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By Sam Vanolinda Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/Topbin90 The MLS season begins in a few days. After a painful playoff exit and an exciting offseason, Dean Smith and his Charlotte FC squad are ready to get started and achieve big things in 2025. After much cogitation by the front office in the last few months, Wilfried Zaha became the big-name player who has arrived at the club and caused ripples in the MLS world.  Charlotte could become a true trophy contender if Zaha plays his best football. However, players alone do not win games; preparation and effort do.  It is time to provide a preview of the season to come; what player(s) will have the most impact? What place will Charlotte finish in? What are some of the key matches on the schedule? Let's look into that in this article: Predicted Table Finish I also reached out to a couple of media members that you likely have heard from on X: Carroll R. Walton @CarrollRodgers (Charlotte Ledger) - 4th Caleb Adams @itscalebadams - 3rd Vaughn Pollman @vipollman - 3rd And other general MLS experts gave their predictions as well: Player of the Season Carroll R. Walton: Patrick Agyemang Caleb Adams: Wilfried Zaha Vaugh Pollman: Patrick Agyemang Brian Maurer: Andrew Privett Jorge Gonzales: Eryk Williamson Key Factor in Charlotte’s Success Carrol R Walton: “How well Zaha integrates into a new team and league.” Caleb Adams: “Getting the front four to click.” Vaughn Pollman: “Becoming a top 10 attack in the MLS for the first time.” Jorge Gonzales: “Being a difficult team to break down and how effective our front four will be” Brian Maurer: “Charlotte’s focus has been on improving the attack, this will open them up at the back. How well the defensive unit responds to that pressure will be key.” Personal Prediction: Finish: 3rd Place Charlotte FC will finish in third this year. With another offseason for Dean Smith to nurture the team and share his wealth of experience and knowledge with the players and coaches, I can see a top-three finish. As long as the team stays healthy and Zaha settles in well to the MLS, they have all the talent and coaching to be one of the best teams in the MLS. Player of the Season: Wilfried Zaha Zaha’s “Fortress,” jersey is on the way to my house as we speak. There is no way I can’t pick my favorite player as the player of the season. I think it may take a couple of games for him to get up to speed, and I hope the fans do not quickly lose faith in him because he's been out of competitive action for a long time now. With that said, he has some of the most abundant natural talent in the league, and if he performs the way  I know he can, the city will lionize the Ivorian.  Key to Success: Consistency and health in the attack The team had a substantial amount of lineup changes last year, especially with the attacking players on the team. It was hard to find any confidence in the players because the team was being switched game after game. This year, the players need to stay healthy and become a solid four at the top that barely changes. Zaha, Agyemang, Abada, and Biel, should be a force in the league. Key Games 03/01/2025 Atlanta (HOME) The home opener against Southern rivals Atlanta United will be one of the season's biggest games. It will also be Zaha’s first appearance at the Bank, adding to the heated rivalry between Charlotte and Atlanta. The energy in the stadium will be palpable, and hopefully, the team will deliver a rapturous performance. 03/09/2025 Miami (AWAY) Inter Miami games will always be a must-watch while the greatest ever still plays in the MLS. One week after the exciting home opener against Atlanta, fans will be treated to a matchup against Messi and company. 04/05/2025 Nashville (HOME) Nashville is another team close to home and the game between these two teams should be a heated one. Zaha and some Nashville SC players already got into a scuffle on the field in a closed friendly in the preseason.  04/19/2025 San Diego (HOME) The new guys will come to town in April, I’m excited to see the new team and how they compete with the Crown. It will be fun to watch Hirving Lozano at the Bank. 05/14/2025 Orlando (AWAY) Revenge will be on the mind at the place where Charlotte’s season ended in 2024. It would be such a sweet victory to beat Orlando after the brutal exit in the playoffs last year. 08/3/2024 Guadalajara (AWAY)* C.D Guadalajara (Chivas) is one of the big four in Mexico. It should be an awesome experience to watch Charlotte FC play them in the Leagues Cup. *This game is marked away, but it will be played at Bank of America Stadium.

By Brian Maurer Ashley Westwood (Photo courtesy of CJ Hellner/Topbin90) The 2025 MLS season is almost here! Charlotte FC hits the road to face the Seattle Sounders on the West Coast. The Sounders are a good opening game test as they allowed the least amount of goals against in 2024. Charlotte will find out pretty quickly how far their preseason focus on ball progression and improving the attack has come right out of the gate. Here are three key 1-v-1 matchups that could dictate the results of Charlotte’s opening weekend game: Pedro de la Vega vs Ashley Westwood Pedro de la Vega was Seattle’s club-record signing going into 2024 but dealt with injury issues most of the season as he played less than 1000 MLS minutes. He looked healthy yesterday as the Sounders cruised to a 3-1 victory versus Guatemalan side Antigua. De la Vega was popping up on the left, the right, and centrally. If he has a free-flowing attacking role again versus Charlotte, Ashley Westwood will likely be tasked with monitoring him defensively as he is the Crown’s most willing runner. If Westwood can limit de la Vega’s attacking impact and access to the ball then Charlotte will likely gain some confidence and more control of the game giving them a better chance of finding a result in Seattle. Obed Vargas/Joao Pedro vs Pep Biel Improved ball progression and ball control leading to more chances and finishes in the final third as been one of the key messages from Dean Smith and co. during Charlotte’s preseason. Pep Biel in an attacking midfield role will be key for that new focus to be successful. Obed Vargas’ has become a key feature in Seattle’s midfield and will likely be tasked with preventing Biel from building offensive momentum. If there is any rotation because of Concacaf Champions Cup then midfield veteran Joao Pedro could also be tasked with defending Biel. Either way the Spanish attacker will need to find the ball to give Charlotte the chances and goals required to get a result. Alex Roldan vs Wilfried Zaha Wilfried Zaha is Charlotte’s new talisman attacking signing. If the Crown is going to reach the next level their new left winger needs to be a regular goal contributor. Alex Roldan will be tasked with defending Charlotte’s left side. If Zaha can win his 1-v-1s versus Roldan the rest of Charlotte’s attack could open up giving others like Patrick Agyemang and Liel Abada more space to operate in and around the box. Summary This game will likely be decided by the midfield. Both teams were strong defensively in 2024 but struggled in the attack. The midfield battles will decide who can impose more control over the game and then win some chances in the attacking third where the key playmakers can create opportunities to score.

By Brian Maurer Charlotte FC's U16s while in France (Photo courtesy of Charlotte FC and MLS NEXT) Charlotte FC starts their 2025 MLS season this weekend, but under the surface, Charlotte's Academy teams are already in midseason form. After their winter break, the U14s, U15s, U16s, and U18s all return to action against MLS Academy competition this weekend when they host Nashville SC. Here's an update on some of the highlights from the Charlotte FC Academy fall schedule and what to look forward to in the spring: Patrick Daka and the U16s travel to France Charlotte's U14 Head Coach Patrick Daka passed the prestigious EFCL exam earning one of the highest certifications in soccer coaching. The course was an 18-month course and culminated in the final examination in France. Charlotte's U16 squad was selected as the group of players to travel and train during the coaching examinations. While in France, the U16s also had an opportunity to play against PSGs U16s and won the friendly against the Parisian side. "We felt like because our U16 generation is a good generation for us, it's a good age group for us that we feel needs more programming, they need more resistance...the kids did really really well," said Charlotte FC Academy Director Bryan Scales "It helped open their eyes a little bit about what the next level looks like." Fall is the Academy's construction phase The first half of the 2024-25 season Scales calls the "construction phase" where the different academy age groups are put together, the rosters are built for the season, and the technical staff, coaches, and players work towards answering the question "what are we all about?" This year, Scales said they did a lot of recruiting for the U18s so there were a bunch of new faces that were given time to adjust to that level during the fall. The U16s were given time to adjust to their new level after playing at the U15 level last spring. The first half of the schedule has a similar structure down the line to the younger levels as well. Now that the first half of the academy season is over Charlotte FC's First Team, and MLS NEXT Pro team Crown Legacy FC are getting prepared for their 2025 campaigns. This leads to a lot more shakeups and movement at the academy level. U18s will start to get called up to Crown Legacy, which will open up spots for U16s to move up to U18, and so on down the line. "I would expect probably four, five, six guys from the 18s to be in training with [Crown Legacy] on a regular basis and competing for minutes," said Scales on his expectations for the spring. This means several opportunities will present themselves for U16 players to also get a chance to move up. Scales sees this upward movement as an opportunity for players to hit some resistance and build resilience. "An important part of their development is them being able to jump into the deep end and have to survive," said Scales. Scales likened the "movement phase" in the spring to adjusting the dials on a treadmill. As a player advances into older and older age groups the speed gets faster. "Typically what happens is a player goes up to Crown Legacy, excited, their working, their working, their working, and then they start to hit the wall a little bit because it takes so much effort to survive that you have to be ready to bring them back into their environment just to let take a breath," said Scales. High expectations from Academy at Crown Legacy FC level In 2024, Charlotte FC's Academy developed players who played over 25% of all Crown Legacy minutes. That new standard is raising the bar for the 2025 season as many academy graduates like Aron John, Jack Neeley, and Nimfasha Berchimas look set to return and new academy players will likely earn their MLS NEXT Pro debuts with Legacy this year. "That number should go up," said Scales on the expectations and continued growth of the Academy at the professional level moving forward. Academy players getting the opportunity at MLS NEXT Pro allows them to know what it takes and to see the harsh reality of the demands of the professional game. "Can Aron John take Ashley Westwood's job? That's really the next step for Aron, 'can I get on the First Team, get on the field, do well enough to stay on the field, and now this is my job now'" said Scales. "These are things we have to help them with that transition knowing that it takes a sustained amount of concentration and really really strong mentality." Academy players earning college scholarships Six Charlotte FC Academy graduates earned college scholarships and will be moving on to their college pathway journeys next year: Chandler Young - Wake Forest University James Nyandjo - UNC-Charlotte Juan Martinez - Syracuse University Ben Gooding - UNC-Wilmington Amare Lucas - UNC-Wilmington Luke Munson - Furman University Jeremiah Alexander-Munoz and Wyatt Holt earned USYNT call-ups Charlotte FC's Academy has had two recent call-ups to the USYNT. In November, defender Jeremiah Alexander-Munoz was called up to the USYNT U15 camp . Defender Wyatt Holt was just called up to USYNT U16's February camp and is currently training there until February 24. Preparing for the Generation Adidas Cup and MLS NEXT Cup One of the premier events for MLS Academies is the Generation Adidas Cup every spring. In 2024, 49 clubs from 15 different countries participated in this event . "You're trying to benchmark your players against the rest of the world," said Scales. "We're trying to get them set up to make that next jump to what professional football really looks like." Charlotte's U16s had a good showing at the GA Cup in 2024 as they advanced to the knockout rounds before losing to French club Toulouse FC in penalties. The tournament and showcase will be in Bradenton, Florida, from April 12-20. Charlotte's U16s and U18s will feature at the GA Cup in 2025. After the GA Cup, depending on where Charlotte's Academy U15, U16, and U18 teams finish their regular seasons they will either automatically qualify for MLS NEXT Cup, or they will need to compete to qualify for MLS NEXT Cup playoffs in the MLS NEXT Flex qualifier. MLS NEXT Flex will be in Boyds, Maryland from May 9-13. The MLS NEXT Cup playoffs will be in Nashville, Tennessee from June 14-22. Last season Charlotte FC's U17 team (now the U18 level) made it to the Cup final before losing to LA Galaxy's U17 squad.