Goal-scorer Enzo Copetti chose Charlotte FC over several other clubs to ‘set a legacy’
Enzo Copetti heard the tired trope about Major League Soccer — the one that claims MLS isn’t an international destination for great players in their prime.
He just didn’t pay it any mind.
In fact, the 26-year-old striker, who spent the 2022 season as the best scorer on one of the top clubs in Argentina, doesn’t see his career move to the United States, or to Charlotte FC, as anything other than “an evolution.”
“It’s not a regression,” Copetti told reporters in Spanish on Wednesday, in his first news conference since his signing with the club was announced. “It’s an evolution. It’s a step forward in my career. MLS is very competitive.
“Journalists talk too much in Argentina, so I don’t take their words (personally). I’ll keep working.”
Wednesday, weeks after the news was initially reported by various international outlets, Charlotte FC announced that Copetti had signed a Designated Player contract through the 2025 season with an option for 2026. The personnel move was one of several the Queen City club has made in an already transformative offseason, and it’s perhaps its most ambitious: Charlotte FC reportedly paid a $6.3 million transfer fee for Copetti, and CLTFC sporting director Zoran Krneta called the move of “securing a top striker entering the prime of his career” a “big achievement” for the club.
The signing immediately brings a boost to Charlotte’s attacking third after the team finished in the bottom half in scoring in its inaugural 2022 season. It also answers the offseason question of, “What will Charlotte do with its open Designated Player slot?” (The Designated Player Rule in Major League Soccer essentially paves a way for clubs to attract impact players that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to under the league’s salary cap restrictions.)
“I know fans will ask a lot of things from me because I’m a DP,” Copetti said. “I’m thankful that Charlotte brought me as a Designated Player. I want to set a legacy here, get a championship here, get the crown here.”
Only so much can be gleaned from a virtual introductory news conference. But an undeniable first impression shined through nonetheless: Copetti has high hopes for himself in Charlotte — and he brims with the confidence required to meet those hopes.
Copetti scored 31 goals and recorded eight assists in 96 appearances for his previous club in Argentina (Racing) across all competitions since joining in 2021. He led the team in goals by a landslide in 2022, with 21.
This offseason, after Copetti and supporters of his former team reportedly had a falling out at the conclusion of the 2022 season, the 26-year-old star went on the market. He told reporters Wednesday that several clubs courted him and offered him — including from clubs in Mexico and Russia — but when he heard the pitch head coach Christian Lattanzio put before him, he couldn’t say “No.”
“Lattanzio told me he wants me to play in the box as a No. 9,” he said. “That’s why I came here, to be a No. 9 and be a goal-scorer for this franchise.”
He added: “He wants an intense team. That competitive spirit is what I loved about Lattanzio’s pitch (for me to join Charlotte FC).”
Lattanzio is entering his first full season as head coach for the club in 2023 after serving a bulk of 2022 with the interim title. In the 2022 season, Lattanzio earned the reputation of being not only a steadying force for the team, but also a developer of young talent.
Among his brightest moments as a manager last year: Lattanzio shifted Karol Świderski, the team’s leading scorer and arguably its most recognizable player, from striker to a special second-forward/No. 10 hybrid — a role in which the creative Świderski thrived. The move helped launch Charlotte FC on its late-season resurgence.
Copetti was asked about Świderski and said the two could complement each other well.
“I saw him at the World Cup against Argentina,” Copetti said of Świderski, who represented Poland in Qatar earlier this winter. “I think he’s a center-forward, not a striker like me. We can complement each other. I think he’s a playmaker.”
In addition to Świderski, Copetti will have newly signed dead-ball specialist and Premier League veteran Ashley Westwood feeding him opportunities. He’ll also be flanked by fellow DP Kamil Jozwiak and a bevy of other forwards/wingers with MLS experience.
Copetti must receive his P-1 visa before he can join the club, which is in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for the week to kick off its preseason. Until then, he will likely be training and spending time with his French bulldogs, Theo and Tiana, as well as his partner, Araceli Bonino. (The two are pregnant with a child and cannot wait to be parents, Copetti said.)
One thing Copetti won’t be doing in the interim? Wondering what number he should wear in 2023.
“It doesn’t matter what number I use,” Copetti said with a smile, “I just want to prove what I’m made of.”
This story was originally published January 12, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
