By Billie McGee
January 23, 2025
Photo: Kurt Shackelford / CLTure
Charlotte FC’s all-time leading goalscorer, Karol Świderski, is leaving the club to join Panathinaikos in Greece.
Świderski had been with the club since its inaugural season, leading the team in goals in two of their three seasons. Over three years, he appeared in 75 MLS matches and scored 32 goals with 15 assists across all competitions for The Crown.
It was rumored that the Polish international wanted to return to Europe since last offseason. He spent the first half of the 2024 season on loan at Hellas Verona in Italy before rejoining The Crown in the summer and contributing to eight goals in 10 MLS regular-season appearances to help Charlotte make the playoffs.
The transfer fee for Świderski is reportedly around $2 million, per Tom Bogert. The move also opens up a designated player roster slot for Charlotte, providing the club with greater flexibility for more transfer moves.
Sources: Panathinaikos agreed a deal to sign forward Karol Swiderski from Charlotte FC, as @Topbin90 first reported.
Fee north of $2m, sources add. Deal will open DP spot for Charlotte.
Charlotte just added Wilfried Zaha. Can now add another DP pic.twitter.com/uHUzO6l6QN
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) January 22, 2025
Charlotte will need to bring in another striker to replace Świderski, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be a designated player or a starter. Patrick Agyemang is making a strong case for the team to build around him as the starting center forward.
Agyemang was called up to the United States Men’s National Team for the January camp, where he has appeared in two friendly matches, scoring a goal in each match. He has shown consistent improvement every season, scoring two goals in MLS play in 2023 and leading the team with 10 goals in 2024.
The club also made the move for Wilfried Zaha official, bringing him in on loan until January 17, 2026 with an option to extend until June 30, 2026.
View this post on Instagram
The Crown are currently in Miami for training camp and will play three friendly matches coming up against North Carolina FC on February 5, LA Galaxy on February 9, and the Portland Timbers on February 15. They’ll kick off the MLS regular season on the road against the Seattle Sounders on February 22 and then return to the Queen City for the home opener against Atlanta United on March 1.
Check out the full 2025 Charlotte FC schedule.
Read next:
