Charlotte FC Secures 3-1 Victory Over Toronto FC

Goals from Wilfried Zaha, David Schnegg, and Pep Biel propelled Charlotte FC to a 3-1 victory against visiting Toronto FC on Saturday night.

With this win, Charlotte (5-6-3, 18 points) ended its five-game winless streak. The club managed to outshoot Toronto (3-5-5, 14 points) 16-11, despite having less possession. Toronto goalkeeper Luka Gavran recorded two saves, while Charlotte’s Kristijan Kahlina made three interceptions.

Zaha opened the scoring in the 19th minute, breaking his five-game goal drought. Joining a fastbreak, Zaha received a cross from Kerwin Vargas in the box and slotted his shot into the bottom left corner.

However, Toronto attacker Derrick Etienne quickly responded with a stunning finish from 25 yards out, leveling the game in the 22nd minute. Etienne powered a shot off the underside of the crossbar and into the net after driving the ball into the center of the pitch.

Toronto’s debutant defender Jonathan Gilman nearly pushed his team ahead just five minutes after Etienne’s strike by heading in a long free kick. However, the referee disallowed Gilman’s goal, citing that Jonathan Osorio had unfairly blocked Charlotte’s Idan Toklomati in the box.

Schnegg then answered back for Charlotte with a long-range effort. His low, driven shot from 27 yards rolled through Toronto’s defense and past Gavran into the goal, marking his first league goal for Charlotte and Vargas’ second assist of the night.

Biel secured the win with an 83rd-minute penalty, awarded after Osorio got tangled with a Charlotte attacker in the box during a corner. Biel confidently fired his shot straight down the middle, bringing his tally to eight goals in 13 league appearances.

Although Toronto threatened Charlotte’s goal throughout the match, they failed to score again. Their defensive struggles continued, extending their 10-game streak without a clean sheet. This loss also marked Toronto’s seventh consecutive game without a win, the longest current streak in the league.