Charlotte FC Hangs Up on Big Pat
Charlotte FC is reportedly close to an $8 million deal that would send star striker Patrick Agyemang to English Championship side Derby County. Why didn't the club accept the charges to keep Big Pat?
One of Charlotte’s most famous residents - evangelist Billy Graham - was fond of the old cliche that compares one’s spending to one’s values.
As the Reverend put it, “Give me five minutes with a person's checkbook, and I will tell you where their heart is.”
In the case of the soccer team that came to the Queen City a century after Billy did, Charlotte FC’s heart is no longer in star striker Patrick Agyemang, whose meteoric rise to the United States Men’s National Team has led to interest in the player from around the world.
Instead of meeting Agyemang’s salary requirements, Charlotte FC is set to sell the player for a reported $8 million.
In a sport currently flush with money, Agyemang is paid the bare minimum. Under a “rookie contract,” he has made the MLS minimum salary since being drafted by Charlotte in 2022.
Last year, that minimum salary figure was $71,401. For 2025, Agyemang’s pay increased slightly to $104,000 as he moved to a senior roster spot.
The rookie salary made sense in 2023, when Agyemang played for Crown Legacy FC, the organization’s second team. However, last season Agyemang led Charlotte FC in goals with 10, and this year he remains the team leader with 6.
With Agyemang 9th in overall MLS jersey sales in 2025, second only to Wilfried Zaha for Charlotte FC players; and scoring 5 goals for the United States in only 9 appearances, it’s surprising Agyemang’s contract has stayed at the minimum pay rate.
Multiple outlets, including Soccer Sheet, have reported a new contract for Agyemang has been in the works for months, but that the parties haven’t been able to meet on the salary amount. However, based on recent salary figures from the MLS Players Association, none of the offers made to Agyemang would put him in the top 11 paid players on the squad despite his status as starting striker.
Even compared to many of his second- or third-tier USMNT teammates, Agyemang’s salary is low; for example, Vancouver Whitecaps forward Brian White — who has scored one goal in 7 appearances for the U.S. — earns an annual salary of $1 million.
Soccer Sheet can report Charlotte FC has never offered Agyemang even half of that figure thanks to a source with knowledge of the ongoing negotiations.
“We’re not in a position as a club where we need to sell anybody, especially if it’s going to weaken our team …We spoke to Patrick and his representatives to try and sign a longer deal with this club on better wages, but they turned that down. We’ll see where we go with it. But as I’ve always said, he’s our player for another 18 months, and unless there’s a deal that’s right for this football club, then Patrick is our player, and we enjoy having him here.”
Charlotte FC Head Coach Dean Smith
The team’s final offer to retain Agyemang was significantly lower than another one of Agyemang’s young United States teammates, Diego Luna, who earns a base salary of $450,000 after signing a new contract with Real Salt Lake last year.
For months, multiple clubs in the English Championship — one step below the Premier League — have demonstrated interest in Agyemang. This week, multiple European clubs have shown real interest, potentially leading to one of the highest-ever transfer fees for an MLS player originally acquired in the draft (the league record is Jozy Altidore, who was bought by Villareal from New York Red Bulls for $10 million in 2006).
On the other hand, Charlotte FC head coach Dean Smith told reporters this week that “We’re not in a position as a club where we need to sell anybody, especially if it’s going to weaken our team … But as I’ve always said, he’s our player for another 18 months, and unless there’s a deal that’s right for this football club, then Patrick is our player, and we enjoy having him here.”
Despite Smith’s assurances, Agyemang’s future at Charlotte FC is in serious doubt, as a fundamental disagreement over Agyemang’s value is pushing away the closest thing Charlotte has had to a national team hero since Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning of the Charlotte Hornets led the second “Dream Team” in 1994.
So why is Charlotte FC hanging up on Patrick Agyemang?
From Rhode Island to Rookie Contract
Starting with Queen City Nerve in early 2024, Patrick Agyemang’s rise from Division III college soccer all the way to the U.S. Men’s National Team is well-documented, but the pivotal moment came when Charlotte FC acquired him from Rhode Island University’s Atlantic 10 soccer program in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.
His professional signing coincided with Charlotte FC’s first year fielding a team in MLS NEXT Pro, and that team — Crown Legacy FC — gave Agyemang and other future first-team starters like Andrew Privett a chance to shine.
It was also a chance for Charlotte FC supporters like Alicia Lalone to get to know Big Pat before the rest of the world.
“I’m definitely a super fan and have been since his Crown Legacy days,” Lalone told Soccer Sheet. “He’s just always had spark and energy and has been absolutely deeply appreciative of all the fan support since day one! His family is so supportive of him and his journey … he has so much talent and so much potential.”
After making the shift from Crown Legacy to the first team in 2023, Agyemang scored goals in both the Leagues Cup and the MLS playoffs. In the offseason, over 50% of voters in Soccer Sheet’s Footy Awards voted Agyemang the “Breakout Local Star.”
Last year, after the club parted ways with under-performing striker Enzo Copetti, Agyemang became the team’s top choice up top, even after the unexpected return of DP forward Karol Świderski from loan. In addition to leading the team in goals, Agyemang had one of the best stories on a team full of them.
“He’s a total fan favorite in Charlotte,” said Lalone. ”Wherever he lands next, his winning attitude and amazing, easy-going friendly nature will definitely win fans over.”
Throughout 2024, many key players for Charlotte FC signed new contracts — the first time in the club’s short history that there was a mass renewal of salary agreements.
Specifically, Kristijan Kahlina bumped his base salary up to $750,000 during his Goalkeeper of the Year season; standout center back Adilson Malanda would earn over $1 million in guaranteed compensation; and Kerwin Vargas, whose offensive output has been significantly outpaced by Agyemang, renewed his contract at $683,750.
According to sources, most of the early offers to Agyemang, however, were closer to the $251,000 in guaranteed compensation that Agyemang’s SuperDraft classmate Andrew Privett agreed to.
Like Agyemang, Privett was signed to Charlotte FC under a rookie contract, and was earning the minimum salary until he signed a new contract in May.
The standard MLS rookie contract for drafted players is for three years at minimum salary with a club option for the fourth. The process is significantly different from the academy to pro pathway in Europe, and gives MLS clubs significant leverage in future negotiations.
Drafts are common in other domestic sports, but are a rarity outside the United States. They tend to limit options for individual players, and the lack of competition in the draft process depresses salaries.
For players like Agyemang and Privett, who became first team starters in less than a year with the organization, clubs have less of an incentive to renegotiate contracts since they can hold on to breakout players for less than three years. Even at a position like striker, which typically commands a premium price, draft players tend to be undervalued compared to academy prospects who have the power of a club negotiating on their behalf.
Additionally, most MLS clubs haven’t had the success of Charlotte FC in drafting exceptional players.
In the interest of parity — and due to pressure from players — some domestic soccer leagues have eliminated the draft. The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) eliminated its draft as part of its latest collective bargaining agreement after the new USL Super League announced it would not have a draft.
While MLS will have a draft for the foreseeable future, change may be coming. Earlier this month, the U.S. Soccer Federation formally established the NextGen College Soccer Committee (NCS), which will “properly consider the development pathway and progression to college soccer, ensuring any proposed solutions reflect the full scope of the game in the U.S.”
The connectivity between college teams and professional leagues is also part of the committee’s scope.
The Race to Sign Agyemang Heats Up
While Charlotte FC received offers for their striker last year, Agyemang’s profile has risen significantly since joining the USMNT for the first time in January of this year.
“[USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino] believes in me now,” Agyemang told Soccer Sheet after his second USMNT call-up in March. ”I believe in myself, and to be able to showcase it day in and day out, on the field, working hard, doing the right things, applying the right principles, and ultimately being a threat that I am on the field. And I think if I continue doing that, then at that point everything else should work itself out in a good way.”
Agyemang scored in both of his first two appearances for the national team, as both a starter and a substitute. During his call-up for the Concacaf Nations League, he was the only player to score for the United States over the course of two disappointing losses.
Now, during the Concacaf Gold Cup — the last major tournament for the United States prior to hosting the Men’s World Cup next year — Agyemang has racked up two goals in group stage play, for a total of five goals in his first nine caps for the U.S.
Agyemang is not a perfect striker, and in recent appearances has received significant criticism from USMNT fans on social media platforms. Agyemang’s detractors see him as too clumsy and not technically skilled enough to convert chances, and it is true that if he makes the United States’ World Cup squad, he’s likely to be the third-string option at striker.
It’s unclear what Agyemang’s ceiling is, and that uncertainty may be one of the motivating factors behind Charlotte FC working to secure their highest-ever transfer fee for a player while interest is hot.
On Monday, hours after Agyemang scored the winning goal for the USMNT in the squad’s Concacaf Gold Cup match against Haiti, Charlotte FC head coach Dean Smith told reporters at a press conference that contract negotiations between the club and Agyemang continued to be at an impasse.
"We spoke to Patrick and his representatives to try and sign a longer deal with this club on better wages, but they turned that down,” said Smith. “We'll see where we go with it."
The deal Smith mentioned was the latest in a series of rejected offers and counteroffers from both camps.
Then on Tuesday, a full month from the beginning of the league’s summer transfer window, conflicting reports came out about Agyemang’s future at the club. Fabrizo Romano reported English second-tier side Derby County was closing in on a deal for Agyemang.
Afterward, Soccer Sheet and Tom Bogert both independently reported that while the interest in Agyemang and bids for the player were real, no deal was close.
On Wednesday, Bogert reported Charlotte FC was closing in on a deal for midfielder Pep Biel, who is having a breakout season for the Crown. Interestingly, it would not be a “Designated Player” deal, meaning Charlotte would have increasingly limited budget space if they have to pay to extend the terms of the loan; their budget is already tight due to new signings and renegotiated contracts.
In February 2025, before acquiring Souleyman Doumbia at a salary cap hit of over $540,000, and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty at an estimated cap hit of $423,000, Charlotte reported having $650,444 in “General Allocation Money” or GAM, the only type of money that can be used to pay player salaries under the MLS maximum salary budget charge of $743,750.
Even with the midseason release of Ben Bender to acquire Marshall-Rutty due to injuries, the club doesn’t have much room to work with. In the May roster summary, Charlotte FC had $0 in GAM.
Charlotte FC’s total salary spend is $17,133,984 under a roster model that gives them 2 Designated Player slots. On the surface, it appears Charlotte would not have the GAM remaining to make a serious offer to retain Agyemang.
When asked if Charlotte FC was unable to make a better offer to Agyemang due to budget constraints, a spokesperson for Charlotte FC declined to comment.
However, even if budget is an issue, Charlotte FC could have found ways to increase their GAM if retaining Agyemang was a priority. Earlier this month, Charlotte FC general manager Zoran Krneta told MLSSoccer.com that Agyemang would be hard to replace:
“We're not in a rush. We might listen to something if there is an offer that satisfies the club first, and obviously that Patrick is interested in going, then we might listen to it,” said Krneta, a former agent and scout with ample connections across the Atlantic. “But we don't need to do it. We need to have a replacement ready as well, which is not that easy. It's very difficult to replace a player like Patrick; I think it’s almost impossible considering his roster spot and that he’s American.
Instead, it looks as if Charlotte has called Pat for the last time. On Friday, Agyemang’s deal with Derby County was reaching the finish line at a price-tag of $8 million, according to Tom Bogert.
“I hate [that Pat] doesn’t get the proper recognition,” Lalone told Soccer Sheet. “He has so much talent and so much potential. I hope wherever he lands next is truly appreciative of his talents and the hard work he puts in, and the great teamwork and camaraderie he brings to the table.”
Should Agyemang ink an international deal, he’ll have to wait until the opening of the MLS transfer window on July 24 to make the move official. That will give Agyemang one last domestic hurrah before the World Cup: the chance to play in the MLS All Star Game in Austin on July 23.
Agyemang “Keeping the Foot on the Gas”
Agyemang, for his part, has appreciated being able to play for Charlotte FC and learn from Smith. Below is an excerpt from an interview with Agyemang earlier this year.
Soccer Sheet: I just talked to Charlotte FC Head Coach Dean Smith about you, and he said he really understands the role that he plays in your development. He said, “It’s your career,” but more than a national coach he's going to work with you.
How has that relationship grown over the past year and change? How do you think Dean has helped you the most on your career? And how do you think he's gonna continue to be able to help going forward as you progress both in MLS and on the National Team?
Patrick Agyemang: Yeah, I think he's already played a vital role in my career. And he's definitely gonna be someone that I won't forget as my career continues going. Maybe I go different places and stuff. I won't forget him because of what he's instilled in me so far.
It's just the little things for me. At the beginning of last year I hadn’t had the biggest role. Obviously I had started, but it wasn't as big as a role. Now I'm starting most of the games.
Last year, I was fighting for a spot, and towards the end it was just like little things. When we played Orlando, Dean told me to take the first penalty kick, and it's an example of him starting to put these big roles on my shoulders, and responsibilities that I need to instill into myself if I want to be a top player. I have to take a lot of the priority to do so.
So Dean’s done that with me, and going into this year he's also said the same things, for example that he trusted me. He believes in me, but he would tell me straight if I have a bad game. He’ll tell me what I need to work on, and he won't sugarcoat it. And for me I need that in my career and in my development, and I think he has a perfect balance, and how he communicates with me and ultimately allows me makes me want to continue playing well, working hard and off the pitch, and getting wins.
Neither Charlotte FC nor Agyemang’s and his agents replied to multiple requests to comment, or for an interview related to this story.
“I think for me, I just need to keep the foot on the gas and just keep going,” Agyemang told Soccer Sheet in March. “As long as I continue keeping the right principles for myself, I know everything will click.”