MLS Charlotte FC

Charlotte FC's Roster Going into the Expansion Draft

Published on December 13, 2021 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Charlotte FC News Release


Charlotte's new MLS team was first announced on December 17th of 2019. Nearly to the day two years later, Charlotte FC are on the verge of another historic moment.

That moment is the 2021 Expansion Draft that Charlotte FC will be the sole participants of on December 14th. It's a one-time only opportunity for the Club to acquire a total of five players with MLS experience to help bolster the inaugural squad.

A lot has happened since December 17th so I forgive you if you can't name every single one of the 11 players Charlotte FC has thus far, but that's what I'm here for. This is where Charlotte FC's roster currently standslooks like going into the Expansion Draft:

Goalkeepers

Pablo Sisniega - As of right now, there is only one goalkeeper on the books for Charlotte FC. Pablo Sisniega was acquired through a trade with LAFC.

Defenders

Christian Fuchs (Left-Back) - Premier League champion Fuchs was signed from Leicester City this previous summer. He will bring experience and leadership from the highest levels of soccer around the world having captained both Leicester City and Austria.

Guzmán Corujo (Centre-Back) - Uruguayan Corujo was signed on a free transfer from one of the most successful teams in Uruguay and in all of South American, Nacional. He is a no-nonsense defender that is aggressive but intelligent.

Jan Sobociński (Centre-Back) - Sobociński came from Polish side LKS Lodz and has represented the Polish national team at the youth levels. Despite only being 22 years old, he has made over 100 appearances between the first and second divisions of Poland.

Jaylin Lindsey (Right-Back) - Lindsey is a 21-year-old Charlotte native who is coming back home after spending the past five years in the Sporting Kansas City academy and first team. He's also represented the United States national team at the youth levels, most notably at the 2017 U17 World Cup.

Adam Armour (Left-Back) - Another player from the Carolinas who has represented the United States at the youth levels, 19-year-old Adam Armour is from Raleigh and was acquired from Nürnburg in Germany.

Midfielders

Sergio Ruiz - The club's first ever signing, Spaniard Ruiz was acquired from Racing de Santander in Spain. He was then loaned to Las Palmas in the second division of Spain where he was a key player in his time there.

Brandt Bronico - The original Charlotte native on Charlotte's roster, Bronico played at the collegiate level at UNC Charlotte and was drafted in 2017 by MLS team, Chicago Fire. He will bring valuable MLS experience to the team.

Riley McGree - 23-year-old Australian McGree was the club's second ever signing. He was loaned to Birmingham in the second division of the English soccer ladder. What began as a slow start has ended with McGree thriving in his time in England.

Jordy Alcívar - Alcívar was signed from L.D.U Quito in Ecuador's domestic league. He's notched over 85 games, including several games in the elite South American continental tournament, Copa Libertadores, at the young age of 22.

Forwards

Vinicius Mello (Striker) - The lone out-and-out attacker, the19-year-old Brazilian striker was signed from Charlotte FC head coach Miguel Ramirez's previous team Internacional in Brazil. He is the club's first U-22 Initiative player which is a new roster mechanism to encourage MLS teams to sign young players.

Anyone can see that the current roster is predominantly filled with defenders and midfielders. What may look like an imbalance on the surface was completely intentional with the Club focusing on building the spine of the team first.

"As you can see, we've built through the spine," sporting director Zoran Krneta told MLSsoccer.com at the beginning of November. "That was always our intention - we believe that's the most important part of the team - and now we have our whole coaching staff on board. It's much easier than the beginning when we started."

While CLTFC are ahead of any other expansion side when it comes to their roster at this point, there are still plenty of spots still left to fill. The Expansion Draft will be key in filling those gaps where depth is needed.

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