Opinion: CHARLOTTE FC SHOULD ACQUIRE JAHKEELE MARSHALL-RUTTY ON A PERMANENT DEAL.

Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty

Charlotte FC acquired fullback, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, on loan from CF Montreal in April of 2025. While the loan deal was initially expected to be a short-term fill-in for our injured players, Marshall-Rutty has emerged as a consistent starter for Charlotte FC and has shown a readiness to contribute at a high-level in the MLS. I believe that Charlotte FC should inquire with CF Montreal about bringing Jahkeele-Marshall Rutty to the Queen City permanently.

Born in Ontario, Canada, Marshall-Rutty spent his early days in the youth academies of both Toronto FC and CF Montreal. Jahkeele made his first professional appearance at just 16 years old for Toronto FC in 2020, becoming the youngest player in franchise history. In 2021, he was named to The Guardian's "Next Generation List," a compilation of sixty players believed to represent the future of global football. He remained with Toronto until last year, before being acquired by Montreal FC in August of 2024. Prior to this transfer, he played in 22 games with 10 starts, contributing one goal and three assists for Toronto.

Now, at 21 years old, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty is putting his qualities on display in Charlotte. He has played in 12 games for Charlotte, with 10 starts. Rutty has also provided two assists in his time with Charlotte. The former winger-now-fullback provides both pace and dynamism in defense and going forward. Rutty has strong stamina, speed, and dribbling ability; coming out of the back, this provides an additional attacking outlet down the flank. From there, Marshall's previous experience as a winger allows him to provide service into the box.

Marshall-Rutty in Attack

As often is the case with wing-backs, Marshall-Rutty is still adjusting to his role along the backline. Transitioning to a full-time defender often means learning how to be focused on preventing goals as the top priority. While this learning process is on display with Marshall-Rutty, he is clearly learning a lot while working alongside veterans like Nathan Byrne and Tim Ream. In recent matches, Marshall-Rutty has put a handful of MOTM-worthy performances on display; this is based off his abilities both going forward and in defense. And, while the backline has not been as stout in 2025, Dean's Smith defensive-mindset will continue to do wonders for Marshall-Rutty's development.

Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty has a wealth of experience in the MLS at only 21 years old. As Marshall-Rutty continues to refine his abilities as a defender and build on his strengths going forward, the vision is strong for a possible transfer to Charlotte FC. Jahkeele has all of the qualities needed to become one of the top fullbacks in the MLS; in fact, I believe that Marshall-Rutty could take after current players Patrick Agyemang and Adilson Malanda. In what sense do I mean? In the sense that Marshall-Rutty could become too good for the MLS, too good for the top European clubs to pass him. That's an upside that I would be willing to buy into.