Charlotte FC takes Ben Bender with top pick in MLS SuperDraft. Here’s who else they got
Charlotte FC’s roster is up to 23 total players with the addition of its three selections in the MLS SuperDraft on Tuesday. Highlighting the incoming Major League Soccer expansion team’s selections was midfielder Ben Bender from the University of Maryland. He was Charlotte’s first overall pick.
In the next rounds, the club added two players from Carolina programs. Charlotte selected Wake Forest forward Kyle Holcomb in the second round (29th overall), followed by Clemson goalkeeper George Marks in the third round (57th overall).
Holcomb adds positional depth to a roster with just two forwards in Vinícius Mello and Yordy Reyna, and one winger in McKinze Gaines. Holcomb is a Southern California native who ranks seventh in Wake Forest men’s soccer history in career goals, scoring 33 for the Demon Deacons.
The addition of Marks, a Raleigh native, from the 2021 NCAA champion Tigers program also helps bolster a keeper-needy roster. Pablo Sisniega and Kristijan Kahlina are Charlotte FC’s only other goalkeepers.
While the team is stacked in the midfield, Bender provides depth. He’s known for his skill as a box-to-box midfielder with adept passing, dribbling and attacking abilities. He wrapped his sophomore season for the Terps in November, earning All-Big Ten selections two years in a row. He was the unanimous Big Ten Midfielder of the Year in 2021.
Bender was also part of this year’s Generation Adidas class, meaning his initial MLS salary will not be charged against Charlotte FC’s annual salary budget. His domestic status as a Baltimore native also likely made him an attractive first selection for Charlotte FC. Although he has limited Carolina ties, his older brother, Jacob Bender, played for the city’s USL team, the Charlotte Independence, for a brief stint in 2017.
A first-round pick doesn’t guarantee that Bender will be an immediate starter for Charlotte FC, nor will he be listed on the team’s senior roster. He’ll fill a Supplemental Roster slot (slots 21-30) for the club that has yet to announce its biggest and most costly designated player signings.
Bender will be able to develop behind the likes of Charlotte FC’s previously signed midfielders Sergio Ruiz, Brandt Bronico, Jordy Alcívar and Alan Franco. Australian attacking midfielder Riley McGree is speculated to be transferring clubs, so that would leave another opening before the start of the 2022 season in February. Charlotte FC also added 20-year-old midfielder Chris Hegardt from Georgetown University last week.
Bender had seven goals and five assists for Maryland last season, leading the team in both categories, and started 27 of the 29 matches he played in over both years.
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This story was originally published January 11, 2022 at 3:13 PM.
