MLS: 5 Goals Prove Too Much as Charlotte Cruises Past New York

Alex McCaskey
1 day ago
2 min read

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There’s no better way for Charlotte FC’s fifth match of the season to go than putting five goals in the back of the net in front of the home crowd. After matchweek five Charlotte currently sits in third place in the east on eight points. The home cooking is definitely favoring The Crowns as they are 2-0-1 at home and 0-1-1 on the road so far this season.

Looking at the starting XI, Dean went with a 4-3-3. The backline consisted of Nathan Byrne and Harry Toffolo out wide with a centerback partnership of Tim Ream and Morrison Agyemang. The men in the midfield were Djbril Diani, Ashley Westwood, and Pep Biel. Leading the attack was the trio of Wilfried Zaha, Idan Toklomati, and Kerwin Vargas. Once again, the man between the pipes was Kristijan Kahlina.

Overall, I really like this lineup. The big addition for me that I really like is Morrison at center back. I’m all for giving the young guys a shot and other than the own goal earlier this season, I have really been impressed with Morrison and hope to see him as a regular starter in the future.

Now for the fun part, let's talk about the match. The home side got the scoring started early when Idan Toklomati put one in the back of the net in the 14th minute after a nice assist from Pep Biel. Kerwin Vargas doubled the lead shortly after halftime with a beautiful goal in the 46th minute. A goal which saw Kerwin celebrate with his signature backflip. Pep Biel decided that he wanted to get in on the action when he put a free kick in the back of the net in the 54th minute. Wilfried Zaha got his first goal of 2026 when he found the back of the net from the top of the box in the 68th minute, capping a display of beautiful dribbling that looked like vintage Zaha. Archie Goodwin made the most of his time on the pitch as he scored a brace. The first goal came in the 77th minute, shortly after he came on for fellow goalscorer Idan Toklomati. Archie’s second goal and the last of the game came in the 93rd minute. When the final whistle blew, Charlotte picked up three points and sent the fans home happy.

Wow, what a scoring display. If Charlotte wants to challenge for the top of the east, that’s how you do it. I think Charlotte can go far this season and performances like that show why. Now the boys can enjoy their win and prepare for Philadelphia to come to town on April 4th.