Charlotte FC makes its picks tonight in the MLS expansion draft. See who was drafted
Despite a defensive-heavy roster prior to Tuesday, Charlotte FC added more power to its back line during the Major League Soccer expansion draft. It also added a significant amount of allocation money via trade deals following two selections.
Highlighting the five picks for Charlotte FC was 24-year-old English defender Anton Walkes from Atlanta United. He’ll join Charlotte’s squad for its inaugural MLS season in 2022, along with former D.C. United left-back Joseph Mora and former Austin FC forward McKinze Gaines.
“We took the players that we believe can fit in the game model and also players that want to come and want to be here,” Charlotte FC head coach Miguel Ángel Ramírez said.
Walkes began his professional career with Premier League club Tottenham prior to a two-year stint with Portsmouth followed by a move to Atlanta last year. He was widely regarded as a top selection for Charlotte after Atlanta left him unprotected and available for selection in the draft.
According to the MLSPA salary database, Walkes’ guaranteed salary at Atlanta this year was $275,062. He appeared in 33 regular-season games during the 2021 season, winning more than half of his 47 attempted tackles and posting a team-high number of clearances (96) among players in his position.
Charlotte also selected left-back Joseph Mora from D.C. United. Mora, 28, has been a regular member of Costa Rica’s men’s national team and played for top clubs in his home country prior to joining D.C. United in 2018.
He appeared in 26 regular-season games this year but was out of contract with D.C. after the season. His guaranteed salary with the club this year was $198,600, according to the MLSPA database. Ramírez highlighted Walkes’ speed and Mora’s potential as a full-back in the forward-pressing system he wants to run, as well as their MLS minutes.
“We needed to close (the back field positions) with MLS experience,” Ramírez said. “And more than MLS experience, (it’s) MLS experience fitting this game model.”
Charlotte FC also selected forward McKinze Gaines from Austin FC. Gaines, 23, joined his hometown club’s roster mid-season in 2021 for his MLS debut. He scored once against the LA Galaxy and made nine total appearances during the season. Ramírez said that he watched Gaines plays at Austin was immediately interested in bringing him to Charlotte.
“He’s (one of) the fastest players in the league in amazing conditions,” Ramírez said. “He’s not a center forward in my opinion. He was playing as a center forward in Austin. For me, he’s a winger, pure winger.”
Gaines joins 19-year-old Vinicius Mello on Charlotte’s roster as the team’s only two forwards so far.
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For its final two selections, Charlotte instead made out with a significant amount of General Allocation Money (GAM) through trade deals. It added $875,000 total, which is believed to be a league-high acquired during an expansion draft. GAM is a roster-building mechanism that functions like currency. It can be exchanged in trades and used to buy down player salary budget charges.
The club drafted Tristan Blackmon from LAFC and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi from NYCFC but will trade both player contracts for GAM. Blackmon will go to to Vancouver from Charlotte in exchange for $350,000 GAM in 2022 and $125,000 in GAM in ‘23. Tajouri-Shradi’s move will net Charlotte FC $400,000 in GAM in 2022 when he heads to LAFC.
Ramírez noted the “flexibility” the allocation money allows the club in putting together the remainder of its ‘22 roster.
“Now we can adjust and go for other targets that we have in our mind,” Ramírez said. “So now we are in a more flexible scenario for the domestic market for sure, but also for the international market.”
Charlotte FC currently has seven players in an international slot on a roster that totals 14, but Sporting Director Zoran Krneta said that the team expects for a couple of those players to secure green cards before the roster compliance date, which would make space for more international signings. Charlotte FC has 10 international roster slots after trading for two on Sunday, and plans to fill all of those slots for the season.
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 7:22 PM.
