Charlotte FC Tops Atlanta United 3‑2 in Road Win to Continue Stirring Form

On July 19, 2025, Charlotte FC earned a hard-fought 3-2 win over Atlanta United at Mercedes‑Benz Stadium, marking their third straight victory on the road against this rival. Atlanta started fast, testing Charlotte’s defense within the first 20 seconds, and early pressure nearly paid off with a deflected header in the 10th minute.

Charlotte responded at the 46th minute when Kerwin Vargas sent in a cross that Idan Toklomati headed home to level the match. Three minutes later, Wilfried Zaha, who had the better of Almirón in early exchanges, scored after receiving a precision through-ball from Pep Biel. That goal put Charlotte ahead for the first time.

The momentum continued in the 77th minute when Pep Biel struck again—this time assisted by Zaha—making it 3-1. Vargas was subbed off soon after, with Tyger Smalls coming on around the 76th minute.

Atlanta pulled one back in the 86th minute through Latte Lath’s strike, but despite late pressure, Charlotte held on to win 3-2. This marked their third straight road victory over Atlanta in regular season play.  

Possession was fairly even, with Charlotte holding 54% and Atlanta 46%, yet Charlotte created more clear-cut chances. Zaha and Biel were central to the attacking effort, each contributing a goal and an assist. Defensively, Kristijan Kahlina made a crucial early save in the 12th minute and a number of game saving dives during the last 10 minutes on the gameto keep Charlotte in the game.

Charlotte now move up in the table to compete for a top 4 as team captain stated during the post match presser. The current form and victories adds confidence to the squad as they also compete to make it to the playoffs, where they hope to make it further than the previous year. For Charlotte this comeback against Atlanta has turned things around for the Black and Blue as their entire season appears to have taken a turn for the better after a losing streak of away games in the month of June.

Coach Dean Smith said that at half time the only thing he really asked for was for the team to be more "positive" and to attack with confidence something that seemed to have worked given the results. Kerwin Vargas also mentioned that at half time he was instructed to take on 1v1 like in previous games and be positive as well.

Charlotte comes back home to face Toronto FC at the Bank of America Stadium, Saturday July 26th at 7:30 PM. The perfect opportunity to reach the top 4 position with Toronto arriving into match day with a defeat against Nashville SC.