Kristijan Kahlina: "I came here to work"

CHARLOTTE – With the Carolina Challenge Cup coming to an end, it marks the beginning of the new MLS season. Kristijan Kahlina got the majority of minutes in goal and was pleased with the team's progress made in preseason.

“We can’t show 100% of our quality, because it’s over 20 new guys, each of us arrived thinking of the game differently but day-by-day we absorb what coach is teaching us in trainings.

“The last game, against Inter Miami was really, really good. We got unlucky, but if we remove the results, and focused on how we played, for me, this was the best game [we’ve played] in preseason. I think we have a good connection now, but naturally we will improve and improve... I don’t know how we will start but after one or two months you will see that this Club has quality and has very good players.”

When watching Charlotte FC play or train it’s difficult not to notice Kahlina because you can't help but hear him. He is constantly barking out orders and observations from the back, which as a goalkeeper is part of his job, but to Kahlina it’s more than that.

“It’s my personality, sometimes it’s not good for some individuals who get angry if I scream at them, but this is part of my job. I want everything good for my players, and even in training I want us to grow day by day... If I make a mistake, I want to be called out directly. That’s how we grow.

“I’m not satisfied with my mistakes, I’m not even satisfied with my good games. Every day is a new day for work, to show quality, and sometimes it’s not your day but keep pushing, keep trying, think positive.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming inaugural season, Kahlina is adamant that the team’s expectations is to be competitive and although everything is still a work-in-progress, one thing for sure is that they won’t stop fighting.

“Playoffs are the dream for us, and we will work hard for this and not give up after one, two, five, six, or ten rounds, we will not give up. We brought in players who want to achieve something.

"I didn’t come here to mess around in the USA, or just enjoy the lifestyle, I came here to work and my team will show this.”