What's next for Swiderski and Charlotte FC?
Plus: Agyemang breaks scoring drought, Captain Westwood sits on Saturday, Cam Newton celebrates Bronico's Superman and previewing the Houston game
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Swiderski set to return to Charlotte FC, at least for now
Charlotte FCâs leading scorer from the past two seasons, Karol Swiderski, returns from his loan to an Italian team. (Photo by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project.)
Professional soccer is international, but itâs definitely got a wild, wild west feel. Weâve already seen that in 2 1/2 seasons of Major League Soccer here in Charlotte. Never has it been more clear than in the situation with the clubâs original designated player Karol Swiderski.
After two highly productive seasons in Charlotte, Swiderski let it be known he was ready to make the jump to Europe â both through his native Polish press and in face-to-face conversations with Charlotte FC general manager Zoran Krneta. So Charlotte arranged to loan out its leading scorer (22 goals in two seasons) to the Italian club Hellas Verona. He departed a few weeks into the first preseason under new coach Dean Smith.
The transfer was purported to include a clause saying should Verona avoid being relegated to a lower league â finishing in the top 17 of Serie A (the highest level of Italian soccer) â Verona would buy out Swiderskiâs contract (a.k.a. keep him). But a month ago, Verona âmoved the goalpostsâ as Krneta described to WFNZ, and despite avoiding relegation, refused to retain Swiderski anyway.
So with the loan expiring June 30, and Swiderski finished with his EUROs stint with the Polish national team, Smith revealed this week heâs set to return to Charlotte. Smith said Thursday Swiderski is scheduled to be back at the teamâs practice facility July 8 as they resume training after the Inter Miami game July 3. Swiderski would not be eligible to play in a game for Charlotte FC until the summer transfer window opens July 18, so he would play July 20th in Austin at the earliest.
âListen, he decided he wanted to go and pursue Europe and we were happy for him to go and do that,â Smith said. âItâs not happened at the moment for him to join anyone, so heâs coming back. And as I say, we want good players at the club, I believe heâs a good player. As long as he comes back, his attitude and application are top like it was before he left, then not a problem.â
Indications are that Charlotte FC has not ruled out attempting another transfer if a deal materializes. Europeâs transfer window is open until the end of August.
âWhether thereâs talk still going on, thatâs down to his representatives and not me,â Smith said. âIâll just see him as a player for our first team, and if I see him better than what weâve got, heâll be in.â
With Swiderski in the fold, Charlotte FC has just one available designated player spot (meaning, a player signed with less financial restriction). Liel Abada and Swiderski are the other two DPs. Smith indicated Thursday that the clubâs priority is to bring in another striker.
âI think we need a No. 9 at the club,â said Smith, who has just one true striker at his disposal at the moment in Patrick Agyemang. âI want a natural goal scorer whoâs going to go compete for us.â
That also means he doesnât look at Swiderski as an everyday striker. âI think Karol can play a No. 9 (striker), No. 10 (attacking midfielder) and on the outside (at winger) as well,â Smith said.
Charlotte FC has reportedly shown interest in veteran English striker Callum Wilson of Newcastle, though there are other English Premier League teams and Saudi Arabian teams interested in him, which would make that difficult. The club is still pursuing U.S. National Team and Fulham center back Tim Ream and could sign him to a non-DP contract if necessary. Each MLS team is allowed a maximum of three designated players.
Agyemang breaks out of scoring slump with two goals vs. Philadelphia Union
Patrick Agyemang dialed up his first multi-goal game in MLS with two goals in Philadelphia, including the choice for MLS Goal of the week. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
Charlotteâs 6-foot-4 striker Patrick Agyemang has broad shoulders. Just ask any center back heâs faced in Major League Soccer. Theyâll attest. Heâs had a lot of weight on them for the past two months, too. Heâs 23 years old and in his second MLS season. He makes just over the MLS minimum ($71,401). He doesnât drive a car; he rides to practice with teammate and uptown neighbor Nathan Byrne.
Yet Agyemang has been Charlotteâs FCâs primary (and pretty much only) striker and expected goal producer since Charlotte parted ways with Enzo Copetti almost two months ago. Agyemang scored a goal against Nashville in the first game after Copettiâs departure, then didnât score another for seven games.
âAt that point, I was like, âOK, now I have to show what I can do,ââ Agyemang said. âI know this is a golden opportunity for myself in my career, so I wanted to be able to take advantage of this opportunity and really solidify myself in this league.â
MLS defenders started to adjust to him, and in the case of Chicagoâs Carlos Teran, mark Agyemang all the way to the sideline during an injury timeout, just to get under his skin. Officials donât often give Agyemang the benefit of the doubt with foul calls, given his size advantage. And when they do, he hears it from opponents. âHow can you go down, youâre 6-5, youâre a baby,â Agyemang recalls some saying.
He mistimed headers, sailed shots high, and turned the ball over after extra touches in the penalty box. Agyemang said even his inner circle â his old high school and college teammates from Hartford, Conn. â were telling him in online chats heâs âtoo tense.â
The message hit home last week when his twin older brothers, Enoch and Emmanuel who are two years older, came to visit. âEven they told me I was looking tense,â said Agyemang, who normally takes âchillâ to a new level. He said he and his brothers can be together for hours, in silence, without it feeling awkward. (P.S. Mrs. Agyemang, if you read this, please know that as a mom of twin boys who have a brother 20 months older, I understand they didnât do this as young kids!)
Agyemang flanked by his twin brothers Emmanuel (left) and Enoch prior to the Orlando game last week. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC via Enochâs Instagram account.)
His brothers and friends encouraged him to relax, not rush in scoring opportunities, and play like he knows heâs capable. Agyemang gave an indication a breakout was coming that night against Orlando, when he jilted two defenders and left a perfect pass for a Brandt Bronico goal.
Then on Saturday night in Philadelphia, Agyemang scored two goals for the first time in 31 games (15 starts) in MLS. He headed in a cross from Jere Uronen for his first goal, and caught defender Jakob Glesnes off-balance with a stepover move and scored his second with a blast to the near post with his weaker left foot. The second one earned him MLS Goal of the Matchday.
Agyemang now leads Charlotte FC with five goals, and his electric smile is back. Charlotte has four more games before the transfer window opens and that leaves him more time to make his mark.
âI'm going to continue playing the way I know I can play,â Agyemang said. âIâm enjoying the game I love. Whoever they bring, if they come in through my spot, Iâm going to do the same thing I did the first time I got here. I love the competitiveness thatâs in the team, and Iâm going to continue showing it no matter what and try to take the spot.â
Westwood out Saturday in Houston because of yellow card accumulation
Captain and midfielder Ashley Westwood will have to sit out Saturdayâs game in Houston for yellow card accumulation, ending a stretch of playing every minute of every game through Charlotte FCâs first 20 games this season. Thatâs 1,800 minutes. He picked up his fifth yellow card in the final minutes of last Saturdayâs win in Philadelphia.
Westwood told the Charlotte Soccer Show on Sunday that he had a bet going with second-year center back Andrew Privett over which field player would make it longer. (Goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina has yet to come out of a Charlotte game this season either.)
Losing that bet and watching from home this weekend gives Charlotte FC a new challenge in Houston, playing on the road without the leader, both in terms of poise on the ball, vocal leadership and calming influence both on and off the field.
Immediately after the game in Philly, he handed his captainâs armband to veteran left back and fellow Englishman Nathan Byrne â so he told Charlotte Soccer Show â though Coach Dean Smith said Thursday he would be choosing the captain and would notify players Saturday. The first name he brought up was Bronico.
Westwood is currently second in MLS with 236.85 kilometers covered through the first 20 games. (Thatâs roughly 147 miles or 7.4 miles per game â and weâre not talking at a jog.) The MLS leader in that category â Cole Bassett of the Colorado Rapids is 23 years old. Westwood is 34.
Bronicoâs âSupermanâ goal celebration finally gets a reaction from its originator, Cam Newton
Former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton saw a clip of Brandt Bronicoâs âSupermanâ goal celebration and this is his reaction. (Screenshot from Bronicoâs instagram account.)
North Carolina native Brandt Bronico is in his third season doing a âsupermanâ goal celebration in homage to former Panthers star quarterback Cam Newton. This week, Newton finally saw it, and his reaction is making the rounds on social media, including Bronicoâs.
âCam saw the Superman Cellyâ Bronico said on his Instagram account and followed it up with three emojis.
In the YouTube broadcast of his 4th and 1 podcast, Newton can be seen watching a clip of Bronicoâs goal and celebration from last Wednesday against Orlando at Bank of America Stadium. Newton flashes his famous smile as Bronico ripped his proverbial jersey and yelled, at which point Newton broke into a yell himself: âYeah!!!!â
Then Newton acknowledged the roar of the Bank of America crowd, saying âthat crowd was litâ and seemed to get nostalgic for the days he played in front of them. If it wasnât the slight shake of his head, then it was the comment he made a few minutes later, when his competitive juices started flowing.
âAinât nobody do it like me though,â Newton said, then went through the origin of his Superman celebration (he got the idea by watching former USC and New Orleans running back Reggie Bush extend his arm after a touchdown) and others like his first-down celebration and the âdab.â
Bronico reposted the segment and wrote: âNo one can do it like Cam but glad I can keep his legacy going in the Queen City.â
Up Next: Charlotte FC (9-6-5) at Houston (7-6-6)
When/Where: 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Shell Energy Stadium, Houston
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 6-1-3 in its past 10 games and has shown offensive life lately, scoring eight goals in its past four games.
Junior Urso is still out with an Achilles injury at a time when his veteran midfield leadership would have come in handy, minus Westwood. Smith said Urso received an injection in hopes of speeding his recovery.
Scott Arfield is back from his red card suspension and available. Ben Bender is coming off his first start of the year in the midfield.
Charlotte defeated Houston 2-1 the last time the two teams met. It was a Leagues Cup game that they were forced to play at Shell Energy Stadium because of a previously scheduled Beyoncé concert at Bank of America Stadium.
Houston just signed a new DP striker in Ezequiel Ponce of AEK Athens but will have to wait until July 18 to register him to play.
The Dynamo, which advanced to the Western Conference finals last year, is like Charlotte in that theyâre hard to score against. Theyâre unbeaten in their last five games, going 2-0-3.
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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Wow! Such good news ! Fun!