The Columbus Crew took 33 shots at Charlotte FC on Wednesday night. Goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina saved 11 of them, more than in any other MLS match of his career, according to the club. It was not enough. Columbus won 3-1 at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus, Ohio.
Head coach Dean Smith did not go looking for a bright side. "We were woeful," he said afterward. "That's as bad as I've seen us for a long time." After 60 minutes, he said, Charlotte "had a bit of a go."
It started well. Forward Idan Toklomati scored unassisted in the 17th minute, his 12th league goal of the season. Brais Méndez tied it for Columbus in the 28th. Smith said Charlotte allowed Columbus big chances in the first half and credited Kahlina with keeping the score down.
Three changes at the break
Smith made three substitutions at halftime, sending on forward Rodolfo Aloko, defender Nathan Byrne and midfielder Luca de la Torre. His message, he said, was to "get closer to people."
Columbus scored twice anyway, two minutes apart: Anass Zaroury in the 63rd minute and Taha Habroune in the 65th. Captain Ashley Westwood said he "should have scored as well to get us back in the game."
The league's numbers back up the coach. Columbus finished with 4.1 expected goals, a measure of how good a team's chances were, to Charlotte's 0.8. Charlotte took nine shots and put three on target. Smith also said Charlotte "made two big mistakes for goals," though he did not say which.
Smith had complaints about the officiating. He said Charlotte should have had a penalty for a handball at 1-1, and that a Columbus forward should have been sent off, meaning shown a red card, for putting his head in defender Henry Kessler's face. Then he set it aside. "I can't blame any officials for the performance tonight," he said.
Westwood was blunt, too. "They fully deserve the win," he said. "Forget tactics. We just got outworked, which is, it's very unlike us."
Kahlina's night
Smith was measured about his goalkeeper. "He made some good saves for us," he said. Columbus, he said, "do shoot from anywhere," and plenty of those shots are comfortable for a goalkeeper. But Kahlina had to make good saves inside the box, too.
His previous best was 10 saves, a mark he matched in the 2-1 win at D.C. United on Sept. 19. The club says Wednesday was his third match this season with 10 or more, and his 150th MLS match for Charlotte.
Smith also singled out Toklomati, who he said "competed really well up front." The goal tied him with midfielder Pep Biel for the team lead at 12. According to the club, both now share Charlotte FC's record for goals in a single MLS season with former forward Karol Swiderski, who scored 12 in 2023. Charlotte has five league matches left for one of them to take it alone.
Philadelphia is next, and one point back
Charlotte has 13 wins, nine losses and seven draws, 46 points, fifth in the Eastern Conference. The Chicago Fire are fourth with 48. The Philadelphia Union are sixth with 45.
Charlotte plays the Union at Subaru Park on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 2:30 p.m. ET, the second match of a three-match road trip. Smith called Philadelphia "the team that's flying." Westwood pointed to the bigger picture: "We must not forget we've been on a great run."
On Saturday, even a draw keeps Philadelphia behind Charlotte.