Charlotte FC’s 2025 season came to an end last Friday as The Crown fell 3-1 to NYFC in game three. Both teams knew going in that their season was on the line and one team would advance to the next round. Once again, I am glad to be joined by Sean Faherty and Film from the Fortress as we dive into the match.
Looking at the starting xi there were no changes from game two. Starting up top were Wilfried Zaha and Kerwin Vargas on the wings with Idan Toklomati leading the attack. The midfield three consisted of Djibril Diani, Ashley Westwood and Brandt Bronico. The back four was made up of a center back pairing of Tim Ream and Adilson Malanda while Nathan Byrne and Harry Toffolo held it down on the flanks.
Alex
No complaints from me. As previously stated, this was the same starting lineup we saw in game two. I was happy to see Adilson get the start in what would turn out to be his final game in a Charlotte uniform before he begins his career in England.
Sean
This is the lineup I expected and it’s a shame we couldn’t make more happen. New York played pretty tight defense the whole series and in the first 30 minutes of this match we had a lot of chances just couldn’t really get any shots off.
Film
This is the expected lineup but sadly this playoff we could not use our best lineup. The omission of Pep Biel due to injury left an attacking gap that CLTFC could not fill in the playoffs. With Biel out, Bronico pushed forward into a more attacking role. While Bronico has incredible hustle and a willingness to play anywhere on the pitch, he lacks the technical skills and playmaking ability as Biel. Bronico had a few chances this series and failed to get a good shot off. If we could have gotten Biel in that role we may have had a different series.
Additionally, because Bronico was pushed higher up, he was not in a defensive role screening in front of our defense. We could have used his recovery speed in a deeper position to help Byrne and Ream against NYCFC’s counter attacks.
Now let’s get into the match. The final score might have been 3-1 but the stats provide more detail on how we got there. Charlotte outshot NYC 16-8, however NYC had seven shots on goal to one for Charlotte. On the defensive side, the game was physical from both sides. Despite no red cards being given out, Charlotte committed 16 fouls while picking up two yellow cards. NYC committed 15 fouls and picked up three yellow cards.
The first half felt tough from both sides where it felt one goal could come at any moment, and it did. Near the end of the first half, NYCFC broke through Charlotte’s defense to take a 1-0 lead into the break. Coming out of the half, NYC didn’t let up as they put another one past Kahlina in the 50th minute. However, Charlotte didn’t give up as Idan Toklomati was finally able to break through in the 81st minute to put Charlotte on the board. Idan’s goal proved to come too late as NYC put a third past Kahlina in injury time to make the final score 3-1.
Alex
Losing isn’t fun, we all know that. Losing in the playoffs hurts worse. The first half felt it could go either way until NYC broke the tie. Watching the game, it felt like all the momentum shifted completely to the visitors. Scoring so quickly out of the break meant that Charlotte had a lot of work to do to get back in the game. I liked seeing Idan score, I just wish it would have come about 20 minutes earlier. Obviously, I would have liked to see Charlotte win and move on, but I wanted a win more for Adilson so that his last match wouldn’t be a 3-1 loss. I’m dissapointed but happy with the season overall and hope making the playoffs becomes the standard in the Queen City.
Sean
Charlotte actually had a pretty good chance in the first part of the first half. They had plenty of opportunities and a couple shots and set pieces putting them in a good chance to score. Once NY scored late in the first half, the momentum really shifted. Later in the match you could see Charlotte fighting to get back and at least tie it up, problem was they had many shots late in the second half but none were on goal. Unfortunately, that isn’t going to get it done. Once NY scored that third goal late, that kind of sealed it for them.
I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Southeast Soccer Report for allowing me to cover Charlotte FC this season, and a thank you to the other guys in this article allowing me to collab with them. Never thought I would be given this opportunity and it’s so much fun and really excited to keep the momentum going next season. Cheers!
Film
This game (and playoff series) was consistency versus potential. NYCFC was consistent each and every game, playing safe and simple soccer. CLTFC had the talent and ability to run them off the field but they were unable to find and sustain that level of play. The first 20 minutes of this game was all Charlotte. Zaha was finding space in the attacking third and CLTFC looked dangerous and the likely team to score. NYCFC slowed the game down with holding possession but struggled to create. But NYCFC found 3 different Charlotte FC set pieces where they were able to counter and get their goals. Especially the first two, CLT pushed Malanda into the box for a long throw (and then corner for the second one) but failed to get the ball into the box. NYCFC countered and Byrne and Ream did not have the pace to slow them down.
I look back on this series and am still not convinced that NYCFC is a good team. Charlotte had the talent and ability to run NYCFC off the field in this series but failed to have enough attacking ability to get the goals needed. NYCFC sat back, played conservative and challenged Charlotte to break down their defense. Zaha did provide that spark once with an incredible ball to Toffolo leading to the lone CLT goal in this series. But CLTFC will head into the offseason still needing to find a way to score against a set defense.
A huge thank you to Sean and Film for breaking the game down with me. Also, thank you to all of the readers for joining us this season as we covered an exciting soccer season in Charlotte.
Remember to stay locked in with the Southeast Soccer Report for your offseason Charlotte FC coverage.