Charlotte FC Stock Up, Stock Down: Toklomati keeps scoring; Zaha creating chances; Vargas shows up on his bobblehead night

By Sam Vanolinda

Photo Courtesy of CJ Hellner/Topbin90

For the first time in franchise history, Charlotte FC has won four straight MLS games. After a grievous month of May, the mood around the team hit rock bottom, but since returning home to the Bank of America Stadium, they have surged and look like the same team we saw at the start of the year.

The offense is firing on all cylinders, and the defense has returned to its solid, organized self after having meltdown after meltdown during their road stretch.

On Kerwin Vargas bobblehead day, the Colombian scored a goal and executed his patterned somersault backflip celebration, which the fans could recreate themselves because of the way the bobblehead was designed.

On top of that, Idan Toklomati found the scoresheet again with his 60th-minute goal. @itscalebadams on X pointed out that the 20-year-old has already tied Agyemang's goal tally in the 2025 season in 237 fewer minutes, very impressive for the youngster.

Westwood was man of the match for the Crown in his 100th appearance for the club; his performance summarized how impactful he has been since he arrived in the Queen City. 

All in all, it was an impressive second-half performance that secured Charlotte FC the three points against Toronto. Here is the stock up, stock down after Saturday night’s 2-0 victory:

Stock Up:

Idan Toklomati:

Toklomati showed flashes of excellence in his substitute appearances at the start of the year. Even when I managed to watch him in preseason play, I was impressed with his effort and saw the potential.

Now he is living up to it, which is an incredible relief for the entire Charlotte FC team after selling Patrick Agyemang to Derby County.

One thing you will always notice about him is his relentless and constant pressure on the defense. Today, he showcased his aerial abilities with a headed goal from a well-placed Brandt Bronico cross. 

As mentioned above, he has already matched Agyemang's goal tally, which is fantastic for such a young player. He is routinely in the right place at the right time and has shown that he is an adequate starting striker.

If he continues to score like he has, he will secure the starting spot for the rest of the season, and the team may only have to bring in a veteran backup.

Toklomati had four shots and completed the most dribbles in the game with two. He was dribbling at the defense into the box and getting shots off, like a striker should.

Wilfried Zaha

The entire offense was slow in the first half, including Zaha. Head coach Dean Smith was not happy with their first-half effort, but took responsibility at halftime to motivate the squad to work hard off the ball and create chances in the second half.

In the second half, Zaha was creating chances. He mentioned post-match, “I’m not usually the person that does the passing,” but today he put on his Kevin De Bruyne cleats.

His pass to Vargas for the second goal of the game was a perfectly weighted, curled pass right into the feet of Vargas, who had acres of space in front of him to shoot and score.

He could’ve had another assist shortly after when he creatively flicked a ball into the path of Toklomati in the box, but he couldn’t finish the ball past Sean Johnson in Toronto’s net.

Zaha has now reached 11 goal contributions on the season. He is getting into the flow of things now, and his play is improving.

While the usual creator for the team, Pep Biel, had an off game, Zaha stepped up and orchestrated the offense for the Crown on Saturday. He had three chances created, the most in the match.

Kerwin Vargas

Vargas had to get a goal on his bobblehead night; it was written in the stars.

The Colombian has experienced a notable resurgence as of late. While at times this season he appeared to be a player who had lost confidence, he has regained it in the last few games.

He has solidified himself as the starting right winger, beating out Designated Player Liel Abada, which says a lot about how much Vargas has impressed.

Vargas finished well when Zaha found him in space, ending any hopes of a Toronto comeback.

Both Holding Midfielders

I was openly critical of both Bronico and Westwood during their May losing skid away from home.

In this game, they both were great and propelled Charlotte to this victory. They were solid defensively, helping out when Toronto pressured, but they also moved the ball forward very well.

Bronico’s assist to Toklomati was a great play. He froze the entire defense by faking the cross and taking one more touch before whipping the ball right onto the head of Toklomati, who scored from point-blank range.

Westwood does all the dirty work for the team and recycles the ball from defense to attack very well. In his 100th game, he demonstrated why he has been so consistent and relied upon since moving to Charlotte.

Tim Ream

After a USMNT schedule that has taken a lot of time from Tim Ream, he has returned to the team and stabilized the defense.

Dean Smith admitted post-match that Andrew Privett has been going through a rough patch, and also mentioned that he has been playing through an injury.

Two veterans, Ream and Bill Tuilloma, have come in and fixed the backline after the breakdowns in May.

Sometimes you need smart veteran players to calm down the back four and restore confidence to the whole team with their play. 

Ream was winning the ball emphatically and creating chances. The second goal was made from a Ream interception, which fell to Zaha.

Ream passed with 90% accuracy, with eight passes into the final third, and seven clearances on top of that on the defensive side.

Stock Down

Pep Biel

Biel deserved to have an off game after carrying the team as of late. Today, he was just off his game and wasn’t able to find a goal contribution.

He had one chance to score, but it was saved. The whole offense couldn’t find a groove in the first half, and he couldn’t pick it up in the second.

Luckily, Zaha stepped up as the creator on Saturday. I'm sure Biel will bounce back during the Leagues Cup matches.