Charlotte FC signs a young star
Team acquires winger Liel Abada of Israel for $8 million from Scottish team, offering a fresh start for the 22-year-old star player amid Palestinian protests
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‘A big coup’: In a record deal for the team, Charlotte FC seizes the opportunity to land a star who was ensnared in a polarizing Israel-Palestine debate in Scotland
Liel Abada on the ball for Celtic FC. (Photo courtesy of Celtic FC.)
Charlotte FC just landed a star winger, Liel Abada, who scored 10 goals in each of the last two seasons for Scottish powerhouse Celtic FC. Charlotte’s general manager Zoran Krneta describes him as a player with a knack for being in the right place at the right time. That’s a pretty good metaphor for how Charlotte managed to land him, too.
Abada, an Israeli international, found himself in the middle of a political firestorm after a group of fans in Scotland protested in support of Palestinians after the Oct. 7 conflict between Hamas and Israel began. In the months to follow, Abada faced mounting vitriol from both sides, including pressure to leave Celtic from the Israeli National Team’s head coach and some of its players. Ultimately, Abada wanted out.
While he’d be a logical fit for multiple teams in Europe, their transfer window to add players is closed until later in the summer. That left the door open for Charlotte.
Charlotte paid the biggest transfer fee in its three-year history — reportedly $8 million — to acquire Abada from Celtic FC and signed him to a three-year deal through 2026 with an option for a fourth. The move helps Charlotte fill the void of departing designated players Karol Swiderski and Kamil Jozwiak — signed without regard to the salary cap — and gives the club its first elite signing under new head coach Dean Smith.
“To get a player of his caliber and the consistency that he’s had in the last couple of seasons with Celtic is a big coup for ourselves,” said Smith, who knows Abada’s game well from the acclaim Scottish powerhouse clubs Celtic and Rangers receive in his native U.K.
Charlotte FC signed Abada as a young designated player (under age 23) which allows the team the flexibility to pursue a third U-22 initiative player (in addition to Kerwin Vargas and Nikola Petkovic), as well as hold onto another senior designated player spot until later in the summer.
Krneta calls Abada one of the “top young talents in Europe right now.”
For all its progress over the past 10 years, Major League Soccer still has a reputation for being a league where the best players go to retire. Lionel Messi is the prime example. Usually, the best chance an MLS team has to catch a young international talent on the rise is through South America — think Atlanta United’s 22-year-old Argentine Thiago Almada — en route to signing with a European team.
For a third-year franchise in a low-profile American city to snag a 22-year-old from Europe who is on an English Premier League trajectory is no small task. Krneta, who said Charlotte has been interested in Abada since he broke into the Israeli League several years back, asked a Celtic executive about him over dinner a year ago. He said he was told there was “zero chance” they’d be selling.
Fan friction: After helping Celtic win the Scottish “treble” in 2023, with victories in the Scottish Premier League, Scottish Cup, and Scottish League Cup, Abada signed a new four-year contract with Celtic in September. But his future took a dramatic turn five weeks later, when Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7. A group of fans known as Celtic Green Brigade, which had flown Palestinian flags in the past, held up “Free Palestine” and “Victory to the Resistance” banners before Celtic’s game against Kilmarnock that same day.
“Celtic fans historically are from Ireland and see similarities between Ireland's struggle for independence from Britain and the plight of the Palestinian people within the occupied parts of Israel,” explained Stephen Murray, 57, a lifelong Celtics fan and also a team historian, who has penned two books about the club. “There’s a very small section of the Celtic supporters who probably wave the Palestinian flag at every game. It’s never been an issue really until October 7, when things became more polarized, obviously.”
Murray said the large majority of Celtic fans continued to show their support for Abada and gave him a rousing ovation when he returned from an injury in an appearance off the bench against their rival Rangers. But ultimately the backlash, and increasing pressure from his native countrymen, was too much. Abada hasn’t played in a game for the Celtics since Feb. 7, with his coach Brendan Rodgers saying he “wasn’t in the right frame of mind.”
In an extended Instagram post Thursday, Abada wrote that “the past six months have been a personal challenge,” but he was gracious in his thanks to Celtic fans, players and staff. “Recent times were very difficult for myself and my family, but I want to say thank you to all the Celtic fans who stood by me, supported and respected me as a Celtic player.”
What Abada can expect in Charlotte
Charlotte isn’t exactly known as a hotbed of political activism, which figures to be part of the draw for Abada, as well as the fact that the club is owned by David Tepper, who is Jewish.
There have been some small protests held recently by supporters of both Palestinians and Israelis at recent Charlotte City Council meetings. And while Charlotte FC will prepare itself for the possibility of pushback, a recent check-in with leaders of supporters groups didn’t forecast any issues. And if there are any protests to come, they won’t be allowed inside the stadium.
No political flags: Bank of America Stadium has a policy that forbids fans from waving any political flags or banners, which in this case would prohibit Palestinian flags, because Charlotte FC doesn’t have any players on its roster who are Palestinian. Supporters often wave flags from players’ native countries, so Israeli flags would be permitted, and there’s a chance supporters will add an Israeli flag to a banner they have made of flags representing home countries of players and supporters.
‘He always seems to want goals’; probable debut at end of March
For its part, though, Charlotte FC plans to focus on Abada the soccer player. When asked Thursday about Abada’s political motivations for leaving Scotland, Smith said: “I don’t get involved in politics. It’s an Israeli international player who’s coming over to play for us, but he’s a human being. He’s a football player first and foremost, so that’s how he’ll be treated.”
Charlotte FC midfielder Scott Arfield played against Abada in Scotland and was on the field for the rival Rangers when Abada scored two goals in a 4-0 win for Celtic in September of 2022.
“The biggest thing I remember was he would always crash the back post,” Arfield said. “He always seems to want goals. You have wingers that just want to stay out and just look pretty on the ball; he’s the complete opposite. He’s good on the ball, but his main attribute is getting in the back, which obviously is going to benefit us hugely because we need goals from different areas and not just relying on the striker.”
Abada is still awaiting his visa and won’t be available to play for Charlotte FC until later this month. In a best-case scenario, he could be on the bench for Charlotte’s game in Nashville on March 16. It’s more likely he’ll make his debut with Charlotte at home against FC Cincinnati on March 30. He’s scheduled to play for the Israeli national team March 21 in the EURO qualifier against Iceland.
Crown Legacy to represent Charlotte in new U.S. Open
The U.S. Open Cup has a new format this year, with only eight MLS teams participating in the field of 96 teams, which includes professional, semi-pro and amateur teams from all levels of U.S. soccer. In the past, all MLS teams have participated, but owners voted to send their reserve teams from MLS Next Pro this time around. The U.S. Soccer Federation, which runs the tournament, balked at that decision, and this new format is seen as a compromise.
This year’s format will include the seven top-ranked teams in the 2023 Supporters Shield standings, defending U.S. Open Cup champion Houston and 11 teams from MLS Next Pro. For Charlotte FC, it means their MLS Next Pro team, Crown Legacy FC, will get a chance to participate. Crown Legacy will open up against South Carolina United Heat on March 21 at the Matthews Sportsplex. The winner will earn a berth in the 2025 Concacaf Champions League.
The change has not sat well with many purists, who love the David-and-Goliath possibilities and a chance at a trophy from the longest-running U.S. soccer tournament, which dates back to 1914. Though Charlotte FC fans might recall that losing Kamil Jozwiak to a hamstring injury in last year’s U.S. Open Cup set the club back in MLS play.
Up Next: Charlotte FC (1-0-1) at Toronto (1-0-1)
When/Where: 2 p.m. Saturday, Toronto, British Columbia, Canada
How to watch: FREE on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Find information about how to subscribe for the season here.
How to listen: WFNZ 92.7 in English, WOLS 106.1 in Spanish.
Notable:
It’s a rare day game for Charlotte FC. Note the 2 p.m. start time Saturday.
The Canadian road swing continues with Charlotte’s second consecutive game north of the border, only this one will be played in the elements. Charlotte drew 1-1 in Vancouver last Saturday playing under the retractable roof at BC Place Stadium. This time, rain is in the forecast, and the high temperature that day is 43 degrees.
Charlotte FC has scored two goals in its first two games, and rookie winger Iuri Tavares has been right in the middle of both of them. First, he made a header that Adilson Malanda finished off in a 1-0 win over New York City FC, and last Saturday, he scored on a cross from Brecht Dejaegere and a “dummy” pass through the legs of Enzo Copetti.
Midfielder Brandt Bronico is still out with a quadriceps injury, but Smith said he’s close to returning and could see a few minutes of game action soon.
Carroll Walton is a longtime baseball writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution now cutting her teeth on soccer and the Charlotte FC just as fans in Charlotte do. She would love to hear from you. E-mail her with questions, suggestions, story ideas and comments!
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Great start to the season!