Charlotte FC Stock Up, Stock Down: The Crown wins seven straight; Vargas stays hot; Diani dominates the midfield.

By Sam Vanolinda

Photo Courtesy of CJ Hellner/Topbin90

Charlotte FC continues to blaze through the final stretch of the 2025 MLS season, with now seven straight victories in League play.

Even without MVP candidate Pep Biel, the Crown has continued to conquer the East, with a 1-0 victory against NYRB on Sunday night.

This was not a pretty game for Charlotte, but great teams win ugly games. The home team capitalized on a lazy pass by Mohammed Sofo when they scored the lone goal of the game, an outstanding finish by Kerwin Vargas.

Charlotte FC now moves up to fourth place in the East with six games remaining. They are the hottest team in the MLS as the playoffs approach.

Let’s take a look at whose stock went up or down after the victory against NYRB.

Stock Up:

Kerwin Vargas:

Vargas played a pivotal role in securing a club-record 15th win of the season. He has stepped up massively as of late, with four goals in nine games in all competitions. 

While he initially rotated his starting spot with Liel Abada at the start of the season, he has recently won the starting role due to his performances.

When Vargas got a little sight of goal after Toklomati laid the ball off to him on the counter attack, he launched a bullet into the near post top corner that was unsaveable.

That was one of only four shots total for the Crown, but all you need is one to win a game, and the Colombian finished with absolute class.

Djibril Diani 

I have been critical of Diani at times; on Sunday, he was great.

35/38 passing, three tackles won, three clearances, two interceptions, nine defensive contributions, 5/5 ground duels won, and 3/3 aerial duels won.

This was an almost perfect box-to-box midfielder performance by the Frenchman. When he shows up, he really can dominate the middle of the field for the Crown.

He can glide past players, and defensively, he was a wall.

Wilfried Zaha

While Zaha did not contribute towards a goal on Sunday, he played one of my favorite games from him since he arrived in the Queen City.

The left-winger drew two yellow cards in 36 minutes. He was fouled seven times in the game.

While those stats might not mean much to some, drawing fouls and yellow cards puts an underrated amount of pressure on the opponents. 

The Red Bulls defense had to play on eggshells for a substantial part of the game. Zaha was storming past anyone who came up against him, drawing a free kick, and slowing the game down, giving the team the chance to regroup and recover.

It was apparent how comfortable Zaha was in this game, with multiple moments of flair that left the crowd in awe. Once, with three defenders surrounding him, he rolled and flicked the ball to create a counterattacking opportunity, a glimpse of the Zaha who was the king of Selhurst Park for years.

He also linked up well with Harry Toffolo in the first half before his injury:

Kristijan Kahlina

Kahlina is back to dominating from the goalkeeper position for Charlotte FC. While at times luck and poor finishing from NYRB helped the Croatian secure a clean sheet, he also made three saves, preventing 0.72 goals.

Kahlina has been a big factor in this winning streak for Charlotte. While his starting role was once in question this season, he is now back to being a true number one, even with the signing of Drake Callender.

Adilson Malanda

Malanda showed every Charlotte FC fan why he will be missed when he makes his way to sunny Middlesbrough at the end of the season. 

In his man-of-the-match performance, he had nine defensive contributions, two interceptions, six clearances, and three recoveries.

It will be an emotional final ride for the French center back as the season comes to a close and the playoff run begins. We all hope that he can leave the Queen City with some silverware as he continues his career in the Championship. 

Honorable Mentions: Idan Toklomati (assist), Archie Goodwin (debut)

Stock Down:

Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty

Marshall-Rutty came on in the 45th minute to replace Harry Toffolo, who unfortunately sustained a hamstring injury.

On the attacking end, Marshall-Rutty is serviceable; however, he continues to get exposed on the defensive end.

He often loses his one-on-one matchups with the wingers that he comes up against. He is frequently caught stabbing in for tackles, allowing players to dribble past him and create chances.

It seems that the left back position for Charlotte FC is cursed this year, with injury after injury occurring right when the team thinks it has found a solution.