What Can We Expect From Charlotte FC in 2026? Season Preview
- Griffin Weidner
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
The Situation
The MLS is set to kick off its 31st season this week. For Charlotte FC, it will be the franchise's fifth campaign in the top flight of American football. After a first year filled with growing pains, Charlotte FC has qualified for the MLS play-in tournament or playoffs in three consecutive years: 2023, 2024, and 2025. The 2025 season was the club’s best, finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference and earning home-field advantage in the playoffs. Unfortunately, Charlotte FC were unable to make use of the advantage and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive year. As such, the goal of the upcoming campaign will–without a doubt–be to not only return to the MLS Playoffs, but advance within them.
The Offseason
The past year has been filled with high-profile transactions for Charlotte FC. We’ll cover the departures first, which will allow us to properly evaluate the subsequent replacement efforts by the front office. Most notably, the club will be without superstar CB, Adilson Malanda, who completed his transfer to Middlesbrough FC in January. While not an offseason transfer, midway through last season the club lost star ST, Patrick Agyemang, to Derby County, which created a gap to be filled for both the remainder of the season and the offseason. The only other transfer out of the club this offseason was GK, Drake Callender, who never ended up seeing the field for The Crown. We lost two free agents: Eryk Williamson and David Bingham. We declined the options of three players: Nick Scardina, Bill Tuiloma, and Jahlane Forbes. Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, who saw ample gametime for the club last season, will depart the club as his loan has expired. And finally, the club loaned out two players ahead of the new season: Nikola Petkovic and Chituru Odunze.
On the flip side, the club acquired a handful of impact players this offseason. Most notably, Charlotte FC triggered the buy-option for superstar midfielder, Pep Biel, bringing him to the club on a permanent deal. Prior to injury last year, Biel was playing at an MVP level; his healthy return–hopefully for the entirety of the season–will be critical for the squad’s success. The club brought in CB, Henry Kessler, from St. Louis City SC. Prior to his time at STL, Kessler was an out-and-out starter for the New England Revolution, and he was central to their Supporters Shield title in 2021. Charlotte FC GM, Zoran Krneta, said that “Henry comes to Charlotte with a ton of experience and is an MLS caliber starting defender” (Charlotte FC). Further, the club brought in former San Diego FC and USMNT midfielder, Luca De La Torre. Luca raises the floor of our midfield group, bringing experience and versatility all over the park. Krneta mentions that “Luca is entering the prime of his career and will bolster our midfield as he brings technical ability, experience from a top league in the world, and a knowledge and understanding of Major League Soccer… We want to continue to be a destination for USMNT players” (Charlotte FC). The club also added fullback, David Shnegg, from DC United, bringing much needed depth to the club’s position group. Shnegg recorded two assists in his first preseason game this season. Lastly, the club signed veteran GK, Tyler Miller, from Bolton Wanderers in the EFL; he will fit the veteran, backup GK spot previously held by David Bingham.
What to Expect
So, is the club better suited than last year to compete for trophies? There are a few key variables to consider: the system, the roster, and player development. By and large, once a club finds their long-term manager–such as Dean Smith–continuity of the system should stand to benefit the squad. This will be Dean Smith’s third year in charge, and players who have been here for an extended period of time should have intricate knowledge of Dean’s style of play and operational standards. The roster is a tricky one. From last year to this year, I do worry about the loss of Adilson Malanda and Patrick Agyemang. Idan Toklomati has made a profound impact with the club, and he is certainly a starting center forward in the MLS; with that being said, the depth at the striker position is virtually nonexistent at this time.
I’m not worried about Idan’s ability to lead the line for Charlotte FC, but rather our ability to rotate the squad and have a difference maker off the bench. At the CB position, it will be quite difficult to replace Adison Malanda. He was a cornerstone of the team, both on and off the field. Henry Kessler has ample experience and should be able to contribute; and, fans shouldn’t forget about former starter Andrew Privett. But, Tim Ream is at the tail end of his career as well. I’m not sure the backline has the same ceiling as it did in years past. The midfield has certainly been upgraded on the whole; Pep Biel, Ashley Westwood, Luca De La Torre will be a strong trio, and we have additional depth in Brandt Bronico and Djibril Diani. The final key will be player development; if the club wants to take another step forward, our players must improve. Moreso, there must be at least one, if not a few, players who take a large step forward this year, similar to Pep Biel and Idan Toklomati’s emergence last year.
The Bottom Line
To be quite honest, I am hesitant to say that Charlotte FC will be exponentially better in 2026. I am happy with the transactions that the front office made this offseason; with that being said, I do worry about the loss of keystone player Adilson Malanda, among others from last year. We will be competitive, there’s no doubt about that. But, the key factor which will differentiate Charlotte FC from having another similar season and truly taking a step forward is continuous improvement from Dean Smith, the system as a whole, and individual players themselves.
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