Charlotte FC Stock Up, Stock Down: Win Streak ends at nine; Kahlina and Toklomati concede penalties

By Sam Vanolinda

Photo Courtesy of CJ Hellner/Topbin90

Charlotte FC returned back to Earth in a somewhat strange 12 pm kickoff game in New York on Saturday, losing courtesy of two penalties from The Pigeons.

While history was beckoning for The Crown, with the chance to set an MLS record with 10 straight victories, it wasn’t meant to be.

Going from an electric, sold-out Bank of America Stadium, celebrating a 3-0 win against Messi and Inter Miami, to a baseball stadium with a meager crowd took a lot of energy out of the occasion.

The entire team, except for Wilfried Zaha, came out flat, and a sliding challenge by Kahlina, combined with a handball from Toklomati, gave Alonso Martinez two goals and Charlotte FC a loss.

Charlotte is now level on points with NYCFC. They need to get back into the win column in these last few games to secure a top-four finish.

Here is the stock up/stock down for Saturday's defeat:

Stock Up:

Wilfried Zaha:

Yes, Zaha missed a penalty, a chance to get the team back into the game in the 69th minute.

Despite that, Zaha was still the only player showing energy and effort, especially in the first half.

He was his usual feisty self, going at the NYCFC defense, drawing fouls (seven to be exact), and putting pressure on the opposition.

He had five successful dribbles, the most in the match, and two shots on goal. While scoring the penalty would’ve been great, he still had a good game.

Ashley Westwood:

Westwood had his usual solid game for The Crown. He completed the most passes in the game with 66, 24 of them being into the final third.

On top of that, he had a tackle, two blocks, a clearance, an interception, and eight recoveries.

While it's hard to find positives in this forgettable game, Westwood contributed well.

Stock Down:

Kristijan Kahlina:

Kahlina’s clumsy challenge gave away an unnecessary penalty to New York, setting the tone for the rest of the game.

While the contact could be deemed minimal, diving in like he did was a bad decision.

Kahlina has been on fire for Charlotte, but you have to keep a cool head in games like these, with playoff seeding on the line.

Idan Toklomati 

Toklomati went from the highest point in his career in Miami to a somewhat underwhelming game against New York.

While it is quite a blessing that we have grown to expect goal contributions from the 20-year-old in every match, on Saturday, he wasn’t able to contribute.

He also had his hands too high while blocking a shot in the 58th minute, leading to NYCFC’s second penalty, which put the game out of reach.

I expect Toklomati to bounce back against Montreal.