Ashley Westwood lay flat on a stretcher as he was carried off the pitch of London Stadium.
Minutes earlier, he was extending his right foot out to win a ball in the 22nd minute of a 0-0 match against West Ham. A second later, Nikola Vlašić’s weight was on top of his right leg before he slid off and Westwood stayed on the ground in pain. Westwood’s right foot was twisted the wrong way, being both dislocated and fractured.
On April 17, 2022, in that moment, his time in the Premier League finished. More than four years later, Westwood is four seasons into authoring a new chapter in MLS and rewriting his personal records with Charlotte FC.
He has notched 12 goal contributions (3G+9A) this season, his most since his 2010-11 campaign when he was just 20 years old with Crewe Alexandria in League Two when he recorded 13 contributions (5G+8A).
“With age comes experience, you see the game differently,” Westwood said. “The game sort of slows down so you know what's happening around you. It's nice to back it up with numbers and the most important thing for me as well, I'm still running around because once your legs go that’s it, you're done. ”
When Westwood suffered the injury, not only did he think that his Premier League career was over with Burnley being relegated, but he also thought his career was over – period.
Westwood was firm on being able to come back from the injury during the first month of the rehab but as the process went on and he was missing benchmarks, it was becoming harder to overcome setbacks and imagine a world where he overcame the injury.
“The first few weeks is easy because you're so determined to do everything right and do the right things and recovery in the first month is very quick,” Westwood said. “Then it got to like two or three months where I just couldn't break through, and I was behind on every target. That's when it gets tough. I thought I was done in England at the age of 32. There were some dark days. ”
Then in came an opportunity from an improbable place – Charlotte, North Carolina.
Charlotte FC General Manager and Chief Soccer Officer Zoran Krneta called Westwood to let him know that The Crown were interested in signing him from Burnley. Just months removed from an injury that he thought would make him hang up the boots, he reconsidered.
Westwood flew from England to Charlotte to learn more about the club and see what he was potentially signing himself up for. Assistant General Manager Bobby Belair gave Westwood the superstar treatment. Belair showed him around the Queen City, in turn showing him the weather that North Carolina had to offer before finishing the day with courtside seats at a Charlotte Hornets game on a cool December day.
The trip to Charlotte sold Westwood on the idea of coming to North Carolina and MLS, delaying his retirement. Back home, he was being told by his family that he shouldn’t hang up the boots just yet.
“When you've got family saying you can't retire yet -- money's irrelevant,” Westwood said. “You want to do it for them, and thankfully the little boy wanted to watch me play, so now if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here playing.”
Westwood signed with The Crown on January 7, 2023, and a month later, he made his club debut wearing the captain’s armband in front of a home crowd. However, midway into his fourth game, the injury bug reared its head again.
After playing 45 minutes for Charlotte FC in a game against Orlando, Westwood couldn’t continue. Something was nagging the Skipper to the point where he needed to come off. Team doctors did an MRI on Westwood, revealing that he had torn his hip flexor – an injury that could keep Westwood out for three months.
Retirement never entered Westwood’s mind this time though, he was going to get back on the pitch. As Westwood rehabbed and worked with Charlotte FC’s staff, what was supposed to something that held him out until June, only kept him out until April 22. He made his return to the pitch against D.C. United on April 29 and since then, hasn’t missed a game due to injury.
“I came here to build this club and help build it, so I had a determination to stick to my word,” Westwood said. “(Zoran) showed enormous faith in me signing with one ankle, so that was in that was in my mind, I didn't want to let him down. I didn't want to, more importantly, let myself down and let the family down. I've moved them all this way, so I can't just move them here and then mess them up again. It was a determination to come back from it.”
Westwood has been among the best players for Charlotte FC during his tenure with the Club. He ranks second all-time for Charlotte FC in assists (24) while leading the Club in assists in 2024 (6) and finishing in the top five among the Club every season.
He has set career-highs in assists this season and is second on Charlotte FC with nine. Westwood has also scored nine goals with the Club, more than he scored in more games with Burnley (7) or Aston Villa (5). He’s third on the team in goals (3) and is tied for second with 12 goal contributions.
“Technically he's one of our best, if not our best,” Head Coach Dean Smith said. “His legs probably aren't the legs of a 22-year-old, obviously, but his quality is there for us to see.”
Even at “36 years young” as Smith termed Westwood’s age, he said Westwood is still playing passionate soccer for Charlotte FC. Whether it’s an enthusiastic mood on the training grounds or becoming more assertive once the whistle blows, Westwood is taking his game just as serious as he did at the beginning of his career.
“I think some people would find it striking like, ‘Oh, he's 35, 36,’ he's getting older, you wouldn't think a player of that age would have his best season, but I feel like he’s timeless,” Bronico said. “On top of being a leader and a captain, he goes out every single day, takes his training seriously, shows up, and also on the field, obviously takes what he does in training and applies it to the game. ”
In every game that Westwood has started for The Crown, he has worn the armband, embodying the role of captain both on and off the pitch. With Westwood serving as Charlotte FC’s leader, he has set the standard for professionalism and commitment throughout the squad.
“I think the club needed, a consistent leader and a consistent captain and we have that in Ashley Westwood,” Charlotte FC midfielder Brandt Bronico said. “He's shown it through the course of his career here, like I said before, all of those characteristics that a captain has, how relentless you can be holding guys accountable. bringing up that culture in the locker room, so just kind of emphasizing all those major areas that what a captain needs to do, and he does it very well.”
Westwood has extended his first-time captaincy of the club to being a captain for the entire Charlotte FC system. He has made an effort to talk to players throughout the ranks of the Club. Whether it’s Crown Legacy FC or one of Charlotte FC’s youth teams, Westwood is trying to improve the club whether it’s with the first-team or off the pitch with the younger talent of The Crown.
According to Bronico, Westwood also organizes team outings for the team. Whether it’s him bringing his teammates to Topgolf or just a team dinner out in Charlotte, trying to mold the chemistry of the team so the on-pitch product illustrates that. Westwood’s even bringing his captain’s duties to non-team events as well, showing up for Bronico’s fundraiser on September 27.
“I know he's a big into developing the academy, talking to those academy guys, helping out with them, giving them tips and advice and instructions,” Bronico said. “He does a lot. He organizes team events, even pays for some of them himself, right? One thing I might add, I had my annual fundraiser this year and he showed up and I think that speaks volumes of who he is not only as a captain, but as a person as well.”
With spending the last four years in Charlotte, Westwood and his family have made the city home. Part of Westwood’s form during his time with Charlotte FC he has attributed to the move from living in different parts of England to living in the city.
“Coming here, your body just feels better,” Westwood said. “You wake up to blue skies. The weather's incredible. We're in October and it's 75 degrees, so that was the biggest difference. It feels better on your body. You wake up with energy and not only that, but the biggest thing also I found was how clean it was and walking around the city, it's immaculate. Everything's manicured, so I got very lucky with landing in Charlotte and hopefully it's home for a few more years. ”
Another positive to living in Charlotte?
Golf.
With multiple courses in Charlotte and throughout the state, Westwood’s had his choice of places to go play. He was able to experience Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte this past May while caddying for Smith during the Truist Championship Pro-Am, allowing him to walk the site of the PGA Championship.
“That’s what brings a smile to my face – golf,” Westwood said. “We're not short of golf courses around here, so we get the weather, fortunate to play of some of the best courses on the east coast. That is my release. I dropped the kids off at school on the day off. If I give the wife a bit of time in the weekend, then sometimes she'll let me have my choosing to play golf, and that is where you just relax and you don't think about anything.”
As Charlotte FC continues to build its identity, Westwood has stood at the heart of its ambitions, wearing the captain’s armband and being a backbone for the squad with his experience and standards.
For Westwood, his journey with Charlotte FC is still ongoing, and he wants to bring hardware to the city. Westwood has embraced the responsibility of being a leader and is motivated every day by the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the club and its supporters.
“Since I’ve got here, (it’s the) best decision that we've made and thankfully Zoran (Krneta) and the club put some faith in me, and I'd like to think I've paid them back,” Westwood said. “This is the most love I've ever felt in my career and, I've said it, I won't be happy until I win something here.”
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