Foreign Exchange: Three questions with Brian Maurer of Topbin90
How much do you know about Charlotte FC? Get to know more from someone who covers Sir Minty's Men.
Confession: Of all the teams in MLS, I might know the least about Charlotte FC. I mean, I certainly know things about all MLS teams, but I'm obviously more familiar with the West. I do know all about the team's delightful Sir Minty mascot, though, in large part thanks to J. Sam Jones' feature that is Maximum Sam.
Also, Austin's played Charlotte twice in their history — once in Charlotte in July 2022, with Dani Pereira (assisted by Nick Lima) scoring the match's lone goal, and then a 2-2 draw in Austin in June 2024 with Alex Ring scoring the opener in the 11th minute and Jon Gallagher pulling out the late equalizer.
We have Foreign Exchange so we can reach out to the people who know the teams on the Austin FC schedule — especially the ones that aren't Dallas or Houston or LAFC. Brian Maurer helms the excellent Topbin90, which covers men's soccer throughout the Carolinas.
To the questions!
It seems to be a rough start so far in 2026, with a draw to St. Louis and a loss to the Galaxy, both on the road. Is Charlotte just a different team away compared to home, or are there concerns resulting from those first two matches?
I would say there are concerns from some in the Charlotte media and fan base, but it is too early to have concerns. Charlotte FC has always been far stronger at home than away. Last season, they finished with 40 points in Charlotte and 19 on the road. Overall, Eastern Conference teams have gone 0-4-10 traveling to Western Conference teams through the first two weeks of the season, and Charlotte traveled west for both of their games. I want to see Charlotte play a few games at home and a few games against Eastern Conference opposition before voicing too much concern.
In a recent article, your publication predicted Idan Toklomati would score 15 goals this season and make a leap. What did you see last year from him leading to that prediction?
Idan Toklomati finished last season with 12 goals in 2,075 MLS minutes (including playoffs). I would say this is a good expectation for fans and media based on his scoring rates over the past year. He opted to switch to wearing the No. 9 kit as well, which increases the weight and expectations for quality performances week-to-week. He may be a young player, but he needs to show fans he can take on that responsibility.
He is also surrounded by lots of quality right now; Wilfried Zaha on the left, Pep Biel and Luca de la Torre behind him, and a combination of Kerwin Vargas and Liel Abada[[1]] on the right. With the amount of talent around him on the field, the expectations for him to show another level to his game should increase.
Fans without a lot of knowledge of Charlotte FC likely know the names Wilfried Zaha and Tim Ream, but who's a more under-the-radar player for us Western Conference folk we should look for on Saturday?
This is a tricky one, as most of Charlotte FC's lineup is similar to last year, and the one major change to the starting XI is Luca de la Torre. Center back Morrison Agyemang just made his debut for the First Team, subbing in for Andrew Privett at halftime last weekend, so if he gets the start this week, he is one to watch, but it's far from a guarantee. Other than that, the vast majority of Charlotte's core are returning players. Dean Smith and Charlotte FC have opted for a more experienced group, making very few changes to their roster from the end of last season.
[[1]]: If you remember, Abada was the subject of an Austin FC transfer rumor for a hot minute in February 2024 a few weeks before signing with Charlotte.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
Maybe you're dismissive of the nerdery inherent in the goals added metric that American Soccer Analysis uses to measure player impact. But what if it tells you Austin FC's one of the best teams in the league?
Christian Ramírez made the difference for Austin FC on Sunday. It's amazing that, on Thursday evening, he was on a plane en route to meeting his new team.
Confession: Of all the teams in MLS, I might know the least about Charlotte FC. I mean, I certainly know things about all MLS teams, but I'm obviously more familiar with the West. I do know all about the team's delightful Sir Minty mascot, though, in large part thanks to J. Sam Jones' feature that is Maximum Sam.
Also, Austin's played Charlotte twice in their history — once in Charlotte in July 2022, with Dani Pereira (assisted by Nick Lima) scoring the match's lone goal, and then a 2-2 draw in Austin in June 2024 with Alex Ring scoring the opener in the 11th minute and Jon Gallagher pulling out the late equalizer.
We have Foreign Exchange so we can reach out to the people who know the teams on the Austin FC schedule — especially the ones that aren't Dallas or Houston or LAFC. Brian Maurer helms the excellent Topbin90, which covers men's soccer throughout the Carolinas.
To the questions!
It seems to be a rough start so far in 2026, with a draw to St. Louis and a loss to the Galaxy, both on the road. Is Charlotte just a different team away compared to home, or are there concerns resulting from those first two matches?
I would say there are concerns from some in the Charlotte media and fan base, but it is too early to have concerns. Charlotte FC has always been far stronger at home than away. Last season, they finished with 40 points in Charlotte and 19 on the road. Overall, Eastern Conference teams have gone 0-4-10 traveling to Western Conference teams through the first two weeks of the season, and Charlotte traveled west for both of their games. I want to see Charlotte play a few games at home and a few games against Eastern Conference opposition before voicing too much concern.
In a recent article, your publication predicted Idan Toklomati would score 15 goals this season and make a leap. What did you see last year from him leading to that prediction?
Idan Toklomati finished last season with 12 goals in 2,075 MLS minutes (including playoffs). I would say this is a good expectation for fans and media based on his scoring rates over the past year. He opted to switch to wearing the No. 9 kit as well, which increases the weight and expectations for quality performances week-to-week. He may be a young player, but he needs to show fans he can take on that responsibility.
He is also surrounded by lots of quality right now; Wilfried Zaha on the left, Pep Biel and Luca de la Torre behind him, and a combination of Kerwin Vargas and Liel Abada[[1]] on the right. With the amount of talent around him on the field, the expectations for him to show another level to his game should increase.
Fans without a lot of knowledge of Charlotte FC likely know the names Wilfried Zaha and Tim Ream, but who's a more under-the-radar player for us Western Conference folk we should look for on Saturday?
This is a tricky one, as most of Charlotte FC's lineup is similar to last year, and the one major change to the starting XI is Luca de la Torre. Center back Morrison Agyemang just made his debut for the First Team, subbing in for Andrew Privett at halftime last weekend, so if he gets the start this week, he is one to watch, but it's far from a guarantee. Other than that, the vast majority of Charlotte's core are returning players. Dean Smith and Charlotte FC have opted for a more experienced group, making very few changes to their roster from the end of last season.
[[1]]: If you remember, Abada was the subject of an Austin FC transfer rumor for a hot minute in February 2024 a few weeks before signing with Charlotte.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
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