These are the Charlotte FC players to know before the first MLS match of 2026
From the beginning, Charlotte FC general manager Zoran Krneta made it clear he wanted to build a winner that will sustain success over time.
Even if that meant slow, gradual improvement.
After the 2025 season, the team’s fourth since its inaugural year in 2022, Krneta has delivered on that promise. Charlotte FC has gotten consistently better and better, year over year. Last year was the club’s best yet.
Among the metrics the club broke in last year’s regular season: Supporter’s Shield standing (7th), points in the table (59), goals scored (55), goal difference (+9), home wins (13) and road wins (6). Charlotte FC also won nine-straight games down the stretch, tying the longest streak in the post-shootout era in MLS.
The Crown still did not make it out of the first round of the MLS playoffs — something to build on as head coach Dean Smith enters his third year with the club. But there’s hope. Lots of it.
And when considering the roster will field in 2026, that just might happen.
Here are the seven players Charlotte FC fans should know ahead of the 2026 season, which kicks off on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at St. Louis City SC on Apple TV. Charlotte FC’s home-opener is set for March 7 at 7:30 p.m. vs. Austin FC.
7 players to know on Charlotte FC’s 2026 roster
Wilfried Zaha, forward: Zaha was among the most creative and valuable players in all of MLS last year. And as a result, and as Smith would regularly bring up, he was the most fouled. (And it wasn’t particularly close, per MLSSoccer.com.)
Charlotte FC’s self-assured star wrapped up his first season starting in all 33 games he played in. He scored 10 goals (second on the team) and notched 10 assists (second). Perhaps his value was shown more when he wasn’t there: On the final regular-season game, Zaha saw “a red mist” and earned a red card for his behavior, keeping him out of the team’s first playoff game that ultimately ended in a Charlotte loss. Zaha returned to play in the other two games in the best-of-three series — earning one win and one loss and drawing 10 fouls, by the way. His return is vital for Charlotte FC.
Pep Biel, midfielder: For a moment last season, Biel was a legitimate MVP candidate. He was playing like one. He had 10 goals to his name and 12 assists — the number that still led the team at the season’s end. Although Biel suffered a substantial knee injury in September that ended his season early, the Charlotte FC front office inked Biel to a multi-year agreement to keep him on the roster as a Designated Player through 2027. Biel is wildly inventive and effective working from the middle of the pitch, and the team plans to see such proficiency in 2026. As far as his health, Biel said he is good to go.
Tim Ream, defender: The left-footed U.S. Men’s National Team defender will suit up again for Charlotte FC in 2026. And that’s good news for a defense that saw one of the best defenders in the league in Adilson Malanda depart to EFL Championship side Middlesbrough FC this offseason. Ream is under contract through the end of 2026; there’s a club option in his contract for the 2027 season.
Luca de la Torre, midfielder: Charlotte FC added to its USMNT pedigree when it acquired the midfielder from Celta de Vigo. The California native spent the bulk of the 2025 season in San Diego FC on loan — he recorded five goals and two assists in 37 matches played across all competitions. While on the USMNT’s Gold Cup squad, he started all six matches and recorded 431 of the possible 540 minutes, according to a release. He’s played 32 matches for the national team since debuting in 2018.
Henry Kessler, defender: Charlotte FC might have found the center back to replace Adilson Malanda. The team signed Kessler out of free agency through the end of 2026 with club options for June 2027 and the 2027-28 season. Kessler is a MLS SuperDraft success story — having been selected in the first round in 2020 and being a key contributor for New England Revolution thereafter. Kessler was traded to St. Louis City SC in summer 2024.
Kristijan Kahlina, goalkeeper: One of the few remaining players from the inaugural squad in 2022, Kahlina has over and over again asserted himself as one of the best goalkeepers in MLS. Most notably, he was named Goalkeeper of the Year in 2024. He finished 2025 with the most saves in the league with 136 — 16 more than the next best, Minnesota’s Dayne St. Clair, who walked away with GKOY honors.
Idan Toklomati, forward: He’s only 21 years old, but the striker from Israel made quite the name for himself in 2025. He finished the season as a fixture in the starting 11 and with a team-leading 11 goals on 22 shots on target. He also added four assists. Krneta gave him the ultimate compliment at the end of the regular season: “He is someone we’re building the club (around). He’s quickly becoming the face of the franchise, a little bit. So yeah, Idan, he’s here to stay.” And Krneta followed up on those words: On Wednesday, Charlotte FC announced that the team had inked a new deal that keeps Toklomati in Charlotte through the 2028-29 MLS season with an option for 2029-30.
This story was originally published February 20, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "These are the Charlotte FC players to know before the first MLS match of 2026."
