It wasn’t a pretty night for Charlotte. New England owned possession, led the shot count 20-6, and trailed in expected goals scored 3.3-2.1. But as Head Coach Dean Smith said in his pre-match press conference, he’s not worried about how wins “look”.
Ever since the New England Revolution leveled the match in the 24th minute through Ignatius Ganago, cancelling out a 12th-minute Brandt Bronico goal, it felt like achieving eight straight wins wasn’t in the cards for The Crown.
Kristijan Kahlina wasn't able to keep his clean sheet streak alive, but his save on Carles Gil's shot in the 86th minute kept The Crown in the match and gave Toklomati the chance to win the match just two minutes later.
Then, Idan Toklomati rose above the rest to head home an Ashley Westwood free-kick cross in the 87th minute to give The Crown the win.
Toklomati’s match-winning goal helped The Crown secure their eighth consecutive win. This is the second-longest single-season winning streak in MLS history (excluding the shootout era), only trailing the 2018 Seattle Sounders, who set the record at nine.
It was Toklomati’s eighth goal of the season. The Israeli forward holds his own streak, recording a goal contribution in the last six MLS matches.
With the win, The Crown leapfrogged Nashville SC, who lost to Atlanta United at home, to take over third place in the Eastern Conference.
Charlotte FC will now get a little respite with an international break ahead, but they will then face one of their toughest tests in keeping their winning streak alive: Lionel Messi and Inter Miami come to Bank of America Stadium on September 13.
Until then, eight feels pretty great.
SEPTEMBER 13 // CHARLOTTE vs. MIAMI
The Crown is back at The Fortress! Come early to the match on Saturday, September 13 for a chance to receive a limited-edition Inflatable Crown, presented by Ticketmaster.
