Charlotte FC’s Stock Up, Stock Down: The Crown pick up a big win heading into the last game before the World Cup break

By Billy McGee - @iambillymcgee

Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/TopBin90

Charlotte FC bounced back with a much-needed win, picking up all three points at home against a depleted Toronto FC side that is on an eight-game winless streak across all competitions. It is Charlotte’s first win since their road game against NYCFC, ending their six-game winless streak.

Here’s our stock up, stock down for Charlotte’s important win on Saturday:

Stock Up

Kerwin Vargas - The Colombian winger has started each of the last five regular-season games for Charlotte FC and notched a pair of assists over the weekend against Toronto. Vargas looked comfortable on the ball and confident in taking on defenders, creating three chances in his 66 minutes on the pitch, the joint-most in the match. Dean Smith mentioned in the post-match presser that he is in good form, but that he needed to monitor minutes in this one as they had played three games in a week.

Pep Biel - Charlotte’s top scorer added a seventh goal to his season total against Toronto from the penalty spot. There has been no set penalty taker across games for the team this season, so if Biel becomes the go-to from the spot going forward, it could boost his goal tally and potentially break some club records. Also with the goal, he is now on 11 goal contributions this season, the most of any midfielder in MLS.

Depth - Charlotte FC showcased their depth in the match, specifically on the back line. Andrew Privett got the nod at center back next to Morrison Agyemang, with Tim Ream being rested. Privett went a perfect 50/50 on his passes while having the most defensive contributions on the team. David Schnegg, who typically is the second-choice left back, has been starting in place of the injured Harry Toffolo. Schnegg scored his first goal in MLS play for Charlotte to retake the lead after Toronto quickly responded to the first goal.

2026 MLS SuperDraft selection, Will Cleary, made his MLS debut, coming on for Nathan Byrne in the 75th minute. Cleary was immediately challenged with a one-on-one against Derrick Etienne Jr., forcing him out with the ball for a goal kick. Djibril Diani, Rodolfo Aloko, and Archie Goodwin also came on as substitutes, each getting at least 15 minutes and bringing energy off the bench. Depth is crucial throughout the season, and Charlotte showed they are willing to look to their bench for support; in this one, they were able to deliver.

Stock Down

Looking convincing - While the scoreline by itself seems like Charlotte handled the match well, the flow of the game tells a different story. They were lucky not to go down 2-1 in the first half with a Toronto goal called on the field being overturned after VAR review. Toronto held more possession than Charlotte in the match, created the same amount of big chances, and had just 0.15 less non-penalty xG than Charlotte. The game wasn’t truly put away until after the penalty goal in the 84th minute.

When playing against sides that are nowhere near full strength, like Toronto was due to injuries, Charlotte needs to take control and impose their will if they want to be taken seriously. They have one game left before the World Cup break to figure things out or try to reset things when they come back from their time off.