Charlotte FC Picks Up Their First Point in St. Louis; Ascent Climb Back Into Playoff Position
Charlotte FC kicked off the 2026 MLS season with a 1–1 draw against St Louis CITY SC. Also: Ascent snap a 5-match winless streak thanks to a Sydney Studer brace; Tormenta won't play in 2026.
Thanks to a late goal from a healthy Pep Biel and a career-high 10 saves from Kristijan Kahlina, Charlotte FC (0-0-1, 1 Point) came back to share the points after a 1-1 result against St. Louis CITY SC (0-0-1, 1 Point) in the Crown’s first match of the 2026 MLS season.
“The spoils shared is the right result,” Charlotte head coach Dean Smith told reporters after the match. “We knew the way they would play, we knew they would be man-for-man an awful lot, and we turned that ball over a little bit too much.”
The starting lineup had a new face: USMNT midfielder Luca de la Torre, taking over where fans might be used to seeing Brandt Bronico, who went unused for the first time since May 17 of last year.
Additionally, Austrian international David Schnegg made his first appearance for the Crown as a substitute, and Tyler Miller was on the bench as Charlotte’s new backup goalkeeper.
The first half was balanced, if uninspiring for Charlotte. Center back Andrew Privett picked up Charlotte’s first caution of the season seven minutes in.
The sides traded chances, and while St. Louis controlled more of the possession Charlotte stayed organized defensively and looked to break forward when opportunities appeared.
St. Louis forced three saves from Kristijan Kahlina, while Liel Abada was the only Charlotte player to get a shot on target in the first half. At the 40 minute mark, fellow Israeli international Idan Toklomati found Abada, whose right footed shot from outside the 18’ was saved by Roman Bürki. Abada, whose role in the squad was uncertain after a disappointing 2025, had an impressive half, though neither side created a clear breakthrough before halftime.
I would expect our players to be, you know, better next week.
Dean Smith
While Abada’s performance was strong, Smith thought Toklomati had “a quiet game.” The match went into the locker room scoreless, but the tone shifted after the break as a besieged Crown would call upon Kahlina’s heroics yet again.
Charlotte’s midfield struggled to maintain possession, and the back line faced repeated waves of attacks. Kahlina would go on to save 10 of the 11 shots on target during the match with a performance that earned him the first MLS Goalkeeper of the Matchday honors of the year, the eighth time in five seasons Kahlina has earned the honor.
However, one shot would get by Charlotte’s brick wall. In the 60th minute, German international Marcel Hartel found space outside the box off of a pass from Simon Becher, and finished cleanly to give St. Louis a 1–0 lead.
Kahlina told Soccer Sheet after the match that regardless of the number of shots he had to save, the game remains a team effort.
“I’m fully confident in them, and I think overall they played a good game, because it’s not just about defense, how many [shots I save] during the game.” said Kahlina. “It’s about all of us, all 11 of us, and I think we can shift better and control the [game better], especially the last 20-25 minutes.”
At that point, Charlotte appeared reactive rather than proactive. Passing sequences were short-lived and clearances often came without follow-up support. Instead of building through the midfield, the team relied on direct balls that were quickly recovered by St. Louis.
Charlotte did find an equalizer in the 73rd minute. Wilfried Zaha slipped a pass through the defense to Pep Biel, who finished to level the match at 1–1. It was one of the few moments in the second half where Charlotte connected cleanly in the attacking third, and Schnegg — who subbed in for Harry Toffolo in the 69th minute — earned the hockey assist to Zaha.
However, the goal did not fully change the momentum.
St. Louis continued to control the tempo and generate chances. Kahlina saved four shots on goal late in the match. The closing stretch featured more defending than attacking for Charlotte, and there was little sustained possession to relieve pressure.
Statistically and visually, the second half leaned heavily in St. Louis’ favor. Charlotte struggled to win second balls, failed to maintain shape in midfield, and spent extended stretches inside its own defensive third. While the defensive unit held firm enough to avoid a loss, the overall performance lacked rhythm and control.
There are positives to take from the result. Earning a point away from home to start the season matters in a long MLS campaign. The connection between Zaha and Biel is encouraging, and the team showed resilience in responding to an early second-half goal.
Most important, Kahlina is still in the Goalkeeper of the Year form that has sent Charlotte to the playoffs every year of Smith’s leadership.
Still, the second half will need to be the focus of training this week. Charlotte will have to improve its ability to keep possession under pressure and limit extended defensive stretches. Against stronger finishing, the outcome could have been different.
“I felt it was an average game, an average performance, and we still came away with points,” said Smith. “I know that players will get better through having the minutes from today … First game, you're never quite sure what to expect. The intensity is always higher for that first game, and I would expect our players to be, you know, better next week.”
A draw is a decent starting point, but if Charlotte FC hopes to contend this season, the standard in the second half will need to rise.
2026 MLS Regular-Season - Matchday 1
February 21, 1:30 PM CST
Energizer Park - St. Louis, Mo.
Attendance: 22,423
St. Louis CITY FC 1 — 1 Charlotte FC
Charlotte FC Starting XI
Kahlina; Byrne, Ream, Privett, Toffolo, Westwood, de la Torre, Biel, Abada, Toklomati, Zaha
Substitutions
Schnegg (69'), Vargas (69'), Diani (69'), Smalls (88')
St. Louis CITY SC Starting XI
Burki; Wallem, Orozco, Baumgartl, Polvara, Santos, Edelman, Durkin, Hartel, Sangbin, Becher
Substitutions
McSorely (59'), Perez (83'), MacNaughton (84'), Teuchert (90'+3"), Totland (90'+4)
Goals:
60' - STL - Hartel (Assist: Becher, Edelman)
73' - CLT - Biel (Assist: Zaha, Schnegg)
Discipline:
7' - CLT - Privett (Yellow)
40' - STL - Baumgartl (Yellow)
66' - STL - Orozco(Yellow)
71' - CLT - Zaha (Yellow)
Video: Dean Smith and Kristijan Kahlina Speak with Soccer Sheet after Matchday 1
Soccer Sheet’s 2026 Charlotte FC Predictions
Before Matchday 1, we polled the Soccer Sheet staff and asked how they thought Charlotte FC was going to finish, who would be player of the year, etc. Here’s how our team thinks Charlotte will make out in the Eastern Conference, and who will be the top goalscorer for the team:
USL Super League & League One News
Ascent Back in Playoff Position Thanks to the Sydneys
Carolina Ascent FC (6-7-5, 23 points) finally snapped their winless streak with a confident 2-0 win over Dallas Trinity FC (7-6-3, 24 points) thanks to a Sydney Studer brace and a Sydney Martinez clean sheet.
The Ascent had been struggling to start the year off right, losing their first three matches in 2026 and falling to fifth place in the table after their loss to Spokane. Despite adding three new players with significant NWSL experience, Carolina struggled to become a cohesive unit, and gave up some questionable goals during the five match drought.
“It was a matter of time that we felt like we were going to unload on somebody,” said Jill Aguilera. “A 2-0 win at home right before an international break is a really good result for us to build our momentum onto for when we come back in March.”
Things finally went the right way for coach Philip Poole’s squad after two major changes on Saturday: Aguilera donned the captain’s armband after putting in some ferocious shifts to start the year, and Martinez took over in goal after a run of disappointing matches for #1 goalkeeper Meagan McClelland.
“I heard a quote this week that I thought was really interesting as we’re integrating four new players,” Poole told reporters after the match. “And the quote was ‘you’d rather have growing pains than dying pains’. We’ve all seen flashes of what we can be, and today we put it together.”
The fourth player Poole is talking about is Tyler Lussi, most recently of the NC Courage, who the Ascent signed last week. Her NWSL experience is as extensive as the other new additions: nine professional seasons with Portland Thorns FC, Angel City FC, and the Courage. Across 153 career appearances, the forward has recorded 19 goals and was part of Portland’s 2017 NWSL Championship-winning squad as a rookie.
Due to the international break, the Ascent’s next match is Friday, March 13 at home against Tampa Bay Sun at 7:00 PM. Bring the family, and leave the triskaidekaphobia at home.
South Georgia Tormenta FC Exit USL League One (for now)
Another USL club is in trouble.
After North Carolina FC’s surprising decision to suspend operations for two years, and Texoma FC’s decision to leave USL League One for League Two after a lackluster first season, South Georgia Tormenta FC is the latest casualty of the challenging economic landscape for soccer.
USL League One released a curt statement after Alex Ashton of Beyond the 90 initially broke the story:
“South Georgia Tormenta FC will not compete in the USL League One season in 2026. Tormenta FC has been part of USL League One since its inaugural season and has played an important role in the league’s growth, including winning the League One title in 2022.”
South Georgia was scheduled to play the Charlotte Independence on April 12 at American Legion Memorial Stadium, with the Independence making the trip down to Georgia on June 20; it is still unclear how, if at all, the league will adjust the schedule.
For more about how the the loss is affecting South Georgia’s soccer community, read this great piece from Luke Martin at Stormwatch912:
In the off chance you haven’t heard the news, South Georgia Tormenta and the USL announced the team is suspending operations just two weeks before the 2026 season was to kick off. I’ve got a full story on that over at the Statesboro Herald and would obviously appreciate if you went over there and read it.
Clearly the plan was to play in 2026.
You don’t go out and sign back-to-back goalkeeper of the year Sean Lewis if you don’t plan on playing in 2026. You don’t bring back Yaniv Bazini and his double-digit goals with Tormenta in 2025 if you’re not planning to play and compete.
But despite the plans to field a team, it just didn’t happen.
Kaylor Hodges of The USL Show told me the 2026 team may have been the most talented team Tormenta ever put together, and that includes the 2022 title winning team.
Now those players will all be free agents and three months severance pay.
And let me make sure I’m very clear here. As much as this sucks for the fans, it doesn’t compare to how much it sucks for the players. Those guys have a limited time to play the game they love professionally and with just two weeks before the season was to start, they’re now without a club to play for and presumably limited options as team budgets and rosters may have already been set.
Just as they did when North Carolina FC made the surprise decision to withdraw from the USL Championship for this season, the USL Players Association had strong words for the folks responsible for a decision that impacted Tormenta’s players:
Players who have already endured weeks of financial uncertainty are now left scrambling for employment, housing stability, and, in some cases, immigration security.
This is not simply the collapse of one club.
It is a governance failure
The economics of soccer continue to be challenging, but something needs to change to ensure the financial security of soccer players and club staff.
Three Ascent Players Called up for International Duty
The Puerto Rico Women’s National Team has called up Carolina Ascent FC defender Jill Aguilera, goalkeeper Sydney Martinez, and forward Maria Tapia for the nation’s upcoming CONCACAF qualifying matches.
Puerto Rico will take on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on February 27 before facing the U.S. Virgin Islands on March 5.
All three players were also selected for Puerto Rico’s previous qualifier in December, a 7–0 victory over St. Lucia. Aguilera delivered a standout performance with four goals, while Tapia recorded an assist.
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