Midfielder Pep Biel is playing like an MVP
Pep Biel has eight goal contributions in eight games for Charlotte FC, leads MLS in assists; Plus: Health updates on Zaha, Ream and Byrne, US Open Cup matchup, advancing San Diego game and more
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A productive Pep Biel is leading Charlotte FC in goals and assists
Biel advancing the ball on Cincinnati. (Photo by Justin Potter of The 5 and 2 Project.)
Itâs hard to imagine that a last-minute addition during last summerâs transfer window who isnât even under contract for the full 2025 season â at least not yet â could be the central attacking midfielder Charlotte FC has been looking for for four years. But Pep Biel is playing like that guy.
Charlotte FC is currently ranked second in the Eastern Conference behind Columbus. The club has scored a total of 13 goals this season, 12 in open play (a.k.a. not via penalty kick). Biel has either scored or assisted eight of them, through eight games. So that means heâs at least indirectly responsible for two-thirds of the goals Charlotte has scored this season.
The 28-year-old Spaniard has scored a team-high three himself, including the lone goal in a 1-0 win Saturday in Montreal, Charlotteâs first win on the road this season and north of the border ever.
When asked what kind of impact Biel has had for Charlotte this season, goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina said, âthe impact of a real candidate to be MVP of the league.â
âWe need this,â continued Kahlina, one of just four players to be with Charlotte FC since its first game in 2022. âWe need this type of player who can bring something to us in every game. It will be difficult to keep at this [pace], but I hope he can because we need him and a few more players like him that we can keep at this level.â
Bielâs adding something Charlotteâs attack has been lacking: Heâs consistently making others around him better. Each of his MLS-leading five assists led to a different goal-scorer. Biel is a huge reason why nine different players have scored for Charlotte FC this season.
âIf you ask me about goals or assists, I answer with assist,â said Biel, in his more than serviceable English. âThis is my type of game. I have a good finish to score goals, but I enjoy the assists, always.â
Biel collected nine assists along with 11 goals in his breakout season with Danish Superliga champion Copenhagen in 2021-22. He was two years removed from that, and playing for Olympiacos in Greece, when Charlotte started pursuing him last year. Coach Dean Smith had seen Biel play for Copenhagen and had a ready-made scouting report from Johan Lange, who was a technical director for Copenhagen before joining Smith as sporting director at Aston Villa.
Now, Charlotte is seeing similar production from him.
âHeâs turning in really good numbers, but heâs turning in really good performances as well,â said Smith, pointing to Bielâs high speed running statistics and defensive contributions.
In his first nine games with Charlotte last season, Biel scored two goals and added three assists. That was while playing on the wing.
âFrom the first two weeks I came here, I felt chemistry with all of them,â Biel said. âIt was not difficult to fit in the team. But I think my impact maybe is also the position on the pitch because I feel more comfortable in the middle of the pitch.â
This year, heâs played almost exclusively in the midfield. Smith started him on the wing against Nashville but moved him back to center midfield after a poor offensive half. Charlotte FC rallied with two goals in the second half and a 2-1 win.
Charlotte was able to bring Biel back on loan this season (through Aug. 1) without the tag of designated player and has an option to purchase his contract after that. Biel benefited from a full preseason, albeit a limited one after he was slowed by a minor knee injury.
Byrne, Biel and Westwood celebrate his goal vs. Atlanta United. (Photo by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project.)
Heâs been spreading the wealth ever since. Here are the five goals heâs assisted so far:
Adilson Malanda in Seattle: Biel curled a corner kick that Malanda headed in for Charlotteâs first goal of the season in a 2-2 draw on the road.
Patrick Agyemang vs. Cincinnati: Malanda fired forward to Biel, who turned and fired forward to Agyemang for the second goal of a 2-0 win. Charlotte went the length of the field and scored in five touches from three players.
Brandt Bronico vs. San Jose: Before Bronicoâs baby rock celebration, the shirt removal, and the chip and tap-in to beat the goalkeeper came a perfectly-timed Biel ball to Bronico in stride in a 4-2 win.
Kerwin Vargas vs. San Jose: The diagonal pass left Vargas plenty of room to sprint into the box and create a scoring chance. Biel says this assist is his favorite so far, for the beauty of the spin on the ball and probably the recipient â his fellow Spanish-speaker and best friend on the team.
Idan Toklomati vs. Nashville: Biel saw Toklomati make his first run and thought he was offsides, so he bought some time by dribbling across the field and then struck again. His lob wedge set Toklomati up for his first MLS goal and the game-winner in a 2-1 win.
Perhaps the most incredible statistic so far is that Biel is leading Major League Soccer in assists and still hasnât found superstar Wilfried Zaha for a goal. Zaha has developed an appreciation, though. Heâs taken to calling Biel âthe little magicianâ on social media.
For now, the two can connect over their mutual appreciation for fashion.
âHeâs more fancy than me,â Biel joked.
Biel was buying a vintage T-shirt at a local store on his off day Tuesday. He didnât realize until he got a message from the shopkeeper later saying âGood luck on the seasonâ that heâd been recognized.
People around town, and the league, are taking notice.
Biel sporting a pre-game âfit.â (Photo courtesy Charlotte FC.)
Injury update: Zaha and Ream aiming to return, Byrne a question mark
Wilfried Zaha is less than two weeks removed from surgery to repair a ligament in his left thumb. But he was cleared to practice Wednesday and is set to return Saturday against San Diego. Zaha has missed two of Charlotteâs first eight games, in Seattle for the birth of his daughter and in Montreal following his thumb operation.
Defender Tim Ream had to be taken to a Montreal hospital after taking an elbow in the ribs from Kahlina. He was short of breath and apparently coughing up blood on the field. Ream was able to travel home with the team and was cleared to return to practice as of Thursday. âThe doctors have ticked all the boxes that they needed to,â Smith said. âThey were worried about a lung injury.â
Smith revealed Thursday that right back Nathan Byrne has been out of practice this week with a sore neck. Smith said heâd been able to play through it in recent games but it worsened on Saturday in Montreal.
âHeâll go and see a consultant,â Smith said. âIâm still hopeful that we might get the go-ahead to play him on Saturday.â
If Byrne canât go, Smith has said he can use Nick Scardina, who spent most of the past two seasons with Crown Legacy, or move Andrew Privett from center back to the right side.
Notable: U.S. Open Cup opponent, French honors for Malanda and hair gel banter
âŒïž Defender awarded: Center back Adilson Malanda was named to the âFrench team of the weekendâ by LâĂquipe, a French newspaper based in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb of Paris, and renowned for its sports coverage. He was listed with the likes of Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid) and Kalulu (Juventus). Malanda helped secure Charlotteâs shutout in Montreal with 17 clearances, four duels won and by leading the team in passing accuracy. It might not have hurt that he was playing a team from French-speaking Quebec, Canada.
âŒïž Charlotte FC vs. North Carolina FC: Charlotte FC is back in the U.S. Open Cup field this year after Crown Legacy FC represented the franchise last year. Charlotte FC will travel to Cary to face North Carolina FC on Tuesday, May 6, at 7 p.m. (Charlotte played a preseason game against the USL Championship, the second tier of U.S. professional soccer.) The winner will advance to face the winner of D.C. United and the Charleston Battery.
Charlotte FC won two games to advance to the Round of 16 of the U.S. Open Cup in 2023 before losing to Birmingham Legion FC of the USL Championship. Starting last season, only 16 MLS teams participated, entering in the Round of 32 based on Supportersâ Shield (regular season) standings from last year and whether it was participating in CONCACAF Champions League and Leagues Cup.
âŒïž Academy U-16s: Charlotte FCâs Under 16 Academy team won two games and drew a third to advance to the knockout rounds of the Generation Adidas Cup international tournament in Bradenton, Fla. The team defeated the Philadelphia Union U16s on penalties to advance to the quarterfinals against Real Salt Lake before losing 2-0.
âŒïž Hair gel debate: Reserve goalkeeper George Marks has made it a habit to jump into the media scrum before practice on Wednesdays and ask questions, especially if itâs a chance to rib a member of the backline or goalkeepers union. On Wednesday, he took aim at defending MLS goalkeeper of the year Kristijan Kahlina, asking him, âWhat do you say to allegations that you use way too much gel in your hair during the games?â
Using his quick goalkeeper reflexes, Kahlina responded without missing a beat, saying: âI need to use it because then my hair goes to my eyes and then I will not save nothing.â
Up Next: Charlotte FC (5-2-1) vs San Diego FC (4-2-2)
When/Where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
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:
Last year, it was expansion team St. Louis making an early splash in MLS. This year, itâs San Diego, and San Diego is looking like a team that could make it stand up for the season.
San Diego FC has already beaten all four of the top teams in the Western Conference a year ago, including a 3-0 win over Seattle. Mexican superstar Chucky Lozano scored his first MLS goal in that game. Seattle has also beaten L.A. Galaxy 2-0, Real Salt Lake 3-1 and LAFC 3-2.
Lozano also has four assists, despite missing three games with a hamstring injury.
San Diego has lost its last two road matches, at Austin and Salt Lake.
Charlotte FC is a perfect 4-0 at Bank of America Stadium this season and riding a record seven-game home win streak.
Carroll Walton is a longtime baseball writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution now in her fourth 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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