Spanish midfielder earns second nod to weekly honors of 2026; Australian forward Archie Goodwin named to bench following a brace off the bench.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Monday, March 23, 2026) – Charlotte FC midfielder Pep Biel has been named to MLS Team of the Matchday for Week 5. Biel earned the honor following a one goal and one assist outing in Charlotte FC’s dominating 6-1 victory over Red Bull New York. It is his second time this year being named to Team of the Matchday and his seventh since joining Charlotte FC, good for second-most in Club history behind Kristijan Kahlina with eight.Â
Australian striker Archie Goodwin also earned a nod to this week’s bench after scoring a second-half brace off the bench.
Biel helped Charlotte get things going early on Saturday by assisting the match’s opening goal in the 14th minute. After The Crown earned a free kick deep into their attacking third, the Spaniard whipped in a left-footed cross that met the head of Idan Toklomati at the top of the six-yard box who directed it to the bottom left corner of the goal.
Later in the second half, Biel would claim a goal of his own. Standing over another set piece opportunity just outside the penalty area, the 29-year-old midfielder decided to go straight for the back of the net and sent a strong left-footed finish past Red Bull’s Ethan Horvath to give CLTFC a 3-0 advantage in the 54th minute.
In the 77th minute, a pair of subs piled on the goal total when Austrian left back David Schnegg floated in a perfectly placed cross to Goodwin waiting on the near post, who redirected the ball with a header to give Charlotte its fifth of the night and his first goal for The Crown.
The Australian wasn’t done there, when in stoppage time he completed his brace after Designated Player Liel Abada made a darting run on a counterattack, centering the ball for the 21-year-old striker in the box to cap off a historic night for CLTFC.
Charlotte FC moved into fourth in the Eastern Conference table with eight points and continues its five-match homestand at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday, April 4 against the Philadelphia Union.
See below for the full Team of the Matchday:
F: Logan Farrington (DAL), Sam Surridge (NSH), Hugo Cuypers (CHI)
M: Ender Echenique (CIN), Paxten Aaronson (COL), Pep Biel (CLT), Cristian Espinoza (NSH)
D: Ryan Porteous (LAFC), Gonzalo Luján (MIA), Walker Zimmerman (TOR)
GK: Daniel (SJ)
Coach: B.J. Callaghan (NSH)
Bench: James Pantemis (POR), Nouhou (SEA), Daniel Edelman (STL), Beau Leroux (SJ), Guilherme (HOU), Prince Owusu (MTL), Lionel Messi (MIA), Archie Goodwin (CLT), Rafael Navarro (COL)
NEXT AT HOME:
APRIL 4 // CHARLOTTE vs. PHILADELPHIA
Bring the energy to The Fortress as Charlotte FC takes on Philadelphia Union on April 4th at 7:30 p.m. Come join the party!
