What does it take to make an MLS club legend? Does Charlotte FC have any?

By Ryan Donahue and Brian Maurer

Kristijan Kahlina (Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/Topbin90)

The phrase "club legend" gets thrown around a lot these days. Especially in MLS, where the longevity of the top players because they are sold on or they arrive in the league in the later stages of their careers. A recent example is Cucho Hernandez for the Columbus Crew. Is he a legend? He is one of the Crew's best all-time players, but can you be a legend after two and a half seasons?

In a recent column by Gary Neville, he described being a legend as far more than a top player. "Obviously skill has a big factor but achievements, longevity, success, impact upon individuals around them, leadership, whether they're captains...all those things get thrown into the mix to bring together the word," wrote Neville.

Will Parchman wrote an article for MLSSoccer after the 2016 season looking at the best all-time player for each MLS club. He too described the importance of not only skill but of longevity. The players Parchman mentions whose tenure was shorter were included only if the club was a newer expansion club (e.g., Montreal Impact* and Didier Drogba) or if they had inspired consistent team success in that shorter window of time (e.g., Chicago Fire and Cuauhtemoc Blanco).

Parchman's best all-time players at each MLS club (written in 2016)

Player	Club	Years of service	Team success
Cuauhtemoc Blanco	Chicago Fire	3	Three straight Conference Finals
Pablo Mastroeni	Colorado Rapids	11	2010 MLS Cup
Guillermo Barros Schelotto	Columbus Crew SC	4	Two Supporters' Shields and an MLS Cup
Eddie Pope	DC United	7	Three MLS Cups, two Supporters' Shields, one CONCACAF Champions Cup, and one US Open Cup
Mauro Diaz	FC Dallas	6	2016 Supporters' Shield and US Open Cup
Brian Ching	Houston Dynamo	8	Two MLS Cups
Landon Donovan	LA Galaxy	11	Four MLS Cups, two Supporters' Shields, and one US Open Cup
Didier Drogba	Montreal Impact*	2	2016 Eastern Conference Final
Shalrie Joseph	New England Revolution	10	2007 US Open Cup
David Villa	New York City FC	4	Finished 2nd in the EC twice (2016, 2017)
Bradley Wright-Phillips	New York Red Bulls	7	Three Supporters' Shields
Kaka	Orlando City	3	None
Tranquillo Barnetta	Philadelphia Union	2	Qualified for the 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs
Diego Valeri	Portland Timbers	9	One MLS Cup, and one MLS is Back Cup
Javier Morales	Real Salt Lake	10	2009 MLS Cup
Chris Wondolowski	San Jose Earthquakes	13	2012 Supporters' Shield
Nicolas Lodeiro	Seattle Sounders	8	Two MLS Cups, one CONCACAF Champions Cup, and one Supporters' Shield
Preki	Sporting Kansas City	9	One MLS Cup, one Supporters' Shield, and one US Open Cup
Sebastian Giovinco	Toronto FC	4	One MLS Cup, one Supporters' Shields, and three Canadian Championships
Camilo	Vancouver Whitecaps	3	Qualified for 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs

Given the track records of the MLS legends that Parchman named in his article Charlotte FC does not currently have a legend. What is missing in Charlotte is sustained years of service and trophies. The years of service will come as the team continues to pile up seasons, the key is having that trophy-winning season to help define an era. For Charlotte to have a legend they will need a player to stand out and pull this club into that level of success that these other top players have helped their MLS clubs find.

One player currently on Charlotte FC's roster who looks capable of fulfilling the role of Charlotte FC legend is MLS’s 2024 Goalkeeper of the Year, Kristijan Kahlina, especially because he’s the first player in club history to win an individual MLS year-end award.

The 32-year-old shot-stopper is entering his fourth season with the Crown after coming off the back of his best season to date in 2024, in which he recorded 121 saves and 12 clean sheets in his 34 starts. Kahlina was a pivotal influence in Charlotte’s playoff qualification and saved them in many key moments all season long, which helped lead to their best-ever points record (51).

Before joining Charlotte in 2022, Kahlina played for Ludogogretz and HNK Gorica in the Bulgarian first division “efbet Liga” and SuperSport HNL Croatian league. At Ludogogretz, he won the Bulgarian Champion Award and the Bulgarian Super Cup. Kahlina also spent a large part of his time in the Croatian second division, but in 2022, he signed with Charlotte and has been a fan favorite both on and off the pitch ever since.

Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/Topbin90

Kahlina has always been a reliable shot-stopper for Charlotte, but one area of Kahlina’s game that has developed is his leadership on the pitch. The Crown’s goalkeeper has taken more responsibility behind his back line, which has strengthened with Adilson Malanda and Andrew Privett having strong seasons, making Charlotte one of the toughest defenses in the Eastern Conference.

Last season, when asked why the Crown felt so confident about their chances of staying alive in the playoffs, Brandt Bronico said, “You always feel like you’re going to win with Kahlina in net.” Kahlina went on to stop two penalties against Orlando, leading Charlotte FC to their first-ever playoff win.

Another thing Charlotte fans can always rely on is Kahlina’s ability to be available to play. Last season, he became the first player in Charlotte's history to play every minute of the season. The Croatian has also improved his ability to maintain focus. Before last year, the goalkeeper was prone to questionable errors, but in 2024 it was rare that Kahlina ever made a mistake or failed to make an expected save.

Heading into 2025, Charlotte fans should expect Kahlina to carry his quality as the player finished last season with confidence and will be ready to go again. At the end of last year, Dean Smith was asked about Kahlina’s season and stated in regards to him winning Goalkeeper of the Year that with the performances Kahlina has put in all season, he has grown in confidence.

Smith went on to quote Kahlina as a “steady influence” in the team and one of the club’s most experienced senior players. Smith further acknowledged Kahlina as a “fantastic person,” speaking to not only his qualities on the pitch but also off of them.

The Croatian is also well-liked in the locker room. In Charlotte’s final regular season game in 2024 against DC United, Ashley Westwood expressed that the side wanted to secure the shutout for Khalina to help him have the best chance at winning the award he deserves.

Kahlina winning a Man of the Match Award (Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/Topbin90)

When looking at Kahlina’s shop-stopping ability alone, he has an excellent overall percentage (75%). Additionally, Kahlina is in the 91st and 65th percentile of goalkeepers for defensive actions outside of the penalty area and claiming crosses. The goalkeeper has regularly demonstrated his comfort coming off his line to break play with his feet or claim a cross. 

Last season, Kahlina had ten goals beyond his expected goals conceded in 2024, placing him third highest of all time, according to American Soccer Analysis. When compared with other goalkeepers in the league in 2024, Kahlina was .32 higher in shot-stopping. With 3,373 minutes played, Kahlina’s g/xg ratio recognized him as having one of the top shot-stopping seasons of all time in MLS.

Kahlina was so imposing as a penalty stopper last year that Forbes reported Charlotte’s goalkeeper was exposing a flaw in the overall MLS Playoff format. Although the thought of a goalkeeper being so prolific in penalty shootouts that an entire playoff format is flawed and requires league leaders to restructure the league is a bit far-fetched, the piece does indicate just how much fans and players alike are confident when it comes to Kahlina in big moments.

Preventing as many goals this season as Kahlina did in 2024 is unlikely, given how strong last year was. This means that in 2025 it will be important for the defensive line to step up and reduce the amount of attacking volume that the Croatian has to face. The midfield will also need to gain control in games for longer periods to help reduce the attacks that Kahlina faces.

Even with the addition of Wilfried Zaha and the continued hype around players like Patrick Agyemang, Kahlina continues to stand out as a staple at Charlotte FC and looks primed to be one of the club’s first legends with his longevity if the club can find that coveted first trophy.

*CF Montreal was the Montreal Impact at the time

**Since the time of Parchman's article some of these players would have been usurped as the top player in their club's history. The Vancouver Whitecaps and Orlando City for example have found higher levels of success since 2016. I used his decisions to highlight what it takes to be an MLS Legend in the above table, new clubs, eras, and legends have come and gone since then.