CHARLOTTE — This weekend, Charlotte FC will embark on its fourth season as a Major League Soccer club as it heads out west to face Seattle Sounders FC for a 10:30 p.m. Saturday night kickoff.
The match marks the opening chapter of the Crown’s 2025 campaign prior to a March 1 home opener against Atlanta United FC inside Bank of America Stadium.
Last season, second-year coach Dean Smith led Charlotte FC (14-11-9) to a fifth-place spot in the MLS Eastern Conference standings, securing a round-one berth in the Major League Soccer Cup Playoffs before falling short in Game 3 of a best-of-three series with Orlando City SC.
Across the 2024 season, owner David Tepper’s soccer franchise tallied a club-record 51 points and 46 goals scored, while also finishing second in the MLS with just 37 goals allowed.
Early indications from the club’s preseason matchups and Coachella Valley Invitational friendlies point to another exciting season in the making for the third-newest expansion team in the MLS.
After a recent 2-2 preseason draw against the reigning league champion LA Galaxy, Smith told reporters that he was impressed with the competitive spirit his club showed against a formidable opponent.
“It was a really good workout for us, with them being the MLS champions from last season; there are some really good technical players in their ranks,” Smith said. “I didn’t think we started the game too well the first 20 minutes and we weren’t good enough on the ball, but then we made a game of it. The big thing for me is to manage the minutes for all the players. I want to get them all on an even keel so that I can pick a team that’s ready to play against Seattle.”
Midfielder and former Charlotte 49er standout Brandt Bronico, who scored a goal in the draw, also noted his club’s preseason progression; Charlotte closed out the Coachella Valley Invitational with a 2-0 win over the Portland Timbers last Saturday.
“The intensity of training and effort level out here has been really good,” Bronico said. “We can clean up our technical ability a little bit, but that’s kind of how it goes in preseason. We have to clean up some of our mistakes, but I’m confident we’ll do that leading into the season. I think the focus is on building that momentum heading into the season, getting fit, and then creating winning habits.”
Midfielder and captain Ashley Westwood, now entering his 18th preseason of professional soccer and third in Charlotte, recently said that he had been “heartbroken” after his club’s elimination from playoff action last November.
However, he spoke highly of the latest edition of Charlotte FC that he has seen, signaling his prediction that blockbuster acquisition Wilfried Zaha and forward Patrick Agyemang — last season’s leading scorer (10 goals) — are both in store for a big year on offense.
“Preseason is over, so bring on the season,” Westwood said. “We’re looking in good shape. The boys look fit. We feel good and the group’s together, so here’s to an exciting season. We want to do what we did last year, to keep the same intensity, work rate, and always working for each other. Now as we bring in Wilfreid (Zaha), we’ve got a real threat going forward.”
On Jan. 22, Charlotte announced that the club had acquired Zaha on a 12-month loan from Turkish club Galatasaray with an option to extend the loan for six more months after the season.
The former Ivory Coast national team player scored 68 goals in 305 appearances across 10 seasons in the Premier League with Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Cardiff City.
He now occupies a Designated Player spot and international roster slot on Charlotte’s 2025 roster, giving the Queen City a true star player on offense — one that will bring more eyeballs to a club that has been on the rise since Smith was hired to replace former coach Christian Lattanzio prior to last season.
“Pat’s (Agyemang) walking on clouds and he should be based on what Wilfried’s done with the national team,” Westwood added. “We’re going to bring goals to the game. That’s something that we need to improve from last year.”
For a team already anchored by Croatian shot-stopper and 2024 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Kristijan Kahlina, the addition of Zaha gives Charlotte a promising opportunity to improve upon an offense that finished 11th in goals (51) last season.
The future is looking bright for one of the most up-and-coming clubs in the MLS.
