Charlotte FC’s Predicted Starting XI vs St. Louis City

Brian Maurer
45 minutes ago
2 min read

By Brian Maurer

We got a good glimpse of the direction Dean Smith is thinking of taking Charlotte FC’s first starting XI of the 2026 regular season after their dress rehearsal friendly against Minnesota United. Most of that lineup appears to be starters, and they all played at least 70 minutes to get a close to full game runout ahead of opening night against St. Louis City.

There aren’t many surprises, which makes sense as the group has been preaching continuity and cohesion since training started in January.

Here is our predicted starting lineup as the Crown get ready to kick off their fifth campaign:

Defensive unit

Kristijan Kahlina will be starting in goal. There hasn’t been any doubt about that. Ahead of the Croatian, from left to right, we expect Harry Toffolo if he’s healthy (if not, David Schnegg has looked like a more than adequate backup), Tim Ream, Andrew Privett, and Nathan Byrne.

Henry Kessler hasn’t been healthy enough to get any preseason reps, and so it looks like Privett will get the first shot at claiming the starting centerback role alongside Ream. Byrne and Ream both had calf issues during the preseason but were able to get 75 minutes in against Minnesota. They should be good to go.

Jack Neeley, Morrison Agyemang, and Will Cleary seem to be the other defensive options off the bench besides Schnegg.

Midfield line

Ashley Westwood and Luca de la Torre played a full 70+ minute shift together, and it is expected that they get first crack in the double pivot. Pep Biel will play ahead of them in his attacking midfield role.

Djibril Diani and Brandt Bronico have looked like early favorites to fill in where needed within this midfield, whereas Baye Coulibaly’s minutes have been a bit more limited down the stretch in preseason.

Forward line

It looks like Liel Abada has beaten out Kerwin Vargas to reclaim a starting role on the right wing and made two assists this past weekend to Idan Toklomati, who bagged the brace. Toklomati is far and away the striker after claiming the #9 kit, and Wilfried Zaha is also a shoo-in on the left wing.

Vargas, Tyger Smalls, and Archie Goodwin look like the primary attacking options off the bench for Smith to start the year.

Predicted Starting XI