After a challenging start to July, Charlotte FC has rebounded with a record-setting run in Major League Soccer. On July 6, the club failed to hold a two-goal lead against Orlando City, marking their sixth consecutive match without a win and dropping them below the playoff line in tenth place in the Eastern Conference.
The team responded by winning six straight MLS matches, setting a new club record and achieving the longest winning streak of any MLS team this season. The turnaround began with a 2-0 victory over NYCFC, highlighted by goals from Pep Biel and Idan Toklomati.
A midweek match against D.C. United saw the debut of the Carolina Lightnin’ kit and another strong performance from Biel, who scored twice to secure three points for Charlotte. The momentum continued as Charlotte defeated Atlanta United 3-2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Despite conceding early, goals from Toklomati, Wilfried Zaha, and Biel secured the win for Dean Smith’s squad.
Charlotte extended their streak with a 2-0 home win over Toronto FC. Toklomati opened the scoring in the second half before Kerwin Vargas added another goal on his bobblehead giveaway night.
Following an underwhelming Leagues Cup showing and an injury to Biel, Charlotte traveled to face FC Cincinnati. Wilfried Zaha’s late volley earned a fifth consecutive victory for The Crown.
Back at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte faced Real Salt Lake for the first time at home. Toklomati scored off an Ashley Westwood cross, while goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina and the defense preserved a 1-0 win—their sixth straight.
“If we win today, it’s called ‘two in a row.’ And if we win again…it’s called a ‘winning streak’… It has happened before!” said fictional Major League manager Lou Brown.
The recent success has lifted Charlotte FC to seventh place in the Eastern Conference. If they were competing in the Western Conference instead, they would be comfortably inside the top four teams based on points totals; however, competition remains tough in their current conference.
With six regular-season matches remaining and 18 points up for grabs, Charlotte sits five points above the playoff line. Their next opponent is New York Red Bulls—currently just outside playoff qualification—at Bank of America Stadium on August 21. At only three points behind third-place Nashville SC, Charlotte remains within reach of securing one of the top spots ahead of postseason play.
A historic winning streak has returned Charlotte FC to contention for higher seeding in the playoffs—a position many within the club believed was always possible.
