Charlotte FC sends Karol Swiderski to Greece, leaving open a key roster possibility
The Karol Swiderski era has come to an end in Charlotte.
Charlotte FC announced Thursday that Swiderski has joined Greece club Panathinaikos FC on a permanent transfer, meaning that his Queen City days are officially behind him. Swiderski departs for a reported $2 million transfer fee, per MLSsoccer.com.
“Karol was our club’s first Designated Player and his successes on the pitch played a big part in how we’ve established ourselves in this league over the last three seasons,” general manager Zoran Krneta said in a statement. “He helped us earn back-to-back playoff appearances and always gave everything he had when wearing the Charlotte shirt.
“We thank him for his contributions to Charlotte FC and wish he and his family well in their return to Greece and throughout the rest of his career.”
The news provokes two reactions for Charlotte FC.
The first is nostalgia. After all, one cannot tell the genesis of Charlotte FC without its blond star. He was the team’s first Designated Player — the roster slot that allows Major League Soccer teams to attract impact players that teams wouldn’t otherwise be able to under league salary cap restrictions — and thus had high expectations thrust on him. And he largely delivered early. The team’s highest paid player was also the team’s leading scorer in Year 1. He also led all CLTFC scorers in Year 2.
That nostalgia waned a bit ahead of Year 3. With the arrival of head coach Dean Smith came the decision to ship Swiderski away from the team, after Swiderski had made it known he wanted to play in Europe. The 28-year-old left-footed star was sent to Serie A side (Italy) Hellas Verona ahead of the 2024 season on loan. In late June, however, Verona decided not to retain him, and Swiderski came back to Charlotte FC — and subsequently helped bolster Charlotte’s attack down the stretch and cemented Charlotte FC’s best season to date.
Still, after the season ended, rumors encircled another Swiderski departure. When asked about such rumors earlier this month, Krneta told reporters: “All I can tell you is we have received the bids and we’ve turned them down. They’re not matching our valuation. That’s all I can tell you right now.”
Then, on Thursday, the news became official. Swiderski leaves Charlotte as the MLS expansion side’s all-time leading scorer with 32 goals in 85 games across all competitions.
Beyond nostalgia, though: This move might provoke excitement. The transfer opens up an international slot and a designated player spot on the team’s roster — a tantalizing roster possibility for a club that has big ambitions in 2025 and that has showed it is capable of getting top talents from other top leagues across the world.
Just look at the team’s other two DPs at the moment. One is Liel Abada, the 23-year-old who despite battling injury also finished with a team-second-best seven goals in 2024. The other is Wilfried Zaha, the former Premier League winger and Ivory Coast national team mainstay and self-assured star the team has been waiting on.
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 6:22 PM.
