CHARLOTTE – Fresh off getting new contracts, Joseph Mora and Anton Walkes are some of the most experienced Major League Soccer players on this Charlotte FC roster. They are crucial in aiding players who are not used to MLS with their adaptation to the league, a role they are embracing.
“It’s important for us to help out teammates who haven’t played in the league,” Mora said. “It’s a very intense league, and we can help the others know what they need to do to adjust.”
Walkes is still only 24 years old but has taken the initiative to mentor the younger players because he empathizes with them after being in their shoes not too long ago.
“The young guys seemed to have settled very quickly. I know what it is like to be young, so I’ve tried on my part to help them as much as possible. Just to let them know that this is only the start of something, and they need to work as hard as they can.”
Intense is the word that both Mora and Walkes used to describe the league, citing it as one of the main factors that their teammates will have to adjust to.
“The intensity, it’s one of the most intense leagues in the world. It’s a constant back and forth...,” Walkes described MLS. “You have to stay switched on because some of these games can turn around really quick.”
However, their teammates aren’t the only ones having to learn new things. Both Walkes and Mora approach their jobs as students and are absorbing everything head coach Miguel Angel Ramírez is throwing at them.
“I’m always a student, I’m always looking to learn new things,” Mora said. “I’ve already learned so many things from him [Miguel], especially when it comes to positioning.”
“Before I even came to Charlotte, he [Miguel] just taught me stuff straight away...,” Walkes said. “You just try to absorb as much as you can.
When asked to describe his coach, Walkes sat in silence and pondered for a moment.
“Educator. And that doesn’t do him justice for all that he does.”
Unsurprisingly with their recent contract extensions, both Mora and Walkes have impressed in preseason. Neither are being shy in their fiery desire to play and help contribute to the team.
“I’m used to giving my all and put it all on the coach’s decision,” Mora said. “Soccer will always be like that. [I] just have to continue working my hardest so that I can be on the pitch.”
“I just want to play, I want to enjoy the competition,” Walks said. “You could play me striker, if I could score goals, and I would try.”
Mora and Walkes are aware of the team’s ambitious goals but are confident in their ability to achieve them with the roster they have.
“It’s a good mix, there’s a lot of different types of experience within the team which is good,” Walkes described the group. “Everybody has had some taste of football around the world... we’ve all had our own challenges and it is good to see because I can pick up stuff off of them and I can help some of the guys who haven’t played in the league.”
“I think that we can focus on making playoffs and maybe even going further. We have a lot of quality players on this team,” said Mora. “There is a strong desire in this group to win and that is so important”
