Where Does Charlotte FC Go From Here?
The Crown faces two must-win matches in a row to make it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the first time. What happens if they can't get the job done?
NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2025 — Today could be the end of the line for Charlotte FC’s 2025 campaign.
The Crown has to play on a small, challenging pitch — at Yankee Stadium — that gives New York City FC an additional advantage to home field fans. Should Charlotte prevail — possible, with the return of Wilfried Zaha — they still have to go back home to Bank of America Stadium and beat a team that already has two wins against Charlotte this year.
So what happens at the end of the season? Everything is on the line — including the future of many players and technical staff. If Charlotte doesn’t improve over last year’s playoff result, could head coach Dean Smith’s job be in trouble as well?
In the coming days, we’ll break down the future of the Crown — regardless of how today’s match goes. First, the players we’ve already (or are about to) say goodbye to.
Already Out the Door
Adilson Malanda
Few Charlotte FC players are as beloved as Adilson Malanda, and few - if any - players have grown as much as he has at Charlotte FC.
Last year Malanda — along with MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Kristijan Kahlina — formed the core of Charlotte’s impenetrable defense, earning quite a few bottles of wine from head coach Dean Smith along the way.
His football IQ is high, and his intellect comes through frequently in conversation. The defensive errors he committed during Christian Lattanzio’s tenure as head coach have almost completely disappeared from his game.
Per Transfermarkt, he had a market value of €1 million when he joined the Crown from Rodez AF in France’s Ligue 2; Middlesbrough (in the English Championship) paid seven times that to acquire him. While he is on loan back to Charlotte through the playoffs, after Charlotte’s season ends Malanda will board a plane for North Yorkshire in England as he rejoins Boro.
We can’t wait to see him play against Patrick Agyemang and Derby County on January 1.
Completed Transfers
Charlotte FC has said goodbye to six other players this year. Patrick Agyemang needs no introduction as the biggest outgoing transfer in Charlotte FC’s history, at a reported $10 million total. More on that saga here.
While the club is missing Agyemang’s physicality against New York City FC, it’s clear that Charlotte FC general manager sees Idan Toklomati as the future of the team.
Inaugural season veterans George Marks and Ben Bender were released after failing to get minutes under Dean Smith; both quickly found their way to Philadelphia Union, who Charlotte could face in the second round of the playoffs for an awkward family reunion in a couple weeks.
Defender João Pedro joined Polish First Division side Radomiak Radom, with a good bit of business attached: Charlotte FC retains 40% of any future sale through a sell-on clause. Croatian First Division side NK Varaždin took Iuri Tavares off of Charlotte’s hands for free; the Crown retains 20% of any future sale.
Finally, Charlotte bought out defender Souleyman Doumbia’s loan in August after a third injury sidelined him. New addition Harry Toffolo has demonstrated that he’s more than up to the task as a replacement.
Up Next
In our next article on the future of Charlotte FC, we’ll talk about the team’s untouchables; but first, expect a write-up of today’s match from Soccer Sheet.