By Billy McGee
February 19, 2025
Charlotte FC enters the 2025 season with the highest expectations in club history, and it’s not without good reason.
While Charlotte may not have made as many moves as other Major League Soccer clubs, they certainly had an impactful offseason. The Crown made three notable acquisitions: Wilfried Zaha, Eryk Williamson, and the reacquisition of Pep Biel.
Zaha is among the biggest signings to join MLS this offseason. The 32-year-old former Crystal Palace star joins Charlotte on a loan deal through January 17, 2026, with an option to extend the loan until June 30, 2026. He will play left wing for Charlotte, where he is likely to draw lots of attention from opposing defenses, freeing up space for Charlotte’s other attackers.
Williamson joins Charlotte FC from the Portland Timbers for $100,000 of General Allocation Money (GAM) up front and up to $250,000 GAM in add-ons. He gives Charlotte a new profile in the midfield, a box-to-box player who can help in build-up play. Williamson will be an option in the starting lineup next to team captain Ashley Westwood.
Biel was reacquired on a new loan deal through August 1, 2025, after initially joining Charlotte last summer. After taking some time to adjust to his new setting, he demonstrated his ability leading up to the playoffs while playing on the wing and helping to create goal-scoring chances. On his previous deal, he was a designated player, but this time he returns on a non-DP deal, leaving Charlotte with an open DP spot that they can fill either before the primary transfer window closes (April 23) or during the summer transfer window. He will likely play centrally as an attacking midfielder, with both wing spots now occupied by DPs.
Along with three major signings, Charlotte also had two significant departures, selling Karol Świderski and Jere Uronen.
Świderski returns to Greece to join Panathinaikos. He has previous experience playing there, having been acquired by Charlotte from PAOK FC in 2022. The Polish international had been rumored to move for the past year and even went on loan with Hellas Verona for the first half of last season. He leaves Charlotte as the club’s all-time leading goalscorer.
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Uronen leaves Charlotte to join Swedish side AIK Fotboll. He appeared in 38 matches, starting 33 of them during his time in the Queen City. Uronen was a mainstay at left back for the first half of the 2024 season before Tim Ream was brought in, leading to a defensive reshuffle that left him as the odd man out.
Preseason Recap
Charlotte FC played seven friendly matches during their preseason schedule, beginning with two closed-door games against Nashville SC and Sporting Kansas City during their training camp in Miami. They drew 0-0 against Nashville and won 3-2 against Sporting KC.
Following the training camp in Miami, the team traveled to Cary for a friendly against USL Championship side North Carolina FC, the first meeting between the two teams. Without several key players, including Zaha, Biel, Liel Abada, Brandt Bronico, and Kristijan Kahlina, they lost 1-0. Charlotte had a few chances throughout the match but failed to convert any of them. In the postgame press conference, head coach Dean Smith provided more details about the absences, mentioning that Zaha was in the process of obtaining his visa and that Biel was dealing with a minor knee injury.
Charlotte’s next stop on their preseason slate was the Coachella Valley Invitational, where they played four matches against defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy, USL Championship side Phoenix Rising FC, Austin FC, and the Portland Timbers. The Crown went undefeated at the CVI, drawing 2-2 against Galaxy and winning 3-2 against Phoenix Rising, 1-0 against Austin, and 2-0 against Portland.
Zaha and Biel both returned to the team for the final two matches at Coachella, playing limited minutes against Austin and most of the match against Portland. As a team, Charlotte performed well in the preseason, scoring in all but two of their matches and creating chances both in open play and from set pieces. The goals came in a variety of ways, including three from Bronico in the first three matches at the CVI.
Agyemang has been garnering national attention this offseason, earning a call-up to the United States Men’s National Team for the January camp, where he scored a goal in both of the friendly matches against Venezuela and Costa Rica. He maintained his form when he returned to Charlotte FC, scoring a brace in their friendly match against Sporting KC. This should be a big season for the striker, as Charlotte has committed to him as the starting center forward, selling Świderski and opting not to acquire a new DP nine.
2025 Season Outlook
Along with MLS play, The Crown will compete in two other competitions this season: the Leagues Cup and the U.S. Open Cup. The Leagues Cup will follow a new format this season, with Charlotte FC hosting three Liga MX teams in the group stage: FC Juárez on July 31, C.D. Guadalajara on August 3, and C.F. Monterrey on August 7. The Leagues Cup will then move to knockout play, where the top four MLS teams and top four Liga MX teams (based on point total in the group stage) will advance.
After not participating in the U.S. Open Cup in 2024, The Crown returns to the competition and should be among the favorites to come out on top, with only three MLS teams that finished better than Charlotte in the 2024 season taking part in the tournament. In MLS play, Charlotte looks to improve on their fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference last season and advance past the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time.
With the continued improvement of Agyemang, along with Abada and Biel having had time to adjust to the league and life in Charlotte, as well as a full preseason with the team, things should bode well for The Crown this season. The addition of a player of Zaha’s caliber should also help everyone in the attack, allowing for more space to be opened up and more goals to be scored this year — an area where the team struggled for most of last season. The defense should remain stout, with the starting back four of Byrne, Malanda, Privett, and Ream returning, along with MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Kahlina and Westwood still donning the captain’s armband in midfield. If the addition of Zaha has the desired effect on the attack, then the improved goalscoring, combined with one of the league’s best defenses, should see Charlotte finish better than last season and possibly secure a top-four position in the Eastern Conference and make a serious push to play in, and possibly win, a cup final.
Charlotte FC kicks off their season on the road against Seattle Sounders FC, one of the deepest and most talented teams in MLS. The Sounders have three designated players, with a fourth, Jesús Ferreira, having produced near-DP level performances in previous years. They also boast a backline featuring four players who have each started at least 79 matches in MLS regular season play. Seattle finished fourth in the Western Conference in 2024 and lost 1-0 in the Western Conference Finals to the eventual champions, LA Galaxy.
Charlotte will have the chance to see Seattle in a competitive match prior to Saturday, as the Sounders face Guatemalan side Antigua GFC on the road in a CONCACAF Champions Cup match on Wednesday, February 19. Seattle’s travel schedule may play a factor in the match, as they return from their game in Guatemala
A week after the season opener, Charlotte will host Atlanta United for their home opener on Saturday, March 1, at 2:00 p.m. The matchup is always highly anticipated, as the two teams are each other’s closest rivals geographically. This year, in particular, will be interesting, as both teams made some of the biggest moves of the offseason. The Crown brought in Zaha, while Atlanta re-signed club legend Miguel Almirón and broke the MLS transfer record to acquire striker Emmanuel Latte Lath from EFL Championship side Middlesbrough.
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The match between The Crown and the Seattle Sounders is scheduled for kickoff at 10:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, February, 22 and will be available to stream on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass. Check out the full 2025 Charlotte FC schedule.
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