Charlotte FC goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina has been named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 28 after his seven-save clean sheet against FC Cincinnati on Sunday night. Wilfried Zaha, who scored the decisive goal in the 85th minute, was included as a member of the Bench of the Matchday.
The team extended its winning streak in regular season play to five matches and remains unbeaten in six consecutive league games, with a record of 5-0-1. The recent 1-0 victory over FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium marked Charlotte’s fourth road win this season.
Kahlina, age 33, delivered a strong performance reminiscent of his form when he won MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2024. He kept a clean sheet against one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and made two critical saves from close range during the match. In total, Kahlina has recorded 15 saves and two clean sheets against Cincinnati this season. Earlier in March, he achieved a career-high eight saves at Bank of America Stadium during a 2-0 win.
Following his latest effort, Kahlina’s save tally for the season stands at 90, which leads all MLS goalkeepers. His career total now places him among the Top 50 all-time in league history with 386 saves. With seven clean sheets this year, he is tied for tenth place among all goalkeepers this season and tied-for-42nd all-time.
Zaha has continued to contribute offensively for Charlotte FC. His game-winning goal extended his streak to nine consecutive matches with either a goal or an assist. Over that span, he has accumulated three goals and seven assists.
Charlotte FC currently holds seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings with 41 points and will host Real Salt Lake at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday, August 16.
The full Team of the Matchday includes: forwards Luis Muriel (Orlando), Danny Musovski (Seattle), Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (New York Red Bulls); midfielders Philip Zinckernagel (Chicago), Carles Gil (New England), Jack McGlynn (Houston), Anders Dreyer (San Diego); defenders Ryan Hollingshead (LAFC), Lalas Abubakar (Dallas), Jaziel Orozco (St. Louis); goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina (Charlotte). Oscar Pareja (Orlando) was named Coach of the Week.
Bench selections are CJ dos Santos (San Diego), Guilherme Biro (Austin), Alex Roldan (Seattle), Alexey Miranchuk (Atlanta), Martín Ojeda (Orlando), Wilfried Zaha (Charlotte), Deandre Kerr (Toronto), Preston Judd (San Jose) and Darren Yapi (Colorado).
“Kahlina garnered his first nod to Team of the Matchday in 2025; Zaha named to Bench of the Matchday,” according to Charlotte FC’s announcement.
