'Westy' gets wish, plants roots in Charlotte
Charlotte FC captain inks new long-term deal; Marks sent on loan; MLS playoff push resumes in Montreal
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The 34-year-old midfielder says he’s ‘over the moon’ to re-sign and make Charlotte his permanent home
Westwood connects in a recent draw with the New York Red Bulls. (Photo by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project.)
Since Ashley Westwood first joined Charlotte FC in January of last year, he has said this city felt like home. Now, he’s making it official. The 34-year-old midfielder and captain has signed a new long-term contract to stay with Charlotte FC through the 2026 season with a club option for 2027, the team announced this week.
His first big purchase? A new home. He and his wife, Becca, who have been renting a townhome in Myers Park, have bought a house near Providence Plantation. Their children — son Frankie, 12, and daughter Elsie, 9 — have left the British International School to enroll in their new neighborhood Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools.
“Amazing,” said Westwood of the contract as he greeted members of the media Wednesday morning. “It’s what I’ve wanted. Family’s happy. I’m happy. Hopefully, now we can go and do something special.”
Westwood, who leads Charlotte FC into a playoff push over its final seven games, struggled to wipe the grin off his face. And it wasn’t just because his teammate and close friend Nathan Byrne walked past, shouting, “Moneybags!”
“As you can tell,” Westwood said of the perma-grin. “I’m just over the moon.”
[In case you missed it, get a load of Westwood and his “The Wolf of Wall Street” impression of “I’m not #$&-ing leaving” in a video for the Charlotte FC content team.]
Westwood has resurrected a career he thought was over after suffering a gruesome ankle injury in 2022 with Burnley FC. Instead, that injury became an opportunity for Charlotte FC to land a player with 10 seasons (286 games) in the English Premier League, and it was a turning point in Westwood’s career.
“It’s all down to [GM] Zoran [Krneta],” Westwood said. “He’s shown his faith in me. I really did think I was finished, but I’ve said it before, coming here has rejuvenated my career, and I’ve not looked back since.”
A hip flexor injury slowed Westwood at the start of 2023, but he’s been cruising since. The only action he’s missed in 27 games this season is the game he had to sit in Houston because of yellow card accumulation. He’s played 90 minutes in the other 26, as well as the full 90 in two Leagues Cup matches. Westwood said he doesn’t have to look to other mid-30-something players around the game to convince himself he can keep pace. He looks only across the practice field.
“I just look at my own performances,” Westwood said. “Preseason is my biggest one. When I’m at the top of the run in preseason, as long as I can keep up there with Brandt Bronico. … I’ll keep trying to hang on to his tail as long as I can. I’ll know when the time's right [to retire], but at the minute, I feel great. I feel 21 again.”
‘Captain Westwood’ a natural fit
Former Charlotte FC coach Christian Lattanzio named Westwood captain before his first game in the 2022 season opener, which might have seemed presumptuous to those who didn’t know “Westy” yet. But from inside the club, it made perfect sense. Westwood’s Premier League pedigree spoke for itself, and his leadership skills have been undeniable. Whether it’s speaking to the media after losses, challenging a referee, hyping teammates in the pre-game huddle, encouraging a young player or putting up a career-high three assists against FC Cincinnati, Westwood has got his captain’s duties down.
Westwood embracing Caroline Love, a Charlotte FC fan who was a special guest of the team at practice and a game after opening up about her mental health struggles. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
But it’s everything else off the field that’s been equally as impressive. Whether Westwood is attending Crown Legacy games, speaking to Charlotte’s Academy players, attending a charity event for a teammate or taking his family to the opener for the new women’s team, the Carolina Ascent FC, he is a tireless ambassador for Charlotte FC. He’s the first to lobby potential player signings to make the jump from Europe, not to mention English head coach Dean Smith, too.
Westwood has ridden roller coasters at Carowinds in the name of promotions, swapped jerseys with Real Madrid captain Luka Modrić, walked the late Anton Walkes’ daughter Ayla onto the field one pregame and more recently presented a 10-year-old fan with a jersey the boy sketched for Charlotte FC.
“He’s our All-American hero,” said Smith. “Even though he’s a Brit, we call him an All-American hero. We’re happy to have his influence, his personality, his character, but on top of his professionalism, what he’s showed in games is the reason why he’s earned that new contract, and we’re happy that he signed.”
The result has been more and more No. 8 Westwood jerseys popping up throughout Bank of America Stadium. It seems Westwood has won over fans, just as the city has won over Westwood.
“It’s great to be loved here,” Westwood said. “The family are welcomed. It’s just a real special place.”
These days, Westwood is getting recognized around town by his face, and not just his English accent. But he’s still able to blend in and enjoy playing the role of soccer dad. He’s been known to wear a fold-up chair on his back as his wife brings a wagon full of snacks and gear for weekend games.
“The culture in America is everything’s about your family,” Westwood said. “Going to the soccer games on a Saturday. I watch my little boy play. I watch the little girl play. We spend the weekends together. That’s what I love about this culture. Everything is all about your kids, and that’s what we’re about.”
He’s become a regular on golf courses around town, too, and taken a special liking to Quail Hollow Club, where he’s been a recent guest. When asked his favorite thing about Charlotte?
“The weather,” said Westwood, smiling on a “chilly” 60-something degree morning. “Even now, it’s cold for me. I’ve changed.”
Ashley Westwood and his wife, Becca; their son, Frankie; and daughter, Elsie. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
Marks sent on loan to Las Vegas
Goalkeeper George Marks joined midfield Ben Bender as players Charlotte FC has loaned out to clubs in the USL Championship in the past week or so. Marks will spend the rest of the season with the Las Vegas Lights, where he joins outgoing Charlotte FC chief fan officer Shawn McIntosh and assistant communications director Will Martin.
Marks, who has been with Charlotte FC from its inception, started seven games in 2023 while Kristijan Kahlina battled through injuries. But Marks’ playing time dried up after Charlotte FC signed veteran David Bingham as Kahlina’s primary backup this past winter.
Marks has not seen any playing time with the first team this season and was only on the bench for two Leagues Cup matches when rosters expanded, allowing Smith to carry three goalkeepers.
Marks, the MLS SuperDraft third-round pick out of Clemson, has been caught in no man’s land where he wasn’t getting time with the first team and wouldn’t benefit enough from playing at the MLS Next level with Crown Legacy FC. He has started six games with Crown Legacy FC this season.
“I've got a lot of [appreciation] for George — the way he’s worked, his attitude, his application to everything he’s done,” Smith said. “But Kahlina has done fantastic, and Dave Bingham came in for the game [against Cruz Azul in Leagues Cup] and did extremely well as well. It’s been really tough for the keepers to break through, so he needs to go and have some minutes.”
Marks departed shortly after midfielder Bender, who’s been loaned to the Tampa Bay Rowdies, as he looks to continue his comeback from offseason knee surgery.
“He loves the game of football,” Smith said of Bender. “We’ve had some really in-depth chats of what I’m looking for. And I said, ‘I want you to just go and enjoy playing again.’ It’s hard when you come back from injury, you’re not getting as many minutes as you would like, to get back up to speed. I believe him going to Tampa will get him that.”
Charlotte FC has club options on both Bender and Marks for the 2025 season.
“I didn’t want [Bender] to go — and same with George — I don't want them to go and think they’re not wanted,” Smith said. “This is just part of a long-term plan for players who need to go out and play.”
Minus Marks and Bender at the moment, Charlotte is down to just three members of its inaugural roster: Bronico, Kahlina and Jaylin Lindsey.
Up Next: Charlotte FC (10-9-8) vs CF Montreal (6-12-9)
When/Where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Stade Saputo, Montreal
How to watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Find information about how to subscribe for the season here.
How to listen: WFNZ 92.7 in English, WOLS 106.1 in Spanish.
Notable:
Charlotte is No. 6 in the Eastern Conference and gunning for a top four spot in the playoff picture but will have to improve on its recent run of play. Charlotte came away with just one point in two home matches after the MLS season restarted from the Leagues Cup break: a 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls and a 1-0 loss to Atlanta United.
Charlotte is still looking for its first win north of the Canadian border, having gone 0-4-2 with two losses in Montreal, two losses and a draw in Toronto and a draw in Vancouver. It would seem a good time to get one. Montreal has lost three games in a row while being outscored 11-1.
Backup striker Patrick Agyemang is a question mark after injuring his toe this week in practice.
New midfielder Jamie Paterson, who signed as a free agent from the English Championship, is set to make his debut off the bench. He acquired his visa and has played 45 minutes for Crown Legacy but is not up to full fitness yet.
Carroll Walton is a longtime baseball writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution now in her third season covering Charlotte FC. She would love to hear from you. E-mail her with questions, suggestions, story ideas and comments!
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