By Billy McGee
July 4, 2025
Charlotte FC returns home this Saturday to face Orlando City SC in their first home match since May 24. The Crown is looking to secure a much-needed positive result after a three-match losing streak and a grueling five-match road trip that saw them go 1-4.
The losing streak began with a 2-1 defeat to Philadelphia on June 14, when the Union scored a last-minute winner in the eighth minute of stoppage time to claim all three points. The next match was a midweek clash against Sporting Kansas City on June 25, where Charlotte looked poised for a big road result before conceding twice in stoppage time to lose 2-1 yet again. In the final game of the stretch, Charlotte fell 3-2 to Chicago. Unlike the previous two matches, they didn’t lose due to late goals but instead allowed Chicago to score three times before the 35th minute — a deficit too large to overcome, despite second-half goals from Pep Biel and Idan Toklomati.
A big part of Charlotte’s struggles has been self-inflicted mistakes — poor passing, wasted chances, and leaving too much space for opposing attackers. Over the three-game stretch, Charlotte managed just nine shots on goal while facing 18.
“We can’t keep making the wrong decisions,” said Ashley Westwood after the Kansas City loss. “We’re missing the target — there’s an easy pass open for a player. It’s not good enough; decision-making has to be better.” Costly decisions and individual errors have repeatedly swung games away from Charlotte, turning promising performances into disappointing results.
“My eyes were telling me our performances were better than the results,” said head coach Dean Smith about the team’s recent slide to 10th in the Eastern Conference. “In expected goals of the eleven games [since defeating San Diego to go top in the East], we should’ve lost three. Which tells me the performance levels have been there, but we’ve made lots and lots of individual errors that have cost us results at the end of the day.”
Despite the negatives, there have been some bright spots. Biel, the club’s standout player all season, added two more goal contributions against Chicago, bringing his season total to 14 (six goals and eight assists). On Monday, the club announced an extension to Biel’s loan deal, keeping him in Charlotte through the end of the season, with an option to make the move permanent if certain conditions are met.
After returning from injury, Toklomati has stepped in as the starting striker in place of Patrick Agyemang, who is away with the United States Men’s National Team. He has scored in each of the last two games and earned praise from Smith.
“I’ve watched the game back — Idan was our best player,” Smith said of the Chicago match. Toklomati will lead the line again against Orlando, with Agyemang still on international duty for the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final against Mexico on July 6. Toklomati’s excellent positioning has boosted Charlotte’s attack, putting him in the right places to convert chances.
Along with Agyemang’s absence, Tim Ream is also away with the USMNT, leaving the Crown thin at the back. Souleyman Doumbia suffered another hamstring injury against Chicago and will miss the Orlando game, though Smith confirmed this setback isn’t as severe as his earlier hamstring issue. Center back Andrew Privett hasn’t trained since the Chicago match due to hip flexor problems and is doubtful for Saturday. Bill Tuiloma and Nick Scardina are likely to replace Privett and Doumbia. To add to the defensive absences, Zaha will miss the match as well, serving a suspension for yellow card accumulation.
Charlotte and Orlando have already met once this season, with Orlando winning 3-1 in a match where the Crown managed just one shot on target. The last time the two sides met in the Queen City was Charlotte FC’s memorable playoff win in a penalty shootout in October 2024.
Orlando, currently fifth in the Eastern Conference, lost 2-1 to FC Cincinnati in their most recent match, despite outshooting Cincinnati 17-9 but putting only three on target to Cincinnati’s four. Before that, Orlando earned back-to-back road wins against Colorado and St. Louis.
For Charlotte to secure a result against a formidable Orlando side, they’ll need to limit costly mistakes, get solid performances from their injury-riddled back line, and make the most of the chances they create. Orlando has scored the second-most goals in the Eastern Conference (37) and is led by Martín Ojeda and Marco Pašalić, who both have nine goals this season. With the Crown finally back at Bank of America Stadium, the home crowd could provide the lift needed to get their season back on track.
Saturday’s match against Orlando kicks off at 7:15 p.m. Fans can watch via Apple TV+ and the MLS Season Pass, or tune in on FS1 and Fox Deportes. Tickets to game are available here, and the first fans to arrive will receive a limited-edition Charlotte FC straw hat. There will also be a fireworks show immediately following the match.
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