Charlotte FC’s Stock Up, Stock Down: The defense solidifies as they keep their first clean sheet of the season, but the attack falters

By Billy McGee - @iambillymcgee

Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/TopBin90

Charlotte FC played their second consecutive home game against a heavily rotated Inter Miami side that had 10 new starters from their midweek CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Nashville SC. The crowd showed out for Charlotte again with an official attendance of 34,780.

The game saw momentum swing several times, but neither team could break through, and the game ended in a 0-0 draw.

Here is our stock up, stock down from Charlotte’s draw on Saturday:

Stock Up

Kristijan Kahlina - The Croatian goalkeeper saved a point for Charlotte for the second time this season. Against St. Louis City in the season opener, he made a career high 10 saves in the 1-1 draw and made three saves on the three shots on target he faced on Saturday for his first clean sheet of the season. The 2024 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year denied an Ian Fray header worth 0.64 xG and cleared the ball off the line in the 34th minute. Kahlina has high expectations this season and through four games is living up to them, as he leads MLS with 23 saves and has an 82.1% save percentage, which would be the highest mark of his Charlotte FC career.

Morrison - After making his first team debut as a halftime substitute against the LA Galaxy, the young center back has started in both matches since. After scoring an own goal last week, Morrison bounced back with a strong showing against Inter Miami. The Ghanaian center back is a big, athletic, physical presence in the back for Charlotte at 6’4” that pairs well alongside the veteran Tim Ream, who lacks the pace that Morrison has. Against Miami, he made five interceptions, and while in possession, he was 79/89 on accurate passes and 5/10 on long balls. Morrison should continue to grow and improve as he gains experience, giving fans something to look forward to in the long term for the club's backline.

Stock Down

Idan Toklomati - After a breakout season in 2025 that saw him score 13 goals in all competitions, Toklomati has gotten off to a slow start in 2026. Just one goal, involvement, and three shots on target in four games have left a lot to be desired from the Israeli striker this season. Saturday saw him take just one shot, a header that missed high and wide, and his only pass in or around the box was inaccurate. He was subbed off late for the third time this season, this time for Archie Goodwin. Charlotte will need Toklomati to step up this season, get involved in the attack, and have a true striker’s mentality up top, something he has not shown much of outside of the game against Austin while playing up a man.

Idan Toklomati's total passes (Graphic from Sofascore)

Wilfried Zaha - Zaha picked up his fourth yellow card in as many games on Saturday and was lucky not to be sent off after a foul for striking an opponent in the face shortly after his first yellow card. He is now just one yellow away from suspension, less than one month into the season. Although he did lead the team with three shots on target, he didn’t provide much creation off the wing, completing just one of three dribbles, which was in his own half, and only making one pass into the box while going 18/21 total on accurate passes after having 90% passing accuracy last week on 71 attempts. Going forward, Zaha will need to find some consistency and avoid the up-and-down performances, as well as avoid stacking up too many yellow cards that would result in suspensions, leaving Charlotte without one of its best attackers.

Cohesion and continuity - A big part of the transfer window and the offseason for Charlotte was the cohesion and continuity that they would have after retaining much of the same squad as last year. This has yet to be seen on a large scale this season. Outside of the game against Austin, where they played with a one-man advantage following a red card in the first half, they have frequently relied on the individual brilliance of players to get them out of tough situations. Whether it be Zaha and Pep Biel combining for a goal against St. Louis City or Kahlina making otherworldly saves, Charlotte has struggled to play together as a team and use their continuity as an advantage against opposition that has had far more roster turnover. This will hopefully come in the future as the team gets more games in together, as it will for many teams, but for the time being, it is not making the impact that it was hoped to have early in the season.