Young Israeli striker making his mark
Toklomati giving Agyemang a run at striker; Zaha to miss Montreal game following thumb surgery and Snapchats new life in Charlotte; FIFA president visits ahead of Club World Cup; previewing Saturday
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Toklomatiâs game-winner keys a comeback win vs. Nashville and forces Smithâs hand over who will start at striker
Toklomati celebrating his first MLS goal Saturday against Nashville. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
That didnât take long. Karol Swiderski is not even old news yet. Patrick Agyemang is seven games into his tenure as starting striker, six if you donât count his weekend away with the U.S. Menâs team. And here comes Idan Toklomati, a 20-year-old Israeli phenom stepping into the limelight.
After Toklomati came off the bench last Saturday against Nashville and scored off a perfect pitching wedge from Pep Biel, captain Ashley Westwood described Charlotte FCâs striker scenario like this: âPat has been phenomenal for us, but Pat needs to get back to what he was doing because now heâs got a fight on his hands.â
Hereâs the Toklomati goal video:
Agyemang touched the ball 12 times in 75 minutes against Nashville and failed to get off a shot. Toklomati played 15 minutes, touched the ball seven times and was crowned Man of the Match.
Toklomati has been coming on strong since he came off the bench in a rainy season opener in Seattle. He nearly intercepted a ball from defender Jackson Ragen on a header, then picked his pocket as Ragen tried to pass back to a teammate. Toklomati then turned on the jets and headed toward the goal. He forced the issue with a ball into the box which Seattle misplayed for an own goal. Charlotte tied it 2-2 and escaped with a point on a night Coach Dean Smith points to as the worst the team has played this season.
Hereâs the video of that one:
Apparently, putting pressure on people is just part of Toklomatiâs game. Ask Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis.
Even with a defender on his hip, Toklomati had his eyes on Willis and his mind on his next move. One nifty touch to the right left the ball where nobody but him could retrieve it. He loaded, kicked and fired for his first MLS goal and the finishing touches on a two-goal comeback for a 2-1 win. Willis then fired off a blistering shot to the back of the net of his own, in frustration.
Showing his skillset in a big moment helped Toklomati earn MLS Goal of the Matchday from last weekend over established MLS names like Federico Bernardeschi of Toronto, Josef Martinez of San Jose and Jack McGlynn of Houston.
For his part, Smith is not tipping his hand on whether Toklomati has done enough to replace Aygemang in the starting lineup. For now, Toklomatiâs only start came against San Jose when Agyemang was in L.A. with the U.S. Menâs National team. But Smith fully admitted to facing a decision now at starting striker.
âThat will be down to my opinion,â Smith said. âI'll judge them fairly. What I think is going to be the best for us as a team will get the nod, and they both know that.â
Agymang has scored one goal in six starts, with 3 shots on target in 484 minutes, which means heâs averaging one every 161 minutes of play. Toklomati is averaging a shot on target every 82 minutes.
âI think Patrick's been OK as well this season, without having as much service as he had towards the end of last season,â Smith said. âBut I can see coming back from the USA team a lot more confidence in Patrick now as well, and thereâs a frustration that he hasn't had as many chances as he possibly could have. But I still look at Patrick and the opposition still look at Patrick and donât want to play against him.â
Zaha out for Saturdayâs game following thumb surgery; posts prolifically on Snapchat
Wilfried Zaha underwent surgery on his left thumb Monday to repair a displaced ligament and will miss Saturdayâs game in Montreal.
Zaha was back on the exercise bike wearing a splint Wednesday and on the field for individual drills Thursday. Smith said he expected Zaha to be back in full training with the team next week and to be ready for Charlotte FCâs game against San Diego on April 19.
Zaha injured his thumb going to the ground against Colorado and played nearly the full game against Nashville, scoring a goal on a penalty kick. But the thumb continued to bother him, and a visit with a specialist confirmed the ligament needed repairing.
As for who might replace him in the lineup in Montreal, Smith reiterated Thursday that he prefers to keep Toklomati at striker. Charlotteâs offense struggled against Nashville when Smith decided to start midfielder Pep Biel on the wing. Smith hasnât ruled out putting Biel back on the wing in place of Zaha but the likeliest candidate to start is whoever doesnât get the nod on the other side between Kerwin Vargas and Liel Abada, with Iuri Tavares and Tyger Smalls backing them up off the bench.
Snapchatterbox: Zaha revealed the news about his thumb surgery himself during a steady stream of Snapchat posts this week. Through the social platform, heâs given Charlotte FC fans an up close look at his life off the field adjusting to Charlotte.
His âsnapsâ have included posts of him finding a house in south Charlotte, welcoming his wife Paige, son Saint and daughter Zuri to town from England, loading up on toys for his kids at Cotswoldâs Toy Mania and unpacking his closet. Fans get to see the family side of the star winger from the English Premier League in videos of him playing tag in the backyard with Saint and soothing his new baby Zuri.
As local photographer and super Charlotte FC fan Jorge Torres pointed out this week, Saint got a car before his dad did. Saint has been cruising around his new driveway in a toy Lamborghini. Zaha, meanwhile, has admitted to being hesitant to learn how to drive on the right side of the road.
FIFA president visits Charlotte ahead of 2025 Club World Cup coming in June
FIFA president Gianni Infantino visits with Charlotte FC and Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper (right) and Charlotte FC general manager Zoran Krneta (left) Tuesday morning at Bank of America Stadium. (Photo by Taylor Banner, Charlotte FC.)
FIFA president Gianni Infantino spent 24 hours in Charlotte earlier this week as part of his tour to multiple U.S. cities hosting the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup this summer.
Charlotteâs Bank of America Stadium is the site of four games: Real Madrid of Spain against Pachuca of Mexico on June 22, followed by Portugalâs Benfica against Germanyâs Bayern Munich on June 24. A pair of Round of 16 matches will follow on June 28 and June 30.
Infantino referred to this as the first-ever FIFA Club World Cup because itâs a major expansion and rebranding to the FIFA Club World Championship, which started in 2000, featuring champions of six global federations and the host country. This year, in the first FIFA Club World Cup, the field will include 32 teams from around the world, including Inter Miami representing MLS, and it will be held only every four years. This event is almost like a test run ahead of next summerâs World Cup.
âSince we brought the club here â in 2022 the first game we played â I think, with that and Copa [America] last year, we put the stake in the ground,â Charlotte FC and Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper said in a Tuesday morning press conference. âCharlotte is a soccer city.â
Here are four notable nuggets that came out of the visit:
One of the FIFA Club World Cup teams will use Charlotte FCâs Atrium Health Performance Park practice facility for its home base during the matches in late June. (Real Madrid practiced at the facility last August when in Charlotte for a preseason exhibition against Chelsea.)
While Charlotte FC was founded about six months to a year too late to help the city land a bid to host the 2026 World Cup, Charlotte FC is bidding to be the headquarters for one of the participating national teams during the six-week stay in the U.S.
Tepper said Charlotte will make a bid to host womenâs World Cup games in 2031 at Bank of America Stadium.
The city will be awarded $1 million from FIFA, as will each of the 10 other host cities for the FIFA Club World Cup, to be used to âbuild mini-FIFA pitches and support social projects to drive football and foster community across the United States.â
Notable: Zimmerman concussion update, MLS Schedule switch delay, PGA Preview for Charlotte FC crew, Kahlina baby news and more
âŒïž Zimmerman concussion: Charlotte FC winger Kerwin Vargas was visibly shaken after he collided with Nashville defender Walker Zimmerman late in last Saturdayâs game in an attempt at a bicycle kick. Zimmerman, a native of Georgia and regular on the U.S. Menâs National team, took a foot to the face and had to leave the field on a stretcher. He was taken to a local hospital and later released. Smith said he reached out to Zimmerman via text message on Sunday morning, and Vargas had reached out to him as well.
âHe had a sore head and a busted lip,â Smith said. âWeâre thankful that it was only that. I think he had a concussion and hopefully is [all] right now.â
Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan confirmed to reporters Thursday that Zimmerman is working through concussion protocol.
âŒïž MLS schedule decision delayed: While some, including many in the Charlotte FC camp, were hopeful Major League Soccer would flip its schedule so it aligns with the international soccer calendar coming out of the 2026 World Cup, the league announced Thursday any potential decisions would come no sooner than the 2027 season.
MLS is considering changing to a fall-to-spring calendar that would allow the U.S. to share the same transfer windows and breaks for international play as teams around the world, as well as a chance to hold its playoffs in May, when the U.S. sports calendar is less busy than the current run culminating in December.
âŒïž Quail Hollow round: Coach Dean Smith and assistant coach Miles Joseph took on captain Ashley Westwood and Smithâs son Jamie Smith, now playing for Crown Legacy, in a foursome at Quail Hollow Club in what amounted to a PGA Championship preview Tuesday. It was the last day before the course closes to prepare for the majorâs return to town May 15-18.
Smith said it was coaches vs. players for the round, with Westy (a 10-handicapper) and Smith (18) taking on Smith (11 handicap) and Joseph (14). The long driver of the crew? Smith said it was his son Jamie, though heâs âliable to hit one to Georgia.â The winning duo? Smith said Westy was the one buying dinner afterward at Little Mamaâs Italian restaurant.
âŒïž Kahlinasâ baby news: You wonât find a sweeter âbig sisterâ announcement than the one goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina and his wife, Nickola, posted on Instagram announcing the birth of their second child. The photo of their young daughter Kiara kissing her motherâs belly as her parents kiss is undeniably precious.
Photo courtesy of Kristijan and Nikolaâs Instagram accounts.
Up Next: Charlotte FC (4-2-1) vs CF Montreal (0-5-2)
When/Where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Stade Saputo, Montreal
How to watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Find information about how to subscribe for the season here.
How to listen: WFNZ 92.7 in English, WOLS 106.1 in Spanish.
Notable:
Montreal and L.A. Galaxy are the only MLS teams still winless this season and are tied for last place in the overall league standings with two points from a pair of ties. Montreal has a better excuse: All seven of its games have been on the road, which is the tradition as the Canadian club waits for weather to warm up.
This is Montrealâs home opener.
The poor start already cost Montreal its coach: Laurent Courtois was fired 14 months into his tenure, despite finishing 8th last season. Montreal lost in a shootout to Atlanta United in the wildcard playoff. Under interim coach Marco Donadel, who was promoted from an assistant role, Montreal has drawn with Chicago 1-1 and lost 2-1 at Columbus.
Charlotteâs home and road disparity continues. The club is 4-0-0 at Bank of America Stadium this year and 0-2-1 on the road, with losses in Miami and Colorado.
Dean Smith moved midfielder Pep Biel to the wing against Nashville in a move he said was geared toward improving the defensive press. After Charlotte failed to produce even a shot on goal in the first half, Smith switched Biel back to the central attacking midfield for the second half. Charlotte responded with two goals and a potential third that was called back for a questionable interference call on Brandt Bronico.
Bielâs five assists on the season ties him for the MLS lead. His is two shy of the Charlotte FC record for assists in a season held by Kamil Jozwiak, who had seven in 2022.
Nine different players have scored for Charlotte FC this season, led by Biel and Zaha with two goals apiece.
Carroll Walton is a longtime baseball writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution now in her fourth season covering Charlotte FC. She would love to hear from you. E-mail her with questions, suggestions, story ideas and comments!
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