Charlotte FC’s Stock Up, Stock Down: The Crown gets shutout against New York City FC

By Billy McGee - @iambillymcgee

Pep Biel (Photo courtesy of Cisco's Art/TopBin90)

An early goal conceded by Charlotte after a defensive error was the difference in an uneventful 1-0 loss for Charlotte that didn’t see many goalscoring opportunities from either side. Charlotte has only managed to pick up four points out of a possible 21 over their previous seven regular-season games and is in ninth place in the MLS Eastern Conference, just one point ahead of Toronto FC.

Here’s our stock up, stock down for Charlotte FC’s disappointing loss to New York City FC on Wednesday:

Stock Up

Limiting opposition chances - One of the few positives that could be taken away from the match is the very limited amount of chances that were allowed to NYCFC. They had just four shots across the match, putting just one of them on target. Unfortunately for Charlotte, NYCFC found the back of the net with their only shot on target in the match.

Stock Down

Attendance - The official attendance number for the match was 23,903, the lowest attendance for a regular-season game in club history. While the game being played on a Wednesday factors into the lower attendance, the average attendance dropped by nearly 5,000 from the 2024 season to the 2025 season, and so far through the 2026 season, it has dropped by another 2,000. The current form of the team is also a factor; having now gone five games in a row without holding a lead, fans may feel that they aren’t being given reasons to go to the games with the poor performances.

Zaha and Schnegg connection - Wilfried Zaha and David Schnegg have now started alongside each other on the left-hand side for three consecutive matches following Harry Toffolo’s injury, and don't seem to be on the same page in possession. Toffolo and Zaha managed to form some chemistry on the pitch that is noticeably absent. Schnegg and Zaha had multiple missed opportunities to link up around the box in the match, ending attacks before they truly began. According to Opta, Zaha and Schnegg connected on only 10 passes. With just two games left before the World Cup break and Zaha’s possible departure, it seems unlikely that the pair will figure things out with the team in their current funk.

Chance creation - Charlotte FC had just five shots for the whole game, and only two were on target. Only the 3-0 loss to LA Galaxy in matchweek two has seen fewer shots and shots on target this season. The team can’t expect to win games if they fail to generate enough chances. The return of Ashley Westwood to the lineup following his yellow-card suspension should help in this area, with his distribution setting them up in better positions. Pep Biel will also need to be on the ball more for the attack to be effective, having just 35 touches against NYCFC, compared to the 60 he had in the 2-2 draw against Cincinnati.