Sunday, July 6. Fourth of July weekend was coming to a close, the smell of fireworks, hot dogs and pool chlorine still fills the air, and you're trying to postpone the Sunday scaries.
After a holiday filled with fun across the Queen City, there was little to be found on the pitch for Charlotte FC, who failed to hold a 2-0 lead against Orlando City, resulting in their sixth-straight match without a win. It was a long look up towards the top of the table for The Crown, who found themselves below the playoff line, sitting in tenth place in the Eastern Conference.
What would come next would surprise many, but not the Charlotte FC locker room: a Club-record seven-consecutive MLS wins to erase the bad taste of May and June and put the Club back in contention for a top-four spot in the East...right where they expected to be.
The streak, the longest that any MLS club has had this season, was filled with plenty of moments that mattered.
A Vargas Vault and a Much-Needed Win
When you're looking to end an extended winless streak, a weather delay doesn't help. A goal in the 14th minute does, though. Midfielder Pep Biel found forward Idan Toklomati to give Charlotte the lead.
Kerwin Vargas added to the tally in the 81st minute with a rocket, a patented flip, and a celebration shared by the fans in the supporters section. With a 2-0 lead, scars from the Orlando City match still lingered, but The Crown shut down NYCFC to stop one streak and start another.
A Little Bit of Lightnin' Charges Up the Crown
"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!"- famous fictional Major League manager Lou Brown
The midweek debut of the Carolina Lightnin' kit saw, fittingly, a lightning delay. The new kit sparked the offense to life, though, with a Pep Biel brace bringing home another greatly-needed three points, this time against D.C. United.
Kings of the South (yet again)
The next opportunity to continue the streak was a much-anticipated matchup against a reeling rival, Atlanta United, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta.
Things did not start to plan, though, for Dean Smith and his squad. A 19th-minute header from Tristan Muyumba gave Atlanta the lead.
A sluggish first half was followed by an almost instant equalizer to start the second 45, when Kerwin Vargas found Idan Toklomati in the box to level the match. Goals from Wilfried Zaha and Pep Biel helped secure the eventual 3-2 victory and send the over 2,000 traveling Charlotte FC fans home happy.
Flippin' to Four-Straight on Bobblehead Night
Make it four wins in four matches with a 2-0 victory over Toronto FC.
An Idan Toklomati goal in the 60th minute gave Charlotte FC the breakthrough they desperately needed, but the night was not complete until Kerwin Vargas, whose signature celebration was being given away in bobblehead form that night, doubled the lead with a goal of his own.
Heading into Leagues Cup play, the win helped paint a much rosier picture in the standings.
Drive to Five at the Lion's Den
After a less-than-satisfactory League Cup performance, which also resulted in Pep Biel's injury-related absence for an extended period, the hopes of the Charlotte FC faithful were tempered going on the road against Supporters' Shield-contenders FC Cincinnati.
The match was heading towards a 0-0 draw when Wilfried Zaha connected on a volley that secured The Crown a 1-0 lead, resulting in a fifth consecutive victory.
Make it Six on the Spin
Taking on Real Salt Lake for the first time at Bank of America Stadium, The Crown had an opportunity to extend their Club-record winning streak to six with three points against the visitors from Utah.
The breakthrough came from Idan Toklomati, who delivered his fourth goal contribution in his last four MLS matches when he posterized multiple RSL defenders to reach an Ashley Westwood cross.
That would be all the help Kristijan Kahlina and the Charlotte FC backline would need. A grinded-out 1-0 win secured another three points and moved the Club to seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
Clipping Red Bulls' Wings, Stretching the Streak to Seven
Dean Smith and his squad would be the first to tell you that it wasn't a beautiful match, but contests against the New York Red Bulls rarely are.
The Crown only managed two shots on target all match, but one of them made the difference on Sunday Night. Capitalizing on a New York mistake, forward Idan Toklomati found forward Kerwin Vargas, who powered a shot past Red Bulls' goalkeeper Carlos Coronel to give Charlotte a lead they would keep until the final whistle.
It was Vargas' fifth goal of the season and Toklomati's fifth consecutive match with a goal contribution.
The win was also the fourth consecutive clean sheet kept by goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina and the Charlotte FC backline.
The Stats Behind the Streak
- Seven consecutive MLS victories is the longest active winning streak in the league and throughout the 2025 regular season for any club.
- After the departure of forward Patrick Agyemang, Idan Toklomati has become the guy. His four goals and two assist in the last seven matches helped spark the win streak for The Crown.
- DP forward Wilfried Zaha also fueled the recent results with five goal contributions over the last seven matches. He accomplished his own personal goal contribution streak in nine straight matches up until Real Salt Lake.
- Charlotte FC have claimed five clean sheets during this seven-match winning streak, tying the number of clean sheets from the 21 previous regular-season matches this season.
- In the seven matches that comprise this historic streak, The Crown have outscored their opponents 12-3.
- Across all competitions, Charlotte FC have not been shut out in the last 23 matches. The last time a team was able to shut down The Crown was April 26 against New England.
The Playoff Push Persists
A historic streak is the right start that Head Coach Dean Smith and his team need to secure a spot in the MLS playoffs.
If Charlotte were in the Western Conference, they would comfortably sit in fourth place, 16 points clear of the playoff line. Geography, though, has forced them to be a part of a stacked Eastern Conference.
It's looking like a game of musical chairs, with ten teams fighting for nine. One will be left out. The Crown currently sit eight points above tenth-place Chicago Fire, who have one match in hand.
While most fans of The Crown might look cautiously below them in the table, Charlotte FC also have the opportunity to finish in the top three, as they currently sit only three points below third-place Nashville SC.
Six more regular-season matches. 18 points left to claim. A historic winning streak has put The Crown back in contention for those top four places...right where they expected to be.
Charlotte FC will now head to New England this weekend to take on the Revolution and try to extend their streak to eight.
