As star players depart, what's next for Charlotte FC?
Charlotte FC's top goal scorer Swiderski, and his fellow Polish teammate Jozwiak, both signed with European teams, as Charlotte reshuffles its roster heading into 2024 season under new coach
This is a special PRESEASON EDITION of Fútbol Friday, The Charlotte Ledger’s weekly newsletter getting you up to speed on Charlotte FC, the city’s pro soccer team.
➡️ Need to sign up for Fútbol Friday and other Charlotte-focused email newsletters from The Charlotte Ledger? You can do that here.
➡️ Ledger subscribers can add or drop individual newsletters on their “My Account” page.
Franchise in flux as Polish duo depart for Europe; roster spots open as season is set to start Feb. 24
Charlotte FC star Karol Swiderski leaves for Italian club on loan. (Photo by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project.)
For the first two years of its existence, Charlotte FC managed to change head coaches twice and turn over large swaths of its roster without making it feel all that momentous. That all changed this week. What had been a quiet offseason under new coach Dean Smith took a resounding turn with word that Charlotte FC’s best player was leaving.
Star striker Karol Swiderski flew to Italy on Wednesday night and on Thursday signed with Hellas Verona, a club in the top-tier Italian league, Serie A. Within three hours of that deal becoming official Thursday, Charlotte FC also announced its other Polish forward and designated player, winger Kamil Jozwiak, had signed with Granada FC, a team in Spain’s La Liga.
In one fell swoop, with a little more than three weeks to go before the season starts Feb. 24, two of Charlotte FC’s three designated players — or players who can be signed without regard to MLS’s salary cap — are gone, most notably Swiderski.
The team had to feel a little lighter jetting off to Southern California today for the second phase of preseason training, which includes three upcoming scrimmages in the Coachella Valley Invitational.
While a loan is technically temporary — in Swiderski’s case valid only through June 30, during which Verona covers most or all of his salary — there’s a good chance Swiderski won’t be back. Here’s why: The deal includes a requirement for Verona to buy Swiderski’s contract if Verona avoids relegation in Serie A. That means that if the team finishes in the top 17 in the league this season, it must keep Swiderski. If Verona gets relegated — or demoted to a lower league — the team can part ways with him. Verona is currently in 16th place of 20 teams in Serie A with four months left in the regular season.
But even if Verona gets relegated and wants out of the deal, Charlotte will probably try to work out another loan or sell Swiderski’s contract. Translation: Swiderski has likely played his last game in Charlotte FC solar blue.
Jozwiak departs Charlotte FC on permanent transfer for Granada in Spain’s La Liga. (Photo by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project.)
Here’s why it hurts
Swiderski was Charlotte’s leading scorer for its first two years — scoring 22 goals (10 in 2022, 12 in 2023) — and the team’s most technically skilled player. He had the most international cachet, not just playing for the Polish National Team but contributing.
He was Charlotte’s first and best option to take a free kick or a penalty kick. And even when Swiderski wasn’t scoring, he was making acrobatic plays. Remember the ball he saved from going over the end line while simultaneously placing it perfectly at the feet of Jaylin Lindsey for a goal against Seattle? Or his one-touch volleys against Cincinnati where you had to watch slow-motion replays just to see how he got to the ball? Drawing triple teams was just part of Swiderski’s routine, as were “nutmegs,” where Swiderski would tap a ball through an opponent’s legs and be off.
And more than just his individual prowess, Swiderski’s presence on the field was important. You’d be hard-pressed to find a goal Charlotte FC scored coming down the stretch last season without him involved in the buildup. When Swiderski was out of a game, the attack often went dormant.
Then there’s this: Swiderski was Charlotte’s first designated player. As news broke of his signing from the Greek club PAOK, pictures circulated online of him celebrating his 25th birthday with a Charlotte FC cake. He was the first Charlotte FC player introduced at Bank of America Stadium with his own meet-n-greet. His goal celebrations — particularly his throne-smashing one — were legendary.
He and Jozwiak are the reason “The Poznan” came to Bank of America Stadium, a pre-game, back-to-the-field jumping-up-and-down cheer that originated in Poland. The homage to him helped create the kind of charged atmosphere Charlotte is now known for around Major League Soccer.
Here’s why it makes sense
Swiderski helped Charlotte FC make the playoffs in the team’s second season. (Photo by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project.)
The truth of it, though, is that Swiderski never seemed truly Charlotte’s. In January of 2022, on the cusp of the inaugural season, when he signed a four-year contract with an option for a fifth season worth about $5 million, the terms seemed like just numbers on a page. It felt more like he was here on loan.
Swiderski was just talented enough, and just young enough, where a return to Europe was inevitable. It wasn’t much of a surprise last summer when he started telling Polish news outlets he wanted to get back to Europe. (The level of play in Europe’s top leagues is clearly higher, and for Swiderski, the travel back and forth to play for Poland during international breaks was difficult.)
Some fans will question his body language on the field at times — especially when it came to all the flopping he did trying to draw penalties when he first arrived. But it’s unfair to question his effort. Swiderski never complained about his travel or asked for breaks or did anything but give a professional effort on the field. But he was never especially invested in the city. That’s understandable if you figure you’re not going to be around all that long.
You can count on one hand the number of postgame interviews Swiderski gave, and we’re including games they won and he scored. To get an extended interview with him required jumping through hoops, like bringing along a Polish interpreter, which I did late in the 2022 season. At first, I assumed his apprehension with media interaction was due to the language barrier — and to some degree it might have been — but in that lengthy interview in 2002, his English was pretty darn good, and it only got better the longer he was here.
Swiderski wasn’t huge on community engagement, either. Maybe it wasn’t his jam, or part of his personality. But you weren’t likely to see him representing the team at off-the-field events, or holding his own charity event.
What it comes down to: He wanted to go
Swiderski told the club he wanted to leave for Europe last August, as the European summer transfer window was about to close. General manager Zoran Krneta explained in an extended interview with The Ledger after the season ended that the team had elicited transfer offers for Swiderski because of that conversation and ultimately found one, though owner David Tepper rejected it because making a playoff run outweighed any benefit of unloading their star player.
But the sentiments Swiderski expressed in that conversation still lingered as the team transitioned from firing Coach Christian Lattanzio to hiring Dean Smith. And while Swiderski spent the first couple of weeks of preseason practicing with Charlotte FC, the team was still exploring options to find him a new home.
“This opportunity is in Charlotte FC’s best interest as we reconfigure our roster under a new head coach,” Krneta said in a statement released by Charlotte FC on Thursday. “Karol has always given his best on the pitch for us, and he was clear with his intention to pursue this opportunity. In this situation, the Club was not going to stand in his way. We now have key roster-building mechanisms available to us that we can use to bolster our squad throughout the remainder of this window and during the summer transfer window.”
So what now, Charlotte FC?
Patrick Agyemang (right) figures to play a big role this season. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
While many of the European transfer windows closed Thursday, the limits only pertain to players signing with those European teams. Charlotte FC can still sign new players until the MLS transfer window closes April 23. While that leaves little time to acclimate potential new players to the team before the season starts, Charlotte FC does have a lot of roster flexibility to work with going forward.
The departures of Swiderski and Jozwiak opened up two designated player spots on the roster (striker Enzo Copetti retains the third DP spot) as well as one under-22 initiative spot, which allows teams to sign young players for higher salary thresholds. Charlotte FC also stands to gain a second U-22 spot when Vini Mello, the team’s first U-22 signee, signs with a team in Serbia — a move that is imminent. One of those U-22 spots is slated to be filled by Serbian midfielder Nikola Petkovic, a talented prospect last year with Crown Legacy, Charlotte FC’s Next Pro team, who is poised to make an impact in Charlotte this season.
Coach Smith has pointed out recently that Charlotte FC is targeting a left-footed center back and a right winger as its top priorities. The right wing vacancy is to replace Jozwiak, who departs having underachieved for much of his two-year tenure with Charlotte FC. Jozwiak failed to score in his first season in Charlotte and struggled with injuries throughout his time, even as he was beginning to show flashes of great play for stretches last season.
Charlotte FC is actively pursuing players to fill those two needs and could finalize a deal as early as next week.
As for trying to replace Swiderski? Charlotte FC reportedly pursued 22-year-old standout Danish midfielder Albert Gronbaek in recent weeks but had multiple transfer offers (starting at a club record $9.5 million) rejected. Gronbaek chose to sign an extension with his Norwegian club, Bodo/Glimt, instead.
Charlotte FC doesn’t appear eager to rush into another big signing just yet, preferring to give Smith more time to evaluate his new team and perhaps make a bigger splash during the summer transfer window.
In the meantime, look for Copetti to play a bigger role this year, after the Argentinian striker struggled to acclimate to a new league, new team and with injuries a year ago. Charlotte FC also figures to expand the role of 6-4 striker Patrick Agyemang, who made a name for himself despite limited minutes last season, including a goal in Charlotte’s 5-2 playoff loss to the New York Red Bulls.
And don’t be surprised to see the “Poznan” continue when the team opens the season against New York City FC at Bank of America Stadium on Feb. 24. Multiple fans and supporters group leaders have posted on social media that even with Swiderski and Jozwiak gone, their Polish legacy should live on.
Carroll Walton is a longtime baseball writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution now cutting her teeth on soccer and the Charlotte FC just as fans in Charlotte do. She would love to hear from you. E-mail her with questions, suggestions, story ideas and comments!
Need to sign up for this e-newsletter? We offer a free version, as well as paid memberships for full access to all 4 of our local newsletters:
➡️ Opt in or out of different newsletters on your “My Account” page.
➡️ Learn more about The Charlotte Ledger
The Charlotte Ledger is a locally owned media company that delivers smart and essential news through e-newsletters and on a website. We strive for fairness and accuracy and will correct all known errors. The content reflects the independent editorial judgment of The Charlotte Ledger. Any advertising, paid marketing, or sponsored content will be clearly labeled.
Like what we are doing? Feel free to forward this along and to tell a friend.
Social media: On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Sponsorship information/customer service: email support@cltledger.com.