Soccer
Big-name MLS signing “could start a fight in an empty house”
Speaking on their Unfiltered Soccer podcast, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard had their say on Charlotte FC’s latest ex-Premier League star.

Charlotte FC are looking to improve on last season’s first round exit in the MLS Cup playoffs and are taking steps to bolster their squad in the offseason. Eryk Williamson has joined from Portland Timbers but the big news was announced on Wednesday, with the arrival of former Premier League star Wilfried Zaha.
The Ivorian winger joins on a year-long loan from Turkish giants Galatasaray, with the option of a further six months. Zaha has spent most of his career to date with Crystal Palace but also had a spell with Manchester United. He made 458 appearances for Palace before leaving for Galatasaray in 2023 and is now on his way to MLS with Charlotte.
His signing is a major coup for the team, perhaps the biggest incoming transfer in club history. But US soccer legends Landon Donovan and Tim Howard, speaking on their Unfiltered Soccer podcast, outlined some doubts about Zaha’s ability to star in MLS.
Donovan said of the Zaha move: “I don’t like it personally. I don’t know how you feel, I’m not a fan. It just feels like when he went to Galatasaray it felt like that was the end. But God is he talented... It felt like when he left Palace he was on his way out."
Analysing Zaha’s path to Charlotte, Howard was a bit more optimistic about his signing for Charlotte but questioned whether he’s cut out for the ultra-competitive MLS at this stage in his career.
“Wilf, it gets hot in the summer here. There’s gonna be a kid out of college who’s just gonna kick you,” Howard explained. “He’s one of these guys who gees himself up, who could start a fight in an empty room. Anybody who touches him he just wants to fight and be nasty, because I think that gets him at him best.
“I just wonder from a mentality standpoint whether he’s ready for all that. But again, he’s talented, tricky, I do like it for Charlotte.”
Ignoring those question marks, there is no doubting that Charlotte have captured a player of real quality in Zaha. Charlotte general manager Zoran Krneta described him as a “world class talent” and a player of “pedigree and experience”. Dean Smith’s side start the 2025 MLS season against the Seattle Sounders on February 22.
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