Off-Season Report: Charlotte Independence
What's happened and what to expect in the off-season for the Jacks
It’s time to check in on the off-season progress for the USL League One clubs we cover at Southeast Soccer Report. We’ll examine roster moves, coaching changes, rumors and other significant developments ahead of the 2026 season.
Charlotte Independence finished the season in 8th place, earning the final seed of the playoffs by only a point, before losing to eventual champions One Knoxville in the first round.
The squad struggled to maintain its system following the departure of early season standouts Luis Álvarez (fee transfer to Tampa Bay) and Alfredo Midence (recalled to Lexington). After June, the club’s only regular season wins came against lower-ranked teams, Westchester, Richmond and AV Alta.
Charlotte Independence Departing Players
The club made an end-of-season roster announcement on November 20th that included only departing players who had their options declined.
This included goaltender and long time professional veteran Amal Knight, who had all but taken over the top spot in net by the end of the season. With Matt Levy under contract for another year, it seems confidence will be restored back to Levy heading into 2026.
It also included a long time fixture of the midfield, and two-time Young Player of the Year nominee Omar Ciss. At just 24, the central and defensive midfielder has four seasons of experience in USL League One, followed by two in USL Championship with Austin Bold. We’d expect to see him land somewhere for 2026.
Another surprising departure was Rafael Jauregui, a 2025 Young Player of the Year nominee. The 20 year old winger made 26 starts before appearing to fall out of favor by the final three matches of the season. He scored four goals across competitions, along with three assists.
2025’s lead goal-scorer Christian Chaney also departed after just one season, his second stint with Charlotte. Chaney had a career-high 13 regular season goals, and at 31 years old, should still find another opportunity.
Other departures included Nathan Gray, Juan David Moreno, Paolo Alcocer, Tumi Moshobane, Djibril Faye, Mike DeShields and Tresor Mbuyu.
In addition, Anton Sorenson departed in free agency, and was quickly announced for Chattanooga FC in MLS NextPro. And while it hasn’t been confirmed by the club, but center back Nick Spielman publicly stated on social media that he is a free agent and not likely to return to Charlotte.
Charlotte Independence: Who Might Return?
This leaves a small core of options, including Jon Bakero, Christopher Jaime, Souaibou Marou, Fabrice Ngah, and Javen Romero.
Bakero in particular seemed to hold things together for the squad following the departure of Álvarez and Midence. The 29 year old veteran finished the season with three goals and a team-leading nine assists, second highest in the league. It would be prudent for Charlotte to lock down his services for another season.
Marou finished the season with nine goals, seven of which came off the bench as a backup option for Chaney. This included one hat trick, where all three goals came in the second half after subbing in at the half. At 25 years old, he’d likely make a good option to replace Chaney if able to play more minutes this season.
Ngah is another standout who should be prioritized, finishing the season with a career high in goals with five. The 29 year old left back competed for minutes with Sorenson, but if he remains in shape, should lock down the spot in 2026.
Notable free agents include long time right back and team captain Clay Dimick, and midfielder Bachir Ndiaye.
While out of contract, we’ve heard at least Dimick was in negotiations to return. However, we have no news out of the Charlotte front office just yet. The 31 year old has played every single minute for the club over the last two seasons, and has been with the team since 2019.
Off Season Needs
We’ve heard Charlotte, like a lot of USL League One clubs this off season, is looking to get younger with its new signings.
If Ngah and Dimick return, Head Coach Mike Jeffries will need to concentrate on the center back position, while bringing in serviceable backups on the sides. Javen Romero fits the bill, a 19 year old who made 21 starts in the role across the 2025 regular season. If his option is exercised, they’d need two or three others to compete for the spot.
In the midfield, Jeffries will need to find a replacement for Ciss, a reliable presence at defensive midfielder and central midfielder in 2025. Ciss made 27 of 30 starts, mostly alongside Ndiaye. Look for the club to bring in someone from the outside in replacement.
The wings, right midfield and left midfield are also points of contention heading into the off-season. After dropping in productivity following the loss of Álvarez and Midence, the Jacks went through a rotating cast, with Bakero the notable returnee. We’ll look for Charlotte to find some younger players to back and play alongside Bakero.
Up front, we’ll look for Charlotte to identify someone to compete with Marou. After the rise of several young stars on other teams in the league, including Yaniv Bazini at South Georgia Tormenta and Karsen Henderlong at FC Naples, perhaps Charlotte will dig into the NCAA or second-year professional talent pool as well.
Finally, look for Matt Levy to regain his top spot in goal. The question remains, will he be backed by a young keeper, or another veteran ready to step in at any time?
We’re tracking all USL League One signings and movements in our 2026 Transfer Tracker.