While the United States Men’s National Team currently enjoys the luxury of a few strikers producing for their clubs, there is always the potential for a new name to emerge and enter the ring. Goal-scorers can run hot and cold, necessitating that programs have a host of options who can push the current leaders and step in when needed. In his second professional season, Patrick Agyemang has been making a name for himself as a reliable option at the top of the formation. The 23-year-old Charlotte FC forward has taken big leaps during his career after starting at the non-scholarship collegiate level.
Born in East Hartford, Connecticut, Agyemang competed in varsity soccer for East Hartford High School as a midfielder, registering 17 goals and 12 assists in his senior season and earning All-Conference honors. He also was a member of the track and volleyball teams, receiving All-State citations in both sports. At the club level, the forward played with Hartford Hellions Soccer Club and Hartford Premier but failed to generate any scholarship offers from Division I colleges, even after a late growth spurt added eight inches to his frame. “It was tough,” Agyemang shared with the New England Soccer Journal. “I had all those people on my side who had my back, they helped me. They kept telling me, ‘Just stick with it.’ I got discouraged a couple times, man. You have goals and you want to do these things when you get on the field. And then it’s, like, I’m not doing the things I feel like I can be doing. Always, in my head, I’m like, ‘I feel like I could be great, I feel like I could be a good player, but I’m not showing it, I’m not proving it yet.’ It was a mental thing and obviously a physical thing, too. But as time went on, I started to click a little bit more. Every time I went up a level, I found myself going up a level.”
Agyemang matriculated to NCAA Division III program Eastern Connecticut State University, contributing nine goals and three assists as a freshman and being named Little East Conference Rookie of the Year. His sophomore season improved with 21 goals and seven assists, earning LEC Offensive Player of the Year and All-American citations. He then transferred to Rhode Island in Division I, putting up two goals and four assists during his COVID-shortened junior year, followed by 10 goals and six assists in the fall of 2021 that merited Atlantic 10 First Team All-Conference and All-Championship honors – the forward additionally competed with Western Mass Pioneers in USL League Two, claiming a conference title and reaching the national semifinals but enduring a grinding schedule that left him “a little bit sore.” His redshirt senior season was seven more goals and two assists, once again being named to the All-Conference First Team. After his lengthy college career and “shining” at the Major League Soccer College Showcase, Agyemang was selected with the 12th pick in the first round of the 2023 SuperDraft by Charlotte FC. His debut professional season was spent bouncing between the reserve and senior teams, contributing 10 goals and three assists with the former group in MLS Next Pro but acknowledging nerves and struggles with adjusting to the speed of the professional game. He converted his first MLS finish in a 3-3 draw with the Seattle Sounders, ending the year with four goals in 18 matches across all competitions, including two during his club’s run to the quarterfinals of the Leagues Cup. Then-manager Christian Lattanzio praised him as “a fighter” who “improved a lot by training with the first team” and “understands the difficulties of playing at this level.”
This year, there has been little ambiguity as Agyemang has been firmly entrenched in the MLS squad as a regular starter, feeling that the game “just clicked” after becoming “more relaxed and fluid in [his] play.” He has contributed nine goals and three assists in 32 total appearances. The standout performance came in a June fixture against the Philadelphia Union, netting a brace in the 2-0 victory. The league named him to the Team of the Matchday for Matchday 34 after finding the back of the net once and setting up two more finishes in a 4-0 win over the New England Revolution. While his current contract has two remaining option years, the club is currently negotiating a long-term deal in the hopes of building around him. At the international level, Agyemang is eligible for the USMNT by birth and Ghana through his parents’ heritage. He has yet to receive a call-up in any group for either program. His first likely inclusion could come during the upcoming January camp, which is traditionally an opportunity for MLS players to demonstrate their potential value and gain familiarity with the set-up.
A tall and physical target striker standing six-foot-four, Agyemang creates several chances per 90 minutes and is willing to take on opponents off of the dribble, self-assessing his best assets as “speed” and “comfort on the ball.” He has a tireless energy and “just keeps going” to the dismay of opposing defenders, with his manager praising his innate ability to “know where to run” but noting a need to acquire consistency. His impact is made both during moments of sustained possession and on the counter-attack, demonstrating his unique combination of pace, strength, and deft touch, which makes him useful in multiple formations and game situations. “Agyemang has great physical attributes for a center forward,” wrote Tyler Trent for Top Bin 90. “He has a frame built for strong hold up play, physical battles, and aerial duels. However, while Agyemang does have those characteristics, he is a deceptively strong dribbler. He is strong with the ball at his feet, and capable of taking on players out wide and creating his own chances or providing for his teammates. Agyemang’s good use of his body combined with quick feet and a strong explosive first step makes him a matchup nightmare for opponents as he is capable of playing in many different ways.”
Time will tell as to whether Agyemang is a one-season wonder or a potential option for the USMNT at the top of the formation. He has proven his abilities as a goal-scorer and should be in a prime position to continue performing for Charlotte FC while also being young enough to possibly receive overseas opportunities. His first international call-up could perhaps come during the winter, earning a spot at the annual January camp under the leadership of new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
