Dean Smith praised his Charlotte FC side for their consistency ahead of welcoming Orlando City SC to Bank of America Stadium.

Charlotte booked their place in the playoffs with a 4-0 victory over CF Montreal on Wednesday, with Liel Abada scoring a hat-trick for The Crown.

Idan Toklomati also got on the scoresheet, with Charlotte now guaranteed a top-six finish in the Eastern Conference.

Charlotte have also reached the 50-point mark for the third consecutive season, joining Inter Miami as the only clubs to do so in the 2024, 2025 and 2026 campaigns.

The Crown could still finish further up the table, but Smith took the time to praise his side for their consistency over the last three seasons.

"To be honest, my job first of all was to go and win a game, to qualify for the playoffs and then see how far we can go," said Smith.

"How many points we can get, what position we can end up in and still two games in the regular season to go and do that, then we'll start thinking about how we approach the playoffs.

"Consistency is about winning football games and getting points and we've managed to get more than 50 points in the three years I've been here.

"I'm really pleased with the consistency that the players have shown. We've won some away games, but the majority of our wins always come here, so it's good to be back with our fans behind us."

HOW IT FEELS TO BE PLAYOFF BOUND  https://t.co/bjRxDzpM2L

— Charlotte FC (@CharlotteFC) October 29, 2026

Orlando City are seventh in the East after a 2-2 draw with the Chicago Fire last time out, and are yet to confirm their place in the postseason.

Victory against Charlotte would see Orlando secure a top-nine finish, though their battle to finish above the wildcard places would go down to the final day.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Charlotte FC – Idan Toklomati

Toklomati recorded a goal and an assist in Charlotte's win over Montreal, while also winning the joint-most duels (6/11).

He has scored in each of his last five MLS games, the longest such run in Charlotte's history.

Orlando City – Antoine Griezmann

After scoring against Chicago, Antoine Griezmann became just the fourth player in MLS history to record a goal or assist in at least 12 consecutive matches in a single regular season.

MATCH PREDICTION: CHARLOTTE FC WIN

Charlotte have won 31 points in 16 home games this season; only Nashville SC (44) and the New England Revolution (35) have won more such points in 2026 among Eastern Conference teams.

However, Orlando have got the better of Charlotte of late, unbeaten in the last four MLS matches between the two teams (W2 D2).

A win for Charlotte would be their first against Orlando in the league since November 2024. The Lions during that period have outscored Charlotte 10-5, following a 4-1 win back in April.

Orlando are unbeaten in their last four MLS outings, but three of those have been draws, including each of the last two.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Charlotte FC – 49.3%

Draw – 25.5%

Orlando City – 25.2%