By Billy McGee
July 25, 2025
Photo: Charlotte FC
After a 2-1 win over D.C. United and a 3-2 victory at Atlanta United heading into the MLS All-Star break, Charlotte FC will look to extend their MLS winning streak to a club-record four games against Toronto FC.
Against D.C. United, Charlotte’s first goal came just before halftime in the 44th minute, with Biel putting away an unassisted strike after a deflected pass into the box. Biel added another shortly after the break in the 48th minute, assisted by left back Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty. D.C. cut into the deficit with a goal of their own in the 60th minute from Gabriel Pirani, bringing the final score to 2-1.
The Crown dictated the pace of the match, controlling possession for 57.5 percent of the time — something that hasn’t been typical this season. That control translated into more attacking output for Charlotte, with 17 total shots and eight on target. The defense also performed well, allowing just 10 shots and only one on target, which found the back of the net.
After a three-game home stretch that saw Charlotte earn seven out of nine possible points, the Crown traveled south down I-85 to take on rivals Atlanta United. Atlanta struck first, taking a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute after Tristan Muyumba was left unmarked in the box for a header. They held onto for the rest of the half with neither team posing much of an attacking threat.
The second half told a different story for Charlotte, striking quickly to equalize when Kerwin Vargas played a pass into the six-yard box for Idan Toklomati to tap in within 15 seconds of the restart. Charlotte then took the lead in the 59th minute when Wilfried Zaha received a pass from Biel, split the defenders with his first touch, and slotted it past Brad Guzan. The Crown extended their lead in the 77th minute, with Biel scoring his 10th goal of the season — making him one of only four players in MLS with double-digit goals and assists. Emmanuel Latte Lath brought the final score to 3-2 with a goal in the 86th minute for the Five Stripes.
The Crown returns home this weekend to host Toronto FC. Charlotte and Toronto have already played once this season, back in late May, when the Crown came away with a 2-0 win on the road. Biel scored Charlotte’s first goal in the 56th minute, and Patrick Agyemang sealed the win with a second goal in the 90th minute. They made a change at goalkeeper in that match, with David Bingham starting instead of Kristijan Kahlina, whose rough run of form had seen him concede 19 goals over a six-game span. This match marks the third consecutive game for Charlotte against a team in the bottom four of the Eastern Conference — a crucial stretch if they want to push for the playoffs.
Toronto has been in its best form of the season since the loss to Charlotte. In the six games since, they have held a 2-2-2 record with a +1 goal differential, allowing more than one goal in just one of those matches — compared to their overall 5-12-6 record with a -5 goal differential this season. Their defense hasn’t made any mistakes leading to goals during that span and has posted a higher tackle success rate in all six games, with four of those above 50 percent.
“They’ve looked like they’ve really tightened up in terms of how they play,” said Dean Smith. “There’s a lot of man-to-man marking without the ball, so they’re gonna make it tough for teams at the moment.”
The Crown will look to repeat their performance from the reverse fixture, which saw their attack put half of their 18 shots on target. The trio of Biel, Vargas, and Zaha will need to maintain their current form: Zaha has at least one goal contribution in each of his last seven games, while Biel has 10 in his last five, and Kerwin Vargas has one in each of his last two starts. The Charlotte defense shouldn’t face much pressure against an underwhelming Toronto attack that doesn’t feature any player with more than eight goal contributions. Toronto has also scored the third-fewest goals in the Eastern Conference this season (25) and has taken the second-fewest shots in all of MLS (81).
The match is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 26, and will be available for streaming on the Apple TV MLS Season Pass. Fans who arrive early will also receive a Kerwin Vargas bobblehead. Tickets to the game can be purchased here.
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