For the entire time that FC Cincinnati and Charlotte FC have been in the league, their match ups have been hard fought battles with little to separate the two squads. Though there is a belief that FCC has improved, and they have entered a space of greater expectations, Charlotte FC is one of the few teams to match their ambitions. Both squads enter Saturday hoping for greater clarity of who they are in 2025.
Charlotte FC last season
In 2024 Charlotte FC entered their season looking for stability and turned to ex-Premier League manager Dean Smith to lead their squad. He was able to be a steady hand in the midst of a roster flip from their inaugural season, leading them to a 14-11-9 record and finishing 5th in the East, their best finish as a club.
Charlotte was confronted with the reality that their established Designated Players, Karol Swiderski, Kamil Jozwiak, and Enzo Copetti had been largely unsuccessful. By the time they kicked off their first game of 2025, the three players had been replaced with two new DPs, attacking wingers Liel Abada and Wilfred Zaha.
Understandably, the addition of ex-Crystal Palace winger Wilfred Zaha has garnered the most headlines, and he has received one Man of the Match performance of the games he has played in thus far. But the biggest addition may be their Spanish attacking midfielder Pep Biel.
Rising through the ranks of La Liga squads, Pep Biel was eventually transferred to FC Copenhagen, before making his way to Olympiacos. Unable to replicate his success at previous stops, he has been constantly loaned out by the Greek squad and became the main string puller for this Charlotte side when he first joined in the summer of 2024.
In his nine appearances last year, he amassed two goals and three assists. While these are not massive on-paper stats, he became the focal point for their counter attacking offense, often being the one to spring willing runners into the attacking half. With an upgrade in attacking winger talent, Charlotte may take the next step and become a legitimate contender in MLS in 2025.
How they measure so far
Despite these offseason upgrades, it is still evident Charlotte is working to integrate these pieces. They have won only one of their first three games and were ponderous and slow trying to break down Inter Miami, even though Miami was down a man for over 50 minutes in their game last week.
Getting out on the break is their preferred method of attacking, but the team will look to build their attacking cohesion, especially as FC Cincinnati has proven their vulnerabilities in a low block.
The two teams kick off at 7:30 PM on Saturday in Charlotte, with the winner taking the inside track to be declared the rightful heir to the Queen City title.
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