Charlotte FC Goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina Named to MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 8

2024 Goalkeeper of the Year earns ninth career nod to TOTMD honor.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Monday, April 20, 2026) – Charlotte FC goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina was named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 8 following a seven-save performance in the Club’s 2-1 road victory over New York City FC. The Croatian’s nod to the TOTMD marks his ninth time earning the weekly honor since joining The Crown in 2022.

The Crown captured all three points on the road against New York City FC on Saturday in a 2-1 win at Citi Field. Charlotte have earned four out of nine points on the road and are sitting third in the Eastern Conference standings.

Kahlina, 33, continued to rise to the occasion away from Bank of America Stadium as he recorded seven saves to capture three points on the road. It was the Croatian goalkeeper’s third consecutive road match with at least seven saves and has allowed just five goals on 31 shots on goal.

Kahlina sits atop the league with 44 saves and owns a career-best 81.5 save percentage after eight matches. His single-season best for save percentage was 76.6 during the 2024 season. Kahlina is tied for sixth in MLS for goals allowed with 10 for goalkeepers with a minimum 20 saves made.

The Crown continues their four-match road trip as they head to Orlando City for a midweek tilt on Wednesday and then head to Nashville SC on Saturday. Kickoff for Orlando City is 7:30 p.m. ET while the Nashville SC matchup is set for 8:30 p.m. ET and both matches can be followed on Apple TV.

See below for the full Team of the Matchday:

F: Petar Musa (DAL), Sergi Solans (RSL), Prince Owusu (MTL)
M: Ousseni Bouda (SJ), Diego Luna (RSL), Cristian Roldan (SEA), Lionel Messi (MIA)
D: Jefferson Díaz (MIN), Olwethu Makhanya (PHI), Maxwell Woledzi (NSH)
GK: Kristijan Kahlina (CLT)

Coach: Bruce Arena (SJ)

Bench: Sean Johnson (DC), Héctor Herrera (HOU), Evander (CIN), Hany Mukhtar (NSH), Tomás Chancalay (MIN), Joseph Paintsil (LA), Timo Werner (SJ), Emmanuel Sabbi (VAN), Hugo Cuypers (CHI)