In an enthralling 3-3 match between Charlotte FC and the Seattle Sounders, an unexpected hero emerged on Saturday night. With key forwards Enzo Copetti and Kamil Jóźwiak sidelined by injuries, Patrick Agyemang, a SuperDraft pick, found himself catapulted into the first team after predominantly playing for Crown Legacy, the Club's MLS Next Pro team.
Within a matter of weeks, Agyemang achieved multiple milestones. He made his MLS debut, earned his first MLS start, and crucially scored his inaugural MLS goal, which secured a valuable point for the Crown against the Sounders.
“Feels good, feels good. I always had dreams of scoring in MLS, and especially in the Bank,” said Agyemang with a gleaming smile. “Like when I first got here, that was one of my first dreams, just scoring in the Bank in front of the crowd. I'm just blessed to do so. It was just something I really wanted to do and I'm grateful to achieve it.”
"At first I was just very excited and celebrated but then was like let's go again, let's get another one because I want to keep scoring. As a striker you want to keep scoring. Unlucky we couldn't do it again but I'm just grateful to help the team get a point.”
Agyemang's influence in the match might have taken some by surprise, but not his Head Coach Christian Lattanzio, who is well aware of the 22-year-old's ability to trouble the opposing teams.
“Patrick came with his characteristics,” remarked Lattanzio. “He’s a fighter, he trains with us all the time, so he understands the difficulties of playing at this level. He’s improved a lot by just training with the first team, and today I think we used his strengths to create problems for Seattle. He did well and I’m very pleased for him.”
Acknowledging the challenges of transitioning from college soccer to the professional level, Agyemang openly admitted during his post-match press conference that it hasn't been a smooth journey. However, he attributed his time at Legacy as a crucial factor in aiding his preparation for this significant moment.
“I think Crown Legacy helped me a lot because it gave me game time and allowed me to really get the right movement up to MLS. Coming from college, it's a little tricky to just go straight into it, I know some people could do it, but in my case it was hard.
“It would have been hard for me just to get straight into it, so I think Crown Legacy really helped me get my game going and let me really have a good feel of the professional level.”
The speed at which his teammates embraced him, both on the first and second teams, has also been influential in his adjustment to his new journey as a professional footballer.
"Just coming in at first, I was very nervous. Coming into a professional environment I was like, I don't know if these guys would even talk to me. But from the beginning, and even now, these guys are like my brothers, and they treat me as one of them. They're always behind me, like you even saw in the [Ashley Westwood] interview last week.
“You can see that Brotherhood we have. It's a family environment and I'm just so blessed to be here. I could be somewhere else where maybe it's not the same and it could really potentially affect my game. However, these guys always encourage me, each day in training, and in everything I do. They want me to get better each day. It’s good and I'm happy to be here.”
