Charlotte FC star players return for preseason training

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte FC is about a month away from the start of another season, and star players returned for the first week of preseason training in the Queen City

From day one, club captain Ashley Westwood really set the tone for the season.

ALSO READ: Charlotte FC honors the Carolinas’ first professional soccer team

“It’s just, we need to go one better than last year. I’ve set the bar, we want to win the league,” Westwood said. “I think we’ve got the squad to do that, so...that’s going to be our main aim.”

The team looks to keep the momentum going after an early exit last year in the MLS playoffs.

“It’s funny when I look back and reviewed the game at the end of last season,” Head Coach Dean Smith said. “We actually went out the best we played in the playoff competition. Sometimes football can be cruel, but our aim is to just keep getting better and pushing those standards that we’ve got. That now is to win something.”

The core of last year’s squad is back, which includes Spanish midfielder Pep Biel, who is back from a late-season knee injury. The team also signed Luca De La Torre, a midfielder from the United States national team.

“I think that fourth place in the East is a really strong finish,” Torre said. “I wanted to come to a team and a setup that is looking to win something in the next few years.”

Wilfried Zaha is expected to rejoin the team before training in Miami. He’s been competing with Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations.

(WATCH BELOW: Panthers pick up 5th year option on Bryce Young)