A historic night at the Fortress for Charlotte FC.
A hat trick from Charlotte FC forward Idan Toklomati and an outstanding clean sheet performance from Kristijan Kahlina helped secure a 3-0 win over Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF. With the win, Charlotte FC tie the MLS post-shootout era record for longest winning streak.
In front of a sold-out lower bowl at Bank of America Stadium, it looked like Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi would crash the party and stop the streak when he drew a penalty midway through the first half. After A VAR check, Messi stepped to the penalty spot, but was thwarted by goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, who did not fall for Messi’s panenka attempt.
Charlotte FC stole the momentum and didn’t look back, scoring two minutes later through Toklomati.
The Crown also started the second half strong, with Toklomati finding the net again in the 47th minute after assists from forward Wilfried Zaha and midfielder Brandt Bronico.
Kahlina and the Charlotte FC backline kept Miami at bay, and Toklomati would finish a Man of the Match performance with a third goal, this time from the penalty spot. Zaha drew the penalty on Inter Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets, but gave the ball to Toklomati to finish the hat trick.
With the performance, Toklomati now sits with 11 goals on the season, the most on the team. With the clean sheet, Kahlina now has double-digit clean sheets on the season and is only two behind his mark of 12 during his 2024 Goalkeeper of the Year campaign.
The Crown’s name is now forever etched in the MLS post-shootout era history books with a ninth-consecutive win. During that span, Charlotte have outscored its opponents by a staggering 17-4.
This was Messi’s second appearance at The Fortress, where he was absent during Inter Miami’s 2023 trip to Charlotte. The Herons have been shut out in both matches.
Charlotte retain their third place spot and is one New York Red Bulls loss or draw away from clinching a spot in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup playoffs.
The Crown will now look to set themselves alone at the top of the history books with a tenth straight victory on the road on Saturday, September 20 against New York City FC.
AWAY WATCH PARTY | NYC vs. CLT
Join us at Moo & Brew in Matthews, NC, on Saturday, September 20, at 12:00 p.m., as Charlotte FC take on New York City FC for our official Away Match Watch Party presented by Modelo.
Address: 111 Matthews Station St, Matthews, NC 28105
*This watch party is free, and no ticket is needed to attend.
NEXT AT HOME
SEPT 27 // CHARLOTTE vs. MONTREAL
Charlotte FC take on CF Montréal at Bank of America Stadium on September 27 at 7:30 p.m. Join us for Por La Cultura Night as The Crown continue their push to the playoffs.
