FC Charlotte fans showed the rest of Major League Soccer (MLS) their large, passionate and proud fan base on Saturday afternoon. The 5,1002 enthusiastic fans who flooded the sun-drenched Bank of America Stadium for the 2025 season home opener created a raucous atmosphere, an energized vibe that has become a hallmark since joining the league in 2022.
And Wilfried Zaha showed the world his offensive talents in his debut. He scored one goal and set up another to help FC Charlotte to a 2 – 0 win over I – 85 road derby rival Atlanta United, highlighting the team’s commitment to being among the elite of the MLS with his exceptional attacking prowess.
In a post-match interview with MLS Season Pass, Zaha said, “I think this win speaks volumes. I came here to score goals, the whole team fought hard and we capitalized on our chances, which shows the rest of the league that we mean business this season.”
Atlanta United took a lot of the right tactics in defending the Ivory Coast-born, Crystal Palace-raised winger. Homegrown right back Matt Edwards, despite the fact that this was only his third career MLS game, was resilient in an overall cautious, balanced defense in the first half. The stats show that Zaha finished the first half with just one shot on goal, made just one of his five disposals, had just three touches inside the Atlanta United box, and was also robbed six times, losing 18 of 22 confrontations.
However, he was still the game winner. Shortly after the start of the second half, Charlotte FC scored two goals in just five minutes. Both goals stemmed from counterattacks after Atlanta United’s defensive lapses, with Zaha being incredibly efficient and his teammates doing a great job on the defensive end.
Atlanta United coach Ronnie Dylla said of Edwards after the game, “He had a great first half. I didn’t even see much of Zaha, I don’t know if you guys did, he didn’t do much in the first half. But he took his chances in the second half. Once we went behind, I think the team got disorganized – not everyone, but a lot of people got skittish. Then we got off-balance and didn’t execute the tactical setup like we did in the first half. Then they scored two goals and made the game very difficult.”
Zaha’s preparations for the match were not easy, having only flown in from London on Thursday after missing nearly a week of team activities to accompany his wife, Paige, in welcoming the birth of their daughter, Zuri. It would have been perfectly understandable if Charlotte FC coach Dean Smith had subbed the newcomer in for insurance purposes. But as it turns out, he’s ready for the spotlight.
Zaha said, “It’s been an amazing week. I witnessed the birth of my daughter, which made me feel full of extra strength for this game.” He called his goal “a bit strange” and admitted that he didn’t make very good contact with the ball when he made up for Brad Guzan’s punt. He added: “The team was great and we fought hard to get this crucial win.”
Ever since FC Charlotte signed Zaha on a season-long loan from Galatasaray, there has been a debate in the North Carolina city: does signing an elite player like Zaha really leapfrog a team from a powerhouse to a true powerhouse?
Charlotte FC coach Smith said of Zaha, “He’s definitely the type of player we were missing last season. As you can see from this game today, he can create moments of magic.” Smith particularly praised Zaha’s positional sense on the field.
He added: “You could see in the first half that he was getting to grips with the tempo of the game, which is sometimes very important for players. There were a few times when the opponents pressed him tightly and he made a few mistakes. But he has a very good positional sense on the defensive end, which makes him a team player, even when he doesn’t have the ball. We know what he’s capable of when he has the ball, and he can score like that and run the ball like he did for the first goal. And he’s great on the defensive end as well.”
As teams around the league get better and better at playing and with better scouting reports on their opponents, it’s unlikely that opponents will ever again make the cheap mistakes that Atlanta United did when dealing with routine long balls. And, after all, a 90-minute game is too small a sample size. Next Sunday, FC Charlotte will hit the road to face last season’s Supporters’ Shield Cup winner International Miami (4 p.m. ET | live on MLS Season Pass) in what could be a much tougher task for the team.
