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Q&A: Patrick Agyemang, who was expected to play in the World Cup, reflects on his injury while watching Sunday’s win over Senegal
Former Charlotte FC striker Patrick Agyemang (center) watched Sunday’s U.S. men’s soccer game at Bank of America Stadium alongside his brothers Enoch (left) and Emmanuel (right). Agyemang, who now plays for Derby County in England, ruptured his Achilles in April and is recovering. (Photo: Carroll Walton for The Charlotte Ledger)
Former Charlotte FC striker Patrick Agyemang didn’t let the disappointment of not playing in Sunday’s U.S. exhibition vs. Senegal at Bank of America Stadium stop him from going.
In street clothes and crutches, two months removed from surgery for a ruptured Achilles, Agyemang appeared out of the tunnel still wearing his familiar wide smile. He took pictures and recorded a video for the Charlotte FC content team, met Gov. Josh Stein, then went upstairs to watch the game in a luxury suite on an invitation from the U.S. men’s team and Charlotte FC.
Agyemang sat with his twin brothers, Enoch and Emmanuel, in the front row of the suite. He was shown multiple times during the TV broadcast of Sunday’s game as announcers explained that Agyemang had been on the cusp of making the World Cup roster when he ruptured his Achilles playing for Derby County of the English championship on April 6.
Charlotte is where Agyemang made a name for himself, having risen through Division III Eastern Connecticut State to Rhode Island where Charlotte drafted him with the team’s top pick of the 2023 Super Draft. Agyemang scored 10 goals for Charlotte 2024 and was on his way to breaking out with the U.S. men’s team during the 2025 season, when he commanded a club record $8 million fee to transfer to the English Championship.
Agyemang had scored 10 goals in a standout season for Derby County when he got injured. He got hurt without any contact from other players, after he landed awkwardly receiving the ball.
In the final 15 minutes of the U.S.’s 3-2 win over Senegal on Sunday, Agyemang invited The Ledger to sit down in the suite for an exclusive conversation about his recovery, his mindset and his reasons for showing up Sunday.
Q. What made you want to come?
I think deep in my heart, I wanted to come, no matter what. Obviously, ideally, I would love to be on the field. That's another whole thing. But it's a city that I love, the city that shows so much love to me. I wanted to come and support and watch. I didn't expect any of this love, though, if I'm honest. I just thought I’d get three or four seats in the stadium, be with my family, and call it a day.
Patrick Agyemang playing for the U.S. men’s national team in January 2025 against Costa Rica. (Photo: Taylor Banner, Charlotte FC)
Q. How is the recovery from surgery?
I was down in the beginning, but now two months post op, I'm adjusting back to walking on my own. I just got into shoes, finally. I was in a big boot, a cyber boot, I called it, but now I'm getting back to just walking and living, doing normal things that I used to do.
I was definitely excited with the speed of how I'm recovering, but now I'm just trying to not do too much and mess up the recovery.
Q. Are you staying in England for your rehab?
I’m back in (East Hartford) Connecticut. My mom’s a nurse. She’s been taking care of me. My brothers are all nurses as well, so they’ve all been taking care of me. My dad's been taking care of me.
I think it's been a really fresh breath of air just being with the people that I love and care about. We get time to recap what's been going on these past years, because when you play, it goes so fast. I never really had time to be home with them.
Q. Going back to the injury, what was that moment and the aftermath like?
The injury happened. I get on my phone, I see my face, and (headlines) about breaking news, the injury, and all this stuff. It hurts. It's difficult, but obviously that's life. I decided to take this (professional sports) route, and I know it comes with it, the good that you guys see, me enjoying playing, scoring, and then the bad, which is this situation.
Q. When it happened, your face showed that you knew right away your World Cup was over.
Maybe 10, 15 seconds after I was on the ground, I turned back and I saw no one kicked me. I thought someone kicked me. But no one was there, and that's when everything started to hit.
I touched the back of my leg, and I didn't feel my Achilles. I broke down, because I just knew, “World Cup consideration is gone. Who knows how I'm going to recover? The summer and all this excitement, this potential, for nothing.”
It felt like it just all went away so quick, so it was difficult. But now, (I realize) it was worse in my mind, than it is (in reality). Now, with so much support, so many people showing love, I'm in a good space.
Q. The play didn’t look that bad. Were you going to chest the ball?
Yeah, I wanted to chest the ball, and as I was coming down from jumping, I went to do a normal thing I do all the time, which is clamp my foot. But in the worst way possible, I landed with all the momentum (going) into my Achilles, and then my Achilles just went.
Q. How did they repair it?
They took some bone marrow from my hip, and then fused it, put it into the surgery site. The surgeon did amazing. He was so confident. He reassured me that I'll be back fine.
Q. What’s your prognosis now?
It just depends on how I feel and how I'm recovering. I was worried that it was a strict nine months’ (recovery). (But) they said that’s the furthest we (estimate it takes) to get back optimally, but it's up to you how you recover.
Some people have a quicker recovery, some people have the longer. It's just up to you. That gave me way better peace of mind.
Q. That gave you more control?
Yeah, it's up to me now. I love when things are up to me. When you're playing with the national team, I scored a couple goals in the national team (six in 14 games) and then with Derby, I played a lot of games this year (37). My biggest motivation to get back there.
Agyemang watched Sunday’s game at Bank of America Stadium from a luxury suite as he is recovering from his injury. (Photo: Carroll Walton for The Charlotte Ledger)
Q. Some of your Charlotte FC teammates, Tim Ream and Ashley Westwood, said they told you about former teammates they knew who came back from ruptured Achilles. Is there somebody you’re looking to for inspiration?
Miles (Robinson), who’s here playing in the game (for the U.S. vs. Senegal), he reached out to me right away. He said, "Bro, I promise you, you’re going to be just fine.”
He did it a couple years back, and if you know Miles, he's (fast), he's strong, he's everything. I wouldn't have known that until he told me. He showed me a lot of love.
I have to give credit to a lot of these guys, texting me right away, checking in on me. And the fans, I've never experienced any love like that in my life. Obviously, with my family, yes, but people I don't personally know showing me all that love is amazing.
Q. Have you leaned on your faith through this?
Yeah. I do think I'm going to learn a lot about myself through the situation. I've always believed just to trust and love with all my heart, and never to lean on my own understanding.
All these things will come in my mind, questioning “Why, why, why?” But I can't do that. People go through worse things. It’s not the end of the world. I trust that my God will bring me back better than ever.
Q. What are you going to do during the World Cup?
I’ll definitely be watching, but more than anything, I’ll be on vacation. I’ll be enjoying myself. I got my corner with me, so they’ll take care of me.
Carroll Walton is a longtime baseball writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution now in her fifth season covering Charlotte FC. She would love to hear from you. E-mail her with questions, suggestions, story ideas and comments!