0 to the LA Galaxy — Charlotte FC will look to regain their footing Saturday night as they return home to face Austin FC under the lights at The Fortress.
Despite the 1-1 scoreline in the season opener against St. Louis, Charlotte’s performance was underwhelming. Goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina’s individual effort kept the opposition to just one goal, as he faced 11 shots on target, made a career-high 10 saves, and earned a spot on the MLS Team of the Matchday. Pep Biel scored the Crown’s only goal, assisted by Wilfried Zaha in the 73rd minute. Striking from a difficult angle on the left side of the box, Biel finished at the back post.
Charlotte fell behind early in their second game of the season against the LA Galaxy, conceding in the eighth minute to Lucas Sanabria before allowing two more goals in the 11th and 13th minutes to João Klauss. The first goal came from a strike that hit the post, with Sanabria there to tap in the rebound. Both of Klauss’ goals stemmed from Charlotte errors — the first saw him left unmarked at the back post on a counterattack for an easy tap-in, and the second came after an ill-advised pass from Andrew Privett went directly to Klauss, who beat Tim Ream before slotting his shot past Kahlina.
Through just two matches, the defense has already allowed 36 shots, with 23 of those on target, forcing Kahlina to make 19 saves. The team appears to be missing Adilson Malanda, who left for EFL Championship side Middlesbrough over the winter, as they have struggled to find stability on defense. Privett and Ream have been the starting center back duo for the first two games, although Privett was replaced at halftime against the Galaxy by Morrison Agyemang, who made his Charlotte FC debut. With the shaky defensive start and free agent signing Henry Kessler still out with an injury, Agyemang could be a candidate to start the home opener.
They have also struggled with the ball so far, losing the possession battle in both games — narrowly in the St. Louis match and holding the ball for less than 40 percent of the time against the Galaxy. There haven’t been many chances created either, with just 13 shots and only four on target across the two games. Offseason acquisition Luca de la Torre should help in these areas, but the team has not hit the ground running as some had hoped following a strong finish to last year’s regular season.
The Crown’s home opener opponent, Austin FC, began their season with a 2-2 draw against Minnesota United, where they conceded a 90th-minute equalizer, before defeating D.C. United 1-0 behind an 82nd-minute Christian Ramirez goal on Matchday 2. Over the offseason, Austin added former Orlando City SC Designated Player Facundo Torres. The 25-year-old is a proven MLS goalscorer, recording 14 goals in back-to-back seasons before leaving for Brazilian side Palmeiras in 2025. He has started both games as an attacking midfielder for Austin this season and should be an area of focus for Charlotte as they attempt to limit his impact amid their defensive struggles.
Playing at The Bank for the first time this season should give Charlotte a much-needed boost — over the past two seasons, they have been among the best teams in the league at home. But that alone will not be enough to secure a win. The Crown will need to strengthen the defense, possibly by making a change to the starting center-back pairing after Agyemang had a strong debut last week.
Fullbacks Nathan Byrne and either Harry Toffolo or David Schnegg will need to avoid getting caught too far up the pitch on counterattacks, which would leave their central defenders at a disadvantage. Charlotte will also need to be better with the ball if they want to win, maintaining more possession and getting playmakers Biel and Zaha to create more scoring chances.
An atmosphere like no other.
WE ARE BACK AT THE BANK ON SATURDAY ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/Zz8ZkOuhMT
— Charlotte FC (@CharlotteFC) March 3, 2026
The match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, at Bank of America Stadium and will be streaming on Apple TV, which no longer requires MLS Season Pass to watch. The first fans to arrive at The Bank will also receive a limited-edition Charlotte FC party shirt.
Read next:
