Charlotte FC could unveil star acquisition Liel Abada when they visit Nashville SC on Saturday night.
Charlotte landed the 22-year-old Abada from Scottish side Celtic FC earlier this month and is hopeful he will provide an immediate boost to the offense.
Charlotte (1-1-1, 4 points) scored just two goals in its first three MLS matches this season. Abada had 29 goals and 22 assists in 112 matches with Celtic FC over the past three seasons.
The transfer fee was close to $8 million to obtain Abada.
“He’ll add creativity in the final third,” Charlotte coach Dean Smith said of Abada. “He scores goals and he creates goals. I think the last two seasons he’s probably scored 10 and created seven or eight. If you’re getting a player, a wide player that’s having 18 goal involvements a season, then that’s a good player.”
Abada signed a deal through the 2026 season with an option for 2027.
Charlotte is looking to bounce back from a 1-0 road loss to Toronto FC last weekend.
Nashville (0-0-3, 3 points) played the visiting Los Angeles Galaxy to a 2-2 tie last weekend.
Nashville has scored just three goals with Teal Bunbury netting two of them.
The club again will be without star defender Walker Zimmerman, who underwent a procedure on his knee and will be sidelined multiple weeks. Nashville coach Gary Smith said the injury is “nothing serious.”
Veteran midfielder Anibal Godoy figures to be a key player against Charlotte.
“A big piece of Anibal’s game is choices, technique and ability on the ball,” Gary Smith said. “… It’s not a surprise that when he comes out of the game that there might be a dip in one of those areas. Anibal is a big piece for us.”
Nashville was eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday when it fell 3-1 to Inter Miami CF in the second leg. The teams played to a 2-2 draw in the first.
Nashville and Charlotte have played three all-time matches. Both teams won once and the other ended in a tie.
–Field Level Media
