Midfielder Available for Charlotte FC vs Austin FC Match Today | MLS
Charlotte FC Welcomes Midfielder Aron John Ahead of Austin FC Match
– Charlotte FC has signed midfielder Aron John on a short-term agreement from their MLS NEXT Pro affiliate, Crown Legacy FC, making him available for tonight’s match against Austin FC at Bank of America Stadium.
The 19-year-old John has impressed Head Coach Dean Smith, having trained with the senior team during preseason and consistently throughout the week. He recently recorded an assist in Crown Legacy’s season opener, a 4-1 victory over Chattanooga.
John’s signing comes as a result of MLS rules allowing clubs to bring players on loan from their MLS NEXT Pro teams for MLS, U.S. Open Cup, Concacaf Champions League, Canadian Championship, and exhibition matches.
The young midfielder enjoyed a breakout season with Crown Legacy FC in 2024, earning MLS NEXT Pro Best XI honors after contributing eight goals and ten assists – tying him for third in goal contributions in the league. His ten assists also matched the single-season record for MLS NEXT Pro.
Prior to signing his first professional contract on July 12, 2024, John was named MLS NEXT Rising Star of the Month in June. He continued his success into the current season, with one goal and three assists over 13 games played.
John first experienced professional minutes in the 2023 season, appearing in six regular season matches off the bench. He made his professional debut on June 11, 2023, against Columbus Crew 2 at the age of 17 years, 2 months, and 8 days.
A Charlotte native, John joined the Charlotte FC Academy at age 16 and was awarded the inaugural Charlotte FC Academy Player of the Year award following a six-goal, six-assist campaign in the 2022/23 season.
Tonight’s match against Austin FC is scheduled for a kickoff at Bank of America Stadium and will be streamed on Apple TV. Fans arriving early will receive a limited-edition party shirt presented by Ally.
Charlotte FC’s starting XI for the match includes Kahlina, Byrne, Morrison, Ream, Toffolo, Westwood, Biel, Bronico, Abada, Toklomati, and Zaha. Substitutes available are Miller, De La Torre, Diani, Goodwin, John, Privett, Schnegg, Smalls, and Vargas.
Austin FC’s starting XI features Toklomati, Biel, Zaha, Abada, Bronico, Westwood, de la Torre, Ream, Toffolo, Byrne, and Kahlina. Their substitutes are Vargas, Smalls, Schnegg, Privett, John, Goodwin, and Diani.
As of , Charlotte FC has a record of 0 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, with 1 point. Austin FC has a record of 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss, totaling 4 points.
The match between Charlotte FC and Austin FC concluded with a final score of 3-1 in favor of Charlotte FC. Pep Biel scored two goals for Charlotte FC, including one in added time, while Idan Toklomati also found the net. Austin FC’s goal was an own goal by Morrison Agyemang.
Charlotte FC dominated possession with 72.5% compared to Austin FC’s 27.5%. Charlotte also led in shots on goal (11-0) and shot attempts (25-5). The game saw 2 yellow cards for Charlotte FC and 1 for Austin FC, with 12 corner kicks for Charlotte and 3 for Austin. Kristijan Kahlina did not make any saves for Charlotte, while Austin FC’s goalkeeper made 8 saves.