Charlotte FC’s Academy has officially kicked off their 2024/2025 season, marking a significant milestone as they enter their fifth year. Welcome back to Next Up; the series focused on highlighting the next generation of Charlotte FC players.
This edition features a 2023/2024 season recap, a preview of the upcoming season, and the latest roster updates.
2023/24 Season Recap
The 2023/2024 season was pivotal for Charlotte FC’s Academy, which continued to strengthen its clear pathway to professional soccer—the cornerstone of the Academy’s mission. Their primary goal remains the same: preparing players for a professional future, which, in Charlotte’s case, means transitioning talent into the Crown Legacy FC system.
This year, the pathway evolved with the introduction of U-16 and U-18 teams, replacing the U-17 and U-20 teams. The current team structure is as follows:
- Discovery Program (U-12/U-13)
- U-14 Team
- U-15 Team
- U-16 Team
- U-18 Team
- MLS Next Pro Team (Crown Legacy FC)
It was a successful season across all age groups, with the Academy meeting and going beyond many of the ambitious goals set at the beginning of the previous year. The U-17 team reached the final of the MLS Next Cup, a remarkable achievement considering how young the Academy is, defeating strong teams like Inter Miami and the LAFC along the way.
The U-15s also impressed, advancing to the knockout stages of both the Generation adidas Cup and the MLS Next Cup before being eliminated by the eventual finalists in both tournaments. While winning isn’t the primary focus in youth soccer, the steady growth in talent and a stable environment led to consistently strong results across the Academy.
“The results typically come when you have good players,” said Executive Academy Director Bryan Scales. “We feel like across the Academy, we’ve raised the level of competitiveness. We have more depth and more talent, and we’ve developed a strong process here at our training center. That naturally leads to players stepping up, and that’s exactly what happened.”
International Success
A critical aspect of player development is stepping outside of familiar environments to face new challenges, and Charlotte FC’s Academy did just that. Competing against MLS teams is vital, but last season saw opportunities to test their abilities against top foreign academies, providing invaluable experience.
The Academy faced international powerhouses such as Sporting Lisbon (Portugal), Monterrey (Mexico), Toulouse (France), and others. One standout moment was when the U-16 team traveled to France, facing Paris Saint-Germain’s U-16s and securing a thrilling 3-2 victory.
These experiences push young players outside their comfort zones, helping them grow and build confidence in their ability to compete with the best on the global stage.
Developing Professionals
While competitive results are encouraging, the Academy’s primary goal is to nurture players capable of transitioning into the professional ranks. Since the establishment of Crown Legacy FC as Charlotte FC’s MLS Next Pro team, the Academy’s mission has been clear – to prepare players for the rigors of the pro environment.
In Crown Legacy’s first season, Academy players racked up around 3,200 minutes of game time with the professional team. This ongoing second season has already seen Academy players accumulate over 5,000 minutes and counting.
“Our job is, first and foremost, to produce players, so it’s a good sign,” Scales explained. “If you see players moving up to Crown Legacy, it means they’re being selected because of their potential. Once they’re in that environment, it’s up to them to prove they can handle it.”
Academy graduate Aron John, for instance, has thrived at the professional level, currently boasting the second-highest number of goal contributions in the league. Additionally, Academy originals James Nyandjo and Simon Tonidande recently made their professional debuts. For the new season, the focus is on building momentum and continuing to feed talent into Crown Legacy FC.
“Now, the challenge is to keep making incremental gains every single day to push more players into the Crown Legacy environment,” said Scales.
Organizational Stability
This will be the Academy’s second season at Atrium Health Performance Park, with much of the coaching staff returning. In any sport, staff turnover is common, but the stability of Charlotte FC Academy’s structure offers a competitive edge going into the new season.
“I think consistency and stability are real competitive advantages in the long run,” Scales said. “Our structure and staff have been in place for over a year now, and that continuity makes a big difference. If you get the messaging, cohesion, and culture right in any organization, you’re already halfway there.”
The Academy has already started the 2024/2025 season on a strong note, with each age group securing victories in their opening matches. Up next, they’ll face local club Queen City Mutiny.
Stay tuned to Next Up for all the latest updates on Charlotte FC’s Academy and its journey in developing the stars of tomorrow.
2024-2025 Rosters
U-17
Landon Alepa - #2, Midfielder (MID)
Sebastian Bourget - #7, Forward (FWD)
Jaydus Camacho - #8, Defender (DEF)
Cristian Chamorro - #9, Defender (DEF)
Ethan Curtis - #11, Midfielder (MID)
Cooper Dissinger - #12, Defender (DEF)
Samuel Duncan - #57, Defender (DEF)
Isaias Elizalde - #14, Forward (FWD)
Trey Faticoni - #28, Goalkeeper (GK)
Pete Fotinos - #15, Defender (DEF)
Benjamin Gooding - #16, Defender (DEF)
Xavier Krause - #62, Forward (FWD)
Adrian Mendoza - #3, Midfielder (MID)
Luke Munson - #13, Defender (DEF)
James Nyandjo - #17, Defender (DEF)
Jayson Quintanilla - #20, Midfielder (MID)
Rocket Ritarita - #56, Forward (FWD)
Steven Rivas - #22, Midfielder (MID)
Jackson Smith - #30, Goalkeeper (GK)
Joshua Stewart - #6, Forward (FWD)
Simon Tonidandel - #25, Midfielder (MID)
Sebastian Ventura - #29, Midfielder (MID)
U-16
Emmanuel Aguilera - #33, Midfielder (MID)
Tyler Beveridge - #34, Defender (DEF)
Colin Brauer - #36, Defender (DEF)
Jackson Davis - #35, Goalkeeper (GK)
Christian Fraley - #27, Forward (FWD)
Ethan Gold - #31, Goalkeeper (GK)
Carlos Gonzalez - #37, Midfielder (MID)
Carsyn Hall - #39, Forward (FWD)
Wyatt Holt - #38, Defender (DEF)
Franco Jaimes - #40, Forward (FWD)
Keegan Kerr - #41, Forward (FWD)
Tatenda Mandiveyi - #43, Forward (FWD)
Malcolm Morris - #46, Forward (FWD)
Logan Moua - #47, Defender (DEF)
Matteo Navas - #48, Midfielder (MID)
Leo Rivas - #49, Defender (DEF)
Gavin Smith - #26, Defender (DEF)
Caleb Starkey - #51, Midfielder (MID)
Nickolas Teixeira - #54, Forward (FWD)
Connor Ulrich - #52, Midfielder (MID)
Brendan Urtecho - #32, Goalkeeper (GK)
U-15
Jeremiah Alexander-Munoz - #61, Defender (DEF)
Wilmer Almendarez - #81, Defender (DEF)
Adam Amireh - #62, Midfielder (MID)
Mathew Andrews - #81, Defender (DEF)
Ricardo Aparicio - #63, Forward (FWD)
Bryce Brandon - #74, Defender (DEF)
Jorge Cedeno - #64, Defender (DEF)
Oliver Cortez - #95, Defender (DEF)
Adam Crawford - #40, Midfielder (MID)
Channing Demarski - #79, Defender (DEF)
Jackson Dempsey - #65, Forward (FWD)
Landon Duggins - #66, Goalkeeper (GK)
Eddie Esquivel - #57, Forward (FWD)
Morra Francios - #68, Forward (FWD)
Bryce Goodwin - #82, Forward (FWD)
Rylon Greene - #70, Midfielder (MID)
Archer Jackeli - #96, Goalkeeper (GK)
Dalis Johnson - #71, Forward (FWD)
Saul Larraga - #42, Goalkeeper (GK)
Ryan Linkous - #72, Midfielder (MID)
Alex Montufar - #73, Midfielder (MID)
Cameron Overbeck - #75, Defender (DEF)
Diego Padilla - #89, Forward (FWD)
Javier Sarmiento - #80, Defender (DEF)
Leighton Seagraves - #54, Defender (DEF)
Marlon Tabora-Paredes - #76, Defender (DEF)
Gabriel Troya - #77, Midfielder (MID)
U-14
Christopher Abdella - #94, Forward (FWD)
Emmanuel Bee - #61, Forward (FWD)
Daniel Brown - #44, Forward (FWD)
Vidar Corvillo - #92, Defender (DEF)
Avery Davis - #85, Forward (FWD)
Kenay De La Cruz Vargas - #67, Midfielder (MID)
Keaton DeJonge - #96, Midfielder (MID)
Jayden Delgado - #93, Midfielder (MID)
Elijah Estrada - #55, Defender (DEF)
Luis Etienne - #58, Forward (FWD)
Westin Frommel - #60, Midfielder (MID)
Anthony Lara - #92, Goalkeeper (GK)
Fernando Mendoza - #83, Forward (FWD)
Alessandro Montoya - #59, Defender (DEF)
Carter Patterson - #90, Midfielder (MID)
Derrick Rivas - #82, Defender (DEF)
Will Robertson - #97, Defender (DEF)
James Rodriguez - #86, Forward (FWD)
Henry Wang - #99, Goalkeeper (GK)
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