Is Harry Toffolo a dark horse for Charlotte FC Player of the Year?

By Brian Maurer

Harry Toffolo (Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/TopBin90

Harry Toffolo was limited in his availability after being brought in last summer, as he dealt with an injury through September. He began to find his rhythm with regular starts on Decision Day and in Charlotte FC's Round 1 Playoff series against NYCFC.

Throughout the playoff series, you could see glimpses of what the veteran left-back can bring to the Crown in 2026. One of the main things is occupying width in the attacking third, which allows star winger Wilfried Zaha to drift closer to the box, putting him in more dangerous positions.

Head Coach Dean Smith said after the team's preseason friendly against Charleston Battery that he wanted the Crown to be more dangerous in combining and attacking through central areas. Smith stated that he felt the team was strong in wider areas last year, but that they should be more diverse and be able to attack both out wide and through the middle.

This is where Toffolo could become pivotal to the diversity in attack that Smith is looking for. When the fullback occupied the left wing in the attacking half against New York, Zaha drifted centrally, as you can see in their touch maps from Game 3 in that series.

Harry Toffolo and Wilfried Zaha's touch maps from MLS Cup Playoffs Game 3

Based on that game, Toffolo's presence wide left gave Zaha the freedom to find space in and around the box. This didn't lead to a Zaha goal in this one game, but over the course of the season, this should lead to more production from the former Crystal Palace legend.

Zaha's shot map from last season (pulled from FotMob)

The above shot map highlights where Zaha was most dangerous, pushing inside and around the box from the left. Toffolo running the width can help Zaha push into these dangerous areas more often. It would also put the winger closer to Idan Toklomati and Pep Biel, so they can do more combining in the attack.

Presence and movement alone wouldn't put Toffolo into the Player of the Year conversation; he would also need to be productive in the final third, providing goals. Something he has done in the past when he was playing in the Championship for Huddersfield Town.

If Toffolo provides somewhere in the range of double-digit goal contributions and can help Zaha increase his production, then he will put himself in the conversation as a dark horse POTY candidate. Especially because all of this attacking threat would only be there if Toffolo can also manage the defensive cover required from his full-back role.