Charlotte FC have their first-ever MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire, an honor that striker Karol Swiderski brings home following Week 32 of the 2022 season.
The Polish international scored twice in the second half during the expansion club’s 3-2 comeback victory Saturday evening at Chicago Fire FC, including a 96th-minute go-ahead tally that sealed three points from the Eastern Conference matchup.
Swiderski, signed in January from Greece’s PAOK for a reported near-$5 million transfer fee, has 10 goals and five assists through 28 games (27 starts). Chasing a World Cup spot this November, he’s also the Queen City club’s first-ever Designated Player.
Swiderski’s third multi-goal game of the season made him the first player since 2018 to score 10 goals for an expansion club in their first season of play (LAFC’s Carlos Vela, Diego Rossi and Adama Diomande were the last ones).
The 25-year-old’s efforts have helped Charlotte reach 38 points (12W-17L-2D) on the season, which is the most by an expansion team since LAFC’s 57 in 2018.
After the September international window, Charlotte return to action on Oct. 1 (5:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+) when hosting the Philadelphia Union. They’re 10th in the East, four points back of a potential debut-season bid into the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The MLS Player of the Week presented by Continental Tire is selected each week of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while a Twitter fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.
