By Billy McGee
December 22, 2024
Photo: Charlotte FC
Major League Soccer released their schedule for the 2025 season, and Charlotte FC will have plenty of exciting matches in their fourth season following their most successful year on the pitch.
Charlotte will open the 2025 campaign on the road against Seattle Sounders FC. The two clubs have faced each other twice before, with Seattle winning a home match 2-1 in 2022 and the 2023 match ending in a 3-3 draw in Charlotte. Seattle is one of five Western Conference teams Charlotte will face in 2025, including road trips to play the Colorado Rapids (March 29) and Sporting Kansas City (June 25). They’ll host the San Jose Earthquakes (March 22), San Diego FC (April 19), and Real Salt Lake (August 16) at The Bank.
The Crown will play their home opener against Atlanta United on March 1, and the club announced the upper bowl will be open for the match. Charlotte and Atlanta have faced off six times with each team winning three games, also splitting last season’s matchups. This is one of the most anticipated contests each year with many big moments in previous meetings, from Charlotte’s first goal in club history to Jordy Alcívar’s olympico to Liel Abada’s brace. Atlanta will host the second matchup between the two sides at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on July 19.
The Crown will go on the road to take on the 2024 Supporters’ Shield winners Inter Miami CF and Lionel Messi on March 9. Last season, Miami defeated Charlotte 2-1 in a hard-fought first game at Bank of America Stadium that saw an 86th-minute winner from Benjamin Cremaschi. The second game in Miami ended in a 1-1 draw with goals from Karol Świderski and Messi. Messi didn’t make the trip to Charlotte last season due to the Copa América taking place during that time, but he’ll likely return to the Queen City on September 13 in 2025.
Another budding Southeastern rivalry is Nashville SC, who will be in Charlotte on April 5. Nashville is always a big matchup as the two teams have had many competitive battles since Charlotte’s inception. They’ve faced off five times previously with each team winning two matches and the fifth being a draw– all but one game was decided by more than a goal. The away fixture against Nashville will be a little more than a month after the home match on May 10.
The Crown will take on the newest member of MLS, San Diego FC, on April 19. Charlotte was one of the teams that had a player selected by San Diego in the MLS Expansion Draft on December 11, when they chose Hamady Diop, Charlotte’s first overall pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.
Charlotte will look to get redemption after being eliminated by Orlando in the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs with the first of the two matches being a mid-week road game on May 14 and the home match on July 5. The Crown have played Orlando more than any other team in their three-year history, with 10 matches between the two teams across all competitions. Orlando holds the series advantage with five wins to Charlotte’s three, with the other two matches being draws. The Crown haven’t beaten Orlando in regulation since their US Open Cup game on May 9, 2023.
The Crown are not scheduled to play 2024 MLS Cup champions, Los Angeles Galaxy, but will take on the MLS Eastern Conference champion New York Red Bulls, first on the road May 28 and then at home on August 24. Charlotte has only beaten the Red Bulls once in the eight previous matchups across all competitions. The Red Bulls traded Elias Manoel to Real Salt Lake, which should come as a relief for fans as he has scored seven goals against Charlotte in previous games.
One last notable matchup for Charlotte’s 2025 MLS schedule is the Decision Day game against the Philadelphia Union on October 18 that could impact playoff seeding. Charlotte and Philadelphia have faced off seven times; resulting in three Philadelphia wins, two Charlotte wins, and two draws.
2025 MLS SuperDraft
The 2025 MLS SuperDraft took place the day after the schedule release, and Charlotte made three selections. The team traded up to take Connecticut defender Mikah Thomas in the first round with the ninth pick, Cornell defender Andrew Johnson in the second round with the 47th pick, and Mercer forward Barzee Blama in the third round with the 77th pick.
Thomas played two seasons for the University of Connecticut, appearing in 26 games and starting nine of them. In 2024 he primarily played at left back, scoring one goal on seven shots, and recording one assist.
Johnson played three seasons at Cornell University, where he was a mainstay on defense; starting all 17 games as a freshman, 15 games as a sophomore, and 18 games as a junior, scoring two game-winning goals on his way to being named first-team All-Ivy. Prior to his time at Cornell, Johnson spent six seasons with the Philadelphia Union Academy before moving on to MLS Next team FC Delco, who he captained to a quarterfinals appearance.
Blama played two seasons at Mercer University, starting 33 of the 39 games he appeared in, recording 13 goals and three assists. Blama received many accolades while at Mercer; in 2023 he was named to the College Soccer News All-Freshman First Team, SoCon All-Freshman Team, All-SoCon Second Team, and the SoCon Freshman of The Year. In 2024, he was named All-SoCon Second Team for the second consecutive season.
Next up for Charlotte FC’s offseason will be the acquisition of players through the transfer market. The transfer window open date for MLS teams has not yet been announced, but it usually starts in late January.
Charlotte FC will also participate in the Coachella Invitational along with 13 other MLS teams for a couple of preseason friendly matches against LA Galaxy (February 9) and the Portland Timbers (February 15).
Check out the full 2025 Charlotte FC MLS schedule.
Read next:
