Who's in and who's out with Charlotte FC
Who's in and who's out with Charlotte FC
Get ready for the 2023 season with this primer of players: We name 5 key newcomers like internationals Copetti and Westwood and identify 5 you might miss most when the team kicks off Feb. 25
It’s time for Fútbol Friday, The Charlotte Ledger’s weekly newsletter getting you up to speed on Charlotte FC, the city’s new pro soccer team.
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Master the 2023 roster: Copetti and Westwood in; Reyna and Rios out
New striker Enzo Copetti, of Argentina, getting work this preseason. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
Lost track of Charlotte FC for the past four months? Feeling a little behind with the team set to open its season in two weeks and one day on Feb. 25? Not to worry. Let us catch you up, and in the process, give you a flavor of what Fútbol Friday is all about — and what we set out to accomplish every week during Charlotte’s sophomore season in Major League Soccer.
Each Friday morning during the season, we aim to bring you the latest news and nuggets about all things Charlotte FC, as well as some context, perspective, and hopefully a little personality, too. If you read along with us last year, thank you and welcome back! If you’re new to this platform, come back for more! It’s free to follow along all season.
Today we’ll help get you ready for the new season by identifying five new faces you’ll see on the field for Charlotte FC and also explain why you might be missing these five from last season.
Five newcomers to watch
◼️ Enzo Copetti: The Argentinian bleach blonde with piercing blue eyes and tattoos down to each wrist is hard to miss, and we’re not even talking about his offensive prowess. In the 27-year-old striker and newest designated player (paid without regard to salary cap) Charlotte FC believes it has found its finisher, its goal monger, its might-not-be-pretty-but-we’re-putting-it-in-the-back-of-the-netter. Copetti, who scored 21 goals in 47 games for Racing Club in the highest division in Argentina, is a welcome complement to the tactician up front in Karol Swiderski.
◼️ Ashley Westwood: You might recall a few times last season when Charlotte FC sent two rookies to start in the midfield. Veteran Brit Westwood, 32, gives Charlotte FC not only experience there but the instant credibility that comes from spending the past 10 years in the English Premier League with Burnley FC and Aston Villa. He’ll give Charlotte FC the cachet that losing Christian Fuchs (see below) costs them. And as a bonus, Westwood is a free kick specialist, connoisseur of the deep passes (be ready, McKinze Gaines!) and an avid tea drinker. Cheers, mate!
New midfielder Ashley Westwood draped in the Union Jack. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
◼️ Vini Mello: OK, so technically, he’s not a newcomer. The Brazilian Vinicius (at least to his family) Mello signed with Charlotte FC as an Under-22 initiative player last December as part of the MLS effort to feature good young talent. But he spent all last season on the sidelines working his way back from a fractured left foot and never saw action. But if it’s any indication of his potential, despite coming off a season-long injury, Charlotte FC protected him in the expansion draft. Mello has shown why in an impactful preseason so far.
◼️ Hamady Diop: Charlotte FC got the No. 1 pick in the MLS SuperDraft last year — choosing Ben Bender of Maryland — by virtue of being the newest expansion team in MLS. The club snagged the No 1 pick again this year by making a trade with the newest expansion team, St. Louis. The result was Diop, whom Charlotte drafted out of Clemson in exchange for $450,000 (in what’s known technically as general allocation money) and the 20th pick in the SuperDraft. Diop was a teammate and protégé of Charlotte FC goalkeeper George Marks on the 2021 national championship team at Clemson. Diop, a native of Dakar, Senegal, came to the U.S. at age 14. His timeline could speed up given the losses along Charlotte FC’s backline (more to come on that).
◼️ Patrick Agyemang: Charlotte FC pulled off a second trade to move up in the SuperDraft, this time spending $50,000 now (and possibly $50,000 later if certain incentives are met) to get the No. 12 pick from the Colorado Rapids and used it to nab Agyemang, who is a 6’4” forward from the University of Rhode Island. He emigrated with his parents from Ghana and settled in Connecticut. He might be a better candidate to start the season with Crown Legacy, Charlotte FC’s new MLS Next Pro team (think Triple-A in baseball), but he’ll be one to keep an eye on this season.
Five players you’ll miss seeing on the field
Charlotte FC mourns the tragic death of defender Anton Walkes last month. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
◼️ Anton Walkes: There’s not a delicate way to segue into this, but for casual fans who might not have heard and wonder what happened to the dynamic player wearing No. 5, Charlotte FC center back Anton Walkes died tragically in a boating accident in Miami during the preseason. Walkes never shied away from being interviewed after a game last year — win or lose — and I doubt he would want us to shy away from talking about him now. So, like the team, we’ll set a goal of both honoring his memory and acknowledging the impact he will have this season as the team dedicates 2023 to him.
◼️ Christian Fuchs: Another newsmaker this offseason was captain Christian Fuchs, who announced that he was retiring at age 36. Shortly thereafter, the team announced that not only had Fuchs let Charlotte FC’s inaugural season be his swan song but he wanted this franchise to be the starting point for his coaching career. Apparently coach Christian Lattanzio started selling Fuchs on getting into coaching last season, and the idea took hold this winter as Fuchs accepted a position as assistant coach on Lattanzio’s staff. Charlotte Observer writer Alex Zietlow did a nice job documenting the decision and what’s in store for Fuchs.
◼️ Kristijan Kahlina: Not to worry, this one is only temporary, but Charlotte FC’s No. 1 goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, the Croatian sensation, had to undergo back surgery this offseason and has missed the entire preseason while rehabbing. The surgery on a disc was described by Lattanzio as “nothing too serious,” and he said Kahlina was able to leave the hospital following outpatient surgery. Kahlina won’t be ready for the opener Feb. 25 but Lattanzio predicted it wouldn’t be “a lot, lot later.” In his place, Charlotte FC will go with either veteran backup Pablo Sisniega, who moved into the No. 2 spot on the depth chart late last season, or George Marks, who is in his second season with the club out of Clemson.
◼️ Daniel Rios: Thanks to Rios, we learned what a “haul” was after his four-goal barrage on Oct. 1 against the Philadelphia Union. And yes, he finished second on the team with seven goals last year, even in limited minutes off the bench. But Charlotte FC felt the time was right to sell “high” on the hot hand — knowing a more dynamic add like Copetti was coming — and sent Rios to C.D. Guadalajara of Liga MX (Mexican League) on permanent transfer for an undisclosed fee.
◼️ Yordy Reyna: The dynamic on-the-ball skills of Peruvian winger Yordy Reyna were plain to see last year, and he gave fans plenty of fodder to demand he get more playing time. But something was amiss, and there appeared to be a lack of trust between Lattanzio and Reyna. That sentiment was confirmed this preseason when Lattanzio was asked if Reyna had a future with Charlotte FC: “I like Yordy. We had conversations personally. Sometimes professionally we cannot see things in the same way, so it’s not necessarily a player I count on next season. But this is part of football. We need to move on and focus on the players that we have.”
Financial support for Walkes’ family
Anton Walkes with his partner Alexis and their daughter Ayla. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC.)
Charlotte FC announced this week it was establishing a GoFundMe page to help raise money to support the family of Anton Walkes, including his partner, Alexis, and young daughter, Ayla. Charlotte FC owner David Tepper and his wife Nicole are committed to matching up to $500,000 raised through this fund.
Up Next: Charlotte FC vs. Charleston Battery in preseason exhibition
When/Where: 3 p.m. Saturday, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
Notable:
This “friendly,” or exhibition game, was originally scheduled to be played in Charleston at 5 p.m. Saturday, but Charlotte FC announced Thursday the exhibition was being moved to Charlotte at 3 p.m. Saturday because of inclement weather expected in Charleston.
Only a limited number of fans will be allowed admission, including those who had bought tickets for Charleston as well as Charlotte FC season ticket holders who were given free tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis. Those were sold out within hours of the team’s announcement Thursday.
Charlotte FC midfielder Brandt Bronico on playing Saturday at home: “It gets us used to playing in the Bank again, where we all love to play.”
The game will not be streamed online or broadcast on TV, giving fans all the more reason to clamor for the limited tickets.
Recent editions of Fútbol Friday, The Charlotte Ledger’s weekly newsletter on Charlotte FC:
Feb. 3: Rebuilding Adam Armour: He scored Charlotte FC’s first-ever goal last year. Then he blew out his knee. Can Adam Armour work his way back?
Jan. 27: An emotional moment that will shape a season: The tears flowed. The players hugged. And the coach says Anton Walkes’ memory will inspire extra strength.
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!
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