“It’s Been a Good Platform for Us”: A Pipeline Continues to Form Between Crown Legacy FC and Charlotte FC

On October 17th at 2:30 p.m., Will Cleary sat on the bench at Subaru Park, ready to sub in for Charlotte FC’s match against the Philadelphia Union.

Twenty-four hours later, Cleary was prepping to start at right back for Crown Legacy FC in the First Round of the MLS Next Pro Cup Playoffs against Red Bull New York II on October 18th.

Cleary played 75 minutes for Crown Legacy before subbing out in their 2-1 win to advance to the second round. Cleary is one of ten players to have appeared in a match for both Crown Legacy and Charlotte FC this season as the pipeline between the two teams continues to expand.

“It’s been a good platform for us,” Head Coach Dean Smith said. “We've had Patrick Agyemang a few years ago who came through there. Morrison's played in there, played in there, , had games in there. So, it gives us the opportunity to give a lot of the under-twenty-threes some minutes of football to help their development as players. I think that's invaluable for us as a Club.”

Charlotte FC’s newest signings – Hugo Mbongue and Nathan Richmond – also appeared in the match for Crown Legacy. Richmond became the first Legacy player to record 20 goal contributions in a season, scoring his 10th goal of the season in the playoff match and showcasing why he earned a first-team contract.

Crown Legacy FC Head Coach Kevin Sawchak has made sure to use practices and the platform to prepare his players for a potential first-team opportunity. He acknowledged that while he couldn’t prepare them for the tactical and technical intensity of first-team soccer, he could prepare them physically.

For Richmond, who had already made appearances for The Crown before earning the contract, Sawchak’s coaching helped him when he joined first-team training and matches.

“I think Coach (Kevin Sawchak) keeps a high standard of training,” Richmond said. “Just the overall outputs of running and what we do in those trainings really sets you up for the games and sets you up with the first team really well. The adjustment to the first team is a lot easier that way.”

Aloko has been a prime example of Sawchak’s high-physicality training paying off. Aloko started the season with Crown Legacy, playing six matches and scoring eight goals and two assists to average 1.67 goal contributions per match. This earned Aloko the eye of Smith and Charlotte FC.

Aloko signed a first-team contract in April and has played a vital role for Charlotte FC’s attack. He has appeared in 18 matches, starting six of them and recording two goals and six assists in all competitions. Aloko has scored a goal and notched two assists in the last three matches, earning a starting spot for The Crown in the match against Philadelphia.

“His physical attributes are off the charts, so something we noticed with him right away is the intensity that he's able to play at and maintain throughout the game,” Sawchak said. “He’s able to reproduce so many high-intensity actions and repeat them and now I think he's developing technically and tactically.”

Aloko’s been a familiar face for Richmond, who's been in first-team training along with Mbongue as well as other Crown Legacy players like Magic Smalls and Adrian Mendoza.

The familiarity not only with the physical intensity required but also the chemistry he already has with some of the players he is training with helps with the transition into first-team training.

“Being able to play with (Rodolfo Aloko), Hugo (Mbongue), and Magic (Smalls) when I go up with the first team, it definitely makes me feel a little bit more comfortable,” Richmond said. “You know how to play with those guys since you've trained with them a lot for Crown Legacy and whatnot and played in games with them.”

There’s also a hint of mentorship when players like Richmond move up to training with Charlotte FC. Not only is he hearing from former Crown Legacy players like Aloko or Goodwin what is needed to be successful, but it’s also coming from older players on the Club.

Experienced players on Charlotte FC like Captain Ashley Westwood and Nathan Byrne have experience playing in the top tiers of English football and know what’s needed to succeed. According to Sawchak, they’ve impressed their knowledge upon the younger players in order to help build up the Club.

“I think it's a big help and not only the ones that made the transition, but even the older players on the first team,” Sawchak said. “I know they're really good with the young players that come up, the (Nathan) Byrne’s and Ashley Westwood’s. I hear all the time from the boys that train up there that they're giving advice or giving tips about different things they could be doing to have a bigger impact or to be more successful in certain actions, so I think we have a really good culture at our Club with that.”

Part of building the pipeline has building a Club identity, starting from the top. Smith has helped build that identity as the Gaffer, not just a first-team identity but also an overall Club identity stretching from the academy to Crown Legacy to Charlotte FC.

“We want them to be able to do what Dean (Smith’s) is going to ask of them,” Sawchak said. “Dean's great about communicating what he wants from the teams to make sure we have a clear identity that's aligned with the first team.”

This clear communication from Smith has been instrumental in strengthening the pipeline between Charlotte FC and Crown Legacy. By ensuring that expectations and playing philosophies are aligned across both teams, Smith helps create a seamless transition for players as they move up through the ranks. The shared understanding of roles and standards gives young talents the confidence and preparation they need to succeed when called upon for first-team opportunities.

“It’s just such a collaborative effort from everybody at the Club,” Sawchak said. “It takes a big army to help develop these players and I think the Club's doing a great job with the whole process.”