Ashley Westwood leads Charlotte FC into a bright new future

After ten gruelling seasons in the Premier League, Ashley Westwood was ready for a change of scenery. The former Aston Villa and Burnley midfielder had racked up 286 appearances in the English top flight, more than 450 in his professional career, and decided that he was ready for a new challenge.

That challenge, it turned out, was very new indeed. In January 2023 he made the move to Charlotte FC, who were preparing for just their second season in MLS. It was a real departure from a career at some of England’s oldest teams but Westwood tells AS USA that he needed a change.

“I was just done in England. I was checked out. Coming off the back of a bad injury I was going to call it a day, and then this offer came around,” he explains.

“It’s always been something that I’ve wanted to try, a different culture. MLS is a league that I’d always followed so I just wanted to be a part of it. When Zoram [Krneta, Charlotte’s sporting director] reached out he sold the place, he sold the club. The way he spoke about it was with real love for the club and so I came out here, did the medical, and it just got my heart straight away.”

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While considering a move across the Atlantic, Westwood sought the opinion of another Englishman who had made the switch to MLS. The 34-year-old is a friend of Wayne Rooney, the former Manchester United star who spent time in the States as both a player and a coach. Rooney had some salient advice for Westwood.

“I met him for a drink when I was back home and the biggest thing he said was ‘Embrace everything’ and that’s what I did. I’ve embraced it and it’s been the best decision of me and my family’s lives.”

Breaking new ground in Charlotte

During a decade in the Premier League Westwood experienced the highs and lows of elite sport. He’d seen most things in his career but Charlotte FC presented a different challenge, the chance to create something new.

“That was big part of the reason to come, to help build this new club. That’s what Zoram was saying, they want someone with experience who can lead the team. We’ve moved to a new training facility, the academy’s up and running, and the club is full of good people. When you step foot in the building it feels like a big hug.”

That feeling of unity is present in the stadium, too. Charlotte FC boast the second-highest average attendance in MLS with more than 36,000 fans watching their team at Bank of America Stadium every week. It’s helped to make Westwood feel right at home, but it would be wrong to say that the move from ‘football’ to ‘soccer’ has been entirely smooth.

He says: “I didn’t expect it to be so competitive. I must admit, I was coming out here and thinking ‘I’ll get a load of assists, might score a few goals’ but it’s completely different. You’re traveling through time zones, the climates are different, maybe no fans for away games. It’s so different to England.”

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Making progress under Dean Smith

Westwood’s first head coach at Charlotte was Christian Lattanzio, who had recently been promoted from an interim role. Lattanzio led the team to ninth in the Eastern Conference in 2023, enough to secure a wildcard spot in the playoffs, but they were comprehensively beaten by the New York Red Bulls and the Italian was dismissed at the end of the season.

At the start of 2024 the club pulled off a major coup by bringing former Premier Leagues manager Dean Smith to Charlotte. Smith has brought greater experience and helped foster a winning atmosphere within the group, something that Westwood cites as a major factor in their impressive form this season.

“He’s just brought stability to the club, everything I knew he would. It’s still a baby and it needed someone with experience. He built Walsall, he built Brentford, so he knows how to do it... He’s got a wealth of experience and I’m sure the owner leans on him a lot too.”

Smith has helped to take the team to the next level this year and they currently sit sixth in the East, hot on the heels of the two in-form New York teams. This season looks set to be a historic one, within the relatively short span of Charlotte’s history. But that too is something that Westwood is enjoying, the chance to break new ground with a fanbase that is experiencing things for the first time.

“We’re constantly breaking records here. We reached the playoff wildcard game in our second year and this year we want to go one step further. The club’s in a better place, we’ve got a fantastic manager who’s been to the top and the club is moving in the right direction. If we get a couple of things right, I believe we’ll be challenging for silverware.”

Charlotte FC poised for playoff push

Last year Charlotte began the MLS campaign poorly, winning just two of their first ten games. The team’s fortunes changed with the mid-season Leagues Cup break and they returned to domestic action full of confidence, bolstered by a statement win over Mexican giants Cruz Azul. This year’s team has greater experience and Smith has managed to coax consistent performances from a stretched squad. Westwood believes that they can pose a real threat to teams in the post-season, as long as they strengthen in key areas over the summer.

“This year I think we’re more consistent, hard to beat. We’ve got a real grittiness to us, if we’re not doing well we can still grind out a result. If you take that into the playoffs, I’m sure there’s a lot of teams that are starting to fear us.”

“But I do believe we need to add, that’s been obvious. We need quality in the attacking areas to punish teams. I think if we can add those final bits and pieces we can turn into a top, top team.”

The return of Karol Swiderski has improved Charlotte’s attacking options but they still have two Designated Player spots open and there is an expectation that they will add one or two key attacking pieces this summer. The long-rumoured move for Fulham and USMNT defender Tim Ream seems close to conclusion, further reinforcing their defensive core.

Charlotte FC have built up real momentum in a relatively short time. From their debut season, to a Leagues Cup run in 2023 and now a genuine playoff push this year, Charlotte supporters have seen their team grow into real contenders for silverware, a side that no team would want to face in a knockout game. With optimism high in North Carolina, where can this ground-breaking campaign take them?

“I think now, with the position we’ve put ourselves in, the minimum is playoffs. The league takes a break for the Leagues Cup but we need to not lose that focus on what we’re doing. The big thing is to secure playoffs, if we can finish high and get into the playoffs that will be a really successful season.”