Be Dominant: Ingredients of the Match: Charlotte FC vs Toronto FC
MLS Charlotte FC

Be Dominant: Ingredients of the Match: Charlotte FC vs Toronto FC

July 24, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Charlotte FC News Release


What a week.

The All-Star Game is headed to Charlotte. The new third kit is electric. Oh, and Charlotte FC ripped off a nine-point week capped with yet another win in Atlanta.

Momentum is back in The Crown's favor with one match remaining before we break for Leagues Cup action. The boys will look to make it four in a row as they take on Toronto FC at home on Saturday. A side they already defeated this season with a 2-0 victory up North.

Here are the Ingredients of the Match for Charlotte FC to make it four straight wins for the Black & Blue:

Be Dominant

It's been a minute since we have seen Charlotte put a thumping on an opponent. They're due.

There is no better time than now for a reeling Toronto FC side that is looking for answers after the departures of Insigne and Bernardeschi. They are in rebuild mode ahead of an important summer transfer window. However, despite the transition period, Robin Fraser has them playing scrappy soccer. They are 2-2-1 in their last five matches, with a big win over San Diego FC, and have held their last three opponents to just one goal.

But if Charlotte FC want to keep climbing the table and get back into that top four conversation, this is the moment to make a dominant shift. We need to see Charlotte walk the walk a bit. A clean sheet is a must. And this attack is starting to click. There should be no reason they cannot come into this match with the expectation to put up two plus goals on this Toronto side. Put in a full 90 minutes of top-four soccer. It's going to be crucial to see that type of performance at home for the rest of the season ahead.

Attacking Chemistry

Whatever they have been doing in the lab, it's starting to work on the pitch.

Wilfried Zaha and Pep Biel are in rare form. The two have combined for 36 goals, which puts them fourth in the league as a duo behind Messi/Suarez-42 (Miami), Surridge/Muhktar-41 (Nashville), Dreyer/Lozano-40 (San Diego), and Pep/Wilf-36. Add in Idan Toklomati, who has 4 goals in the last six matches, and the attacking chemistry is bubbling.

Even more importantly, their chemistry has allowed the rest of the team to start finding their form as well. While we aren't back to last season's defensive numbers, we are starting to get there. Kristijan Kahlina is rounding back into himself again, and Tim Ream has slotted back into the starting centerback position with an impressive couple of starts. In the D.C. match, he led all players on the pitch to a total of 114 passes at 99.1% passing accuracy. That sort of distribution to push the attack forward is vital.

That's to say, let them cook. The more space and time Pep and Zaha have to continue creating chances, the better off the entire side will be from front to back. Pep leads the league in Big Chances Created with 25 - and now the attack is starting to convert those chances at a higher clip. So keep the chemistry going, let it flow.

JULY 26 // CHARLOTTE VS. TORONTO

It's time to FLIP out! Come early to our match on Saturday, July 26 for a chance at a limited-edition Kerwin Vargas bobblehead, presented by Rugs.com.

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