Charlotte FC will aim to end its five-game league winless streak with a home victory against a similarly embattled Toronto FC squad on Saturday evening.
Charlotte (4-6-3, 15 points) has gone nearly a month since its last win against New York City FC on April 18. Improving its stalling offense is a requirement to stop its freefall down the standings.
Charlotte’s home struggles against NYCFC last Saturday embodied their offensive struggles. The team managed only two shots on target, taking a 1-0 loss despite allowing just one shot on goal.
“In the (last) two home games that we’ve had, I would like us to be a lot more forceful in the final third. That’s probably been the biggest gripe of mine with the players,” Charlotte manager Dean Smith said. ” … We didn’t get a lot of players forward in a lot of the play on Wednesday night, and that’s something we spoke about.”
Charlotte will look to key players like Wilfried Zaha to lead the attack. Zaha’s future in Charlotte is in the air as contract negotiations to retain him past the end of his loan on June 30 are still ongoing.
Zaha, who hasn’t scored in his last five appearances, was recently left off the Ivory Coast’s 2026 World Cup roster.
Toronto (3-4-5, 14 points) isn’t doing much better, winless in its last six league games (0-2-4).
“Everyone knows where the standings are at and (that) points are vital, especially during this next stretch,” Toronto midfielder Kobe Franklin said. “We were focused on our home games and getting as many points as we could out of that, and now our focus shifts to being able to play away and pick up points while we’re on the road.”
Getting forward Josh Sargent back from a thigh injury which has sidelined him since March 25 could have been a boost to Toronto’s odds of earning a victory in Charlotte. Although Sargent is progressing well, he’s listed as out for Saturday’s match.
“He’s feeling great and he looks great and he’s moving really well,” Toronto manager Robin Fraser said of Sargent. “I think maybe out of an abundance of caution, if he’s not ready this week then he’ll be ready next week.”
Toronto will also be without key contributors Djordje Mihailovic (pelvis) and Jose Cifuentes (knee) against Charlotte.
–Field Level Media
