MLS All-Stars Gear Up In Charlotte
- Charlotte FC has 3 All-Stars, including 1st-ever starter, showing club's growth in five years.
- Veteran captain Ashley Westwood is proud to lead the club he helped build from the start.
- Striker Pep Biel is in top form, aiming to build on his best pro season yet with Charlotte.
MLS All-Star Week kicked off across Charlotte with fan-focused events over the weekend, but by Monday the All-Stars themselves were out in full force at Atrium Health Performance Park, the headquarters of Charlotte FC.
The home side boasts three All-Stars, and will have an active participant in the game for the first time in its history, as Pep Biel & Ashley Westwood join starter Tim Ream on the squad. Last season, Patrick Agyemang was named to the roster as a Commissioner’s Pick representing Charlotte FC, but the club transferred him to Europe ahead of the 2025 edition.
For Ashley Westwood, who joined the club as the team’s second-ever captain after an injury nearly derailed his career at Burnley, he looks on this weekend as an affirmation of why he chose Charlotte.
“I wanted to give it my all, I wanted to help build this football club,” Westwood said Monday. “Look what we’re doing four years down the line, it’s incredible. I’m really proud to be captain of this football club, I will continue to give my all to this football club even in the future, I’m here to stay, I don’t want to leave. To see what it’s done in a short time, it’s phenomenal.”
Pep Biel has grabbed the spotlight with the stats to match as Charlotte FC’s first ever member of the 20/20 club (20 goals & 22 assists in MLS play) with his goal in The Crown’s 2-0 victory over Red Bull New York last weekend. He believes that his current form reminds him of his best professional season prior to Charlotte, when he was named Player of the Year for FC Copenhagen with his 18 goals & 11 assists in all competitions.
“You play more calm, it’s important to be mature, to know where to put yourself in every time so you manage yourself,” Pep Biel said. “I always play to try to be the best version of myself, I’m proud to reach these numbers, but for me I want to help every game, don’t stop, and I hope to increase these numbers.”
Tim Ream has had a summer to remember captaining the US Men’s National Team in the World Cup, along with being named an MLS All-Star in his adopted home of Charlotte. While he joked he feels busier now than he was during the World Cup, it’s a burden he’s more than happy to shoulder.
“All of it is an experience, to be able to have those experiences is obviously a privilege,” Ream said.
He did, however, say the uniqueness of an MLS vs. Liga MX All-Star Game doesn’t lend itself to “friendly” terms, saying, “It’s not a friendly. Anything to do with US & Mexico is going to be intense, there won’t be too many friendly handshakes out there.”
The MLS All-Star festivities continue with Ream taking part in the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge Tuesday night at Truist Field, while the full MLS squad takes on the Liga MX All-Stars on Wednesday night at Bank of America Stadium.
Be sure to listen Wednesday night from 6-8 PM for extended interviews with all three players and MLS Commisioner Don Garber during the WFNZ MLS All-Star Preview Special on Sports Radio 92.7 WFNZ.
