By Billy McGee
May 12, 2026
Photo: Charlotte FC
Charlotte FC is in the midst of a rough patch of play, having gone winless in their previous five matches across all competitions. They’ll have two opportunities to right the ship in the upcoming week, with home games against New York City FC and Toronto FC.
After back-to-back losses in which they conceded four goals to Orlando City SC and Nashville SC, Charlotte was eliminated from the U.S. Open Cup by Atlanta United in a 2-0 loss. Following the defeat to Atlanta, they went on the road to face the New England Revolution, where they turned in a solid defensive performance, but struggled to generate many chances in the attack, managing just four shots on target. It appeared they would earn a point from a 0-0 draw, but a late penalty changed the outcome, handing the club its third consecutive loss in MLS regular-season play.
The Crown returned home on Saturday to take on FC Cincinnati, kicking off a four-match homestand that will lead into the World Cup break. The game was a tale of two halves, with Cincinnati dominating the first 45 minutes, putting five shots on target and scoring twice. The first goal came in the 36th minute after an Evander free kick was saved by Kristijan Kahlina, but with no opportunity for the defense to clear the rebound, Kevin Denkey tapped it in. Cincinnati doubled its lead in the 43rd minute when Evander received the ball just outside the box on the right side and curled a shot over Kahlina’s outstretched hands into the top-left corner.
After failing to put a shot on target in the first half, Charlotte FC came out of the break looking like a completely different team, scoring twice in the opening 10 minutes of the second half. The first goal came in the 51st minute when an Ashley Westwood cross was headed toward the six-yard box by Tim Ream, allowing Idan Toklomati to finish with a header of his own. Charlotte struck again just a minute later after Westwood quickly restarted play from a free kick in his own half to find David Schnegg on the left side. Schnegg laid the ball off to an overlapping Djibril Diani, who picked out Pep Biel on a delayed run into the box, where he found the back of the net to level the score at 2-2.
Defensively, Charlotte FC held FC Cincinnati to just a pair of shots in the second half, with neither on target. Although Cincinnati was unable to register a shot on target in the half, they had a big chance late in the game when Evander crashed into the box to receive a pass in the 89th minute. Evander’s shot was blocked by a sliding Morrison to preserve the draw for Charlotte and secure a point.
Sitting in eighth place in the MLS Eastern Conference, Charlotte FC’s next match is a midweek game against New York City FC, a side they are tied with on points but trail by one spot in the standings on goal differential. The two teams met on April 18 at Citi Field, where goals from Idan Toklomati and Kerwin Vargas helped Charlotte earn a 2-1 victory in their most recent win.
The Crown’s defense will have its hands full against NYCFC, which is coming off a 3-0 win over Columbus highlighted by a hat trick from Hannes Wolf. In order to get a positive result, Charlotte will need to carry over its defensive performance from the second half against Cincinnati. Scoring an early goal will also be crucial, as Charlotte has not held a lead since that 2-1 win over NYCFC.
Following the midweek match, they will host tenth-place Toronto FC, which sits just one point behind Charlotte FC in the standings. Toronto is in a similar position going into the match, having gone winless in its previous six MLS games, as well as being eliminated from the Canadian Championship by Canadian Premier League side Atlético Ottawa.
With Charlotte able to build off the second half of the Cincinnati match and potentially gain momentum from the midweek fixture, they should have a strong opportunity to pick up a result against a struggling Toronto side. Getting Biel more involved and on the ball will be key to unlocking the attack and improving the opportunities to score not just early, but at any point in the match, as Charlotte looks to get back in the win column this week.
If they are to win both matches, which should be possible playing in front of the rowdy hometown fans, it would give Charlotte a crucial six-point swing in the standings as the World Cup break nears. The New York City FC game is scheduled for a 7:15 p.m. kickoff on Wednesday, May 13, while the Toronto FC game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 16. Both will be played at Bank of America Stadium and will be available to stream on Apple TV, while the NYCFC match will also be shown on FS1.
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