Charlotte FC Stock Up, Stock Down: Agyemang shines; Zaha excels as a creator again; Bingham solid in place of Kahlina

By Sam Vanolinda

Wilfried Zaha and Pep Biel (Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/Topbin90)

The Crown was able to bounce back with a convincing 2-0 win against Toronto FC in the “6.”

It was Charlotte’s first-ever victory in Toronto, and a massive breath of fresh air after their away struggles so far this season.

While Toronto FC played some of the worst football I have ever seen on Saturday night, Charlotte took care of business and put on a great display.

Most importantly, the defense regained some confidence after registering their first clean sheet since April 20th.

Souleyman Doumbia was reinserted into the lineup, and Brampton native Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty was moved to the right back position. They both had excellent showings and helped propel the team to victory.

Here’s whose stock went up or down after Saturday night’s victory:

Stock Up

David Bingham

Bingham was added to the lineup in place of Kahlina, who had a “Need for a breather,” according to Dean Smith.

Smith wanted to take some weight off of Kahlina’s shoulders after his recent mistakes and tough results. Bingham got his first MLS start since 2023.

The 35-year-old stepped up and had a great game in place of the Croatian. While he did not have a lot of traffic in front of his net, he stepped up when necessary and made two saves, preventing 0.58 goals.

He also had five recoveries, three high claims, and 14 successful passes.

Wilfried Zaha

Zaha gets more comfortable every game he plays. It took a little while to shake off the rust, but now the star left-winger is playing with confidence and with quality that we all expected.

Zaha made two passes that led to goals, despite not officially registering an assist. The first pass to Abada that set up the Biel tap-in was a heavenly curled ball that landed right where Abada could take it in stride and eventually find Biel in the box.

The second pass sums up Zaha perfectly. He showed great defensive effort on the right side of the field, deflecting an opponent's pass and then volleying a ball towards Agyemang, who out-strengthened the defender and went on to score a great goal.

Zaha has become a leader, and his trust in his teammates is showing. He is creating goals, creating havoc for the opposing defenders, and leading his team to victory.

Patrick Agyemang

Agyemang’s game-sealing goal was absolute top-notch striker play. From the effort shown to outmaneuver the defender, and stride into the box, to the fake-shot Ronaldo chop, to the curled finish into the base of the goal.

Chefs kiss.

A confident, goal-scoring Agyemang makes this team so much more dangerous going forward.

Agyemang demonstrated his immense talent, which is why he has become a regular with the USMNT. If he continues to strengthen his bond with Zaha, who has transitioned into a more creative role on the team, he will surely score many more goals.

Philadelphia will be another level of competition. I am excited for Agyemang to continue to prove himself after the bye week.

The Fullbacks (Doumbia and Marshall-Rutty)

Both Doumbia and Marshall-Rutty played very well against Toronto. Although they had little to deal with defensively, they were strong going forward and added a level of tempo to the team that Scardina and Ream struggled to provide.

It's been quite the mix-up when it comes to the fullback position on this team. With Byrne out long term, it looks like Scardina and Marshall-Rutty will compete for the right back position, and Doumbia will play left back when healthy. 

Honorable Mention: Liel Abada. Pep Biel

Stock Down

Kristijan Kahlina

As stated earlier, Kahlina got the rest so he can take a breath and get himself refocused for the rest of the season. Kahlina is not on the hot seat, but if he returns and continues to make mistakes, he may be benched again later in the year.

As we move towards a much-needed bye week for the Crown, I will take some time to reflect on the season so far; it's been quite the rollercoaster.