Charlotte Independence Signs Championship Veteran Tumi Moshobane
The attacker moves to USL League One after terminating with El Paso Locomotive
Charlotte Independence announced the signing of attacking midfielder/forward Tumi Moshobane today. The signing comes after the 30 year old mutually terminated his contract with USL Championship club El Paso Locomotive last week.
Moshobane spent the last five seasons and half of 2025 in the USL Championship, playing for San Diego Loyal from 2020 through 2023, joining El Paso in 2024. He scored 26 goals and provided 19 assists in 154 regular season appearances in USL Championship over that time.
25 of Moshobane’s 26 USL Championship goals came across four seasons with San Diego, where he was a regular in the starting 11. Upon moving to El Paso, he spent most of the 2024 season also in the starting 11, leading the team in appearances. However, he saw a sharp decline in minutes in 2025.
Prior to joining San Diego, Moshobane was a standout during Lansing Ignite’s lone season in USL League One, scoring ten goals, including three multi-goal outings. He tied for fourth in the Golden Boot race that year and earned All-League honors.
It’s a homecoming of sorts for Moshobane, having spent the 2018 Summer season with USL League Two club Charlotte Eagles, then in the Professional Development League. Current Charlotte Independence right back Clay Dimick was also part of that squad.
Moshobane adds yet another veteran presence in the offensive attack for Charlotte, joining fellow professional veterans Christian Chaney, Souaibou Marou, Jon Bakero, Tresor Mbuyu, Omar Ciss and Pedro Fonseca, alongside younger players Juan David Moreno, Rafael Juaregui and Christopher Jaime.
Said Charlotte Head Coach Mike Jeffries:
“Adding Tumi provides us another dynamic attacking option. Tumi is a player who can create off the dribble, find a dangerous pass in the final third and finish opportunities. His ability to play any role in the front four and his success in both Championship and League One make him a valuable addition to our squad. In addition, Tumi has familiarity with Charlotte and with his character and work ethic, Tumi will fit in well with the group.”
Charlotte saw its offense upended during the first half of the season with the transfer of Luis Álvarez to USL Championship club Tampa Bay Rowdies and the loan recall of Alfredo Midence to Lexington SC. Both players still lead Charlotte’s 2025 regular season in assists, and Álvarez still leads in chances created.
Despite the loss of such high impact players, Charlotte has maintained its spot at second in the table with two wins, two losses and a draw in their last five matches. They’re currently threatened by a surging AV Alta FC, now only two points back with no losses since April 19th.
Charlotte will next host Union Omaha on Saturday, July 12th at the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex at Matthews. There is no word yet on Moshobane’s availability for that match.