From São Paulo to Charlotte: João Pedro’s Ascent to Charlotte FC

January 18, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Charlotte FC News Release

João Pedro’s journey to the Queen City is marked by dreams fulfilled, challenges conquered, and gratitude for the support he’s received. Charlotte FC recently elevated the São Paulo native from the second team, Crown Legacy FC, to the first team as the Club heads into their third season.

I chatted with João Pedro – who goes by JP – in his native language of Portuguese to see how he’s been getting on in Charlotte and his thoughts on his first team promotion. All of his thoughts are translated into English.

João Pedro is coming off his personal best season which included some brilliant individual performances that earned him a spot in MLS Next Pro’s Best XI of the season. He was a critical component in what was a historic inaugural season for Legacy as they secured the top seed in the Eastern Conference with JP playing over 2,000 minutes and contributing two goals and three assists from the center back position to showcase his versatility.

With a renewed sense of self and rediscovered soccer prowess, João Pedro is eager to make an impact with the first team in the upcoming season.

“Like any athlete, you want to play at the highest levels, so I’m super happy to be able to play with the first team this upcoming year. I hope to show my qualities for all the fans and all the staff that helped me develop up to this point. I hope to play some good games, make an impact for the first team, and the rest, only God knows.”

For João Pedro, his move to Charlotte a year ago represented the realization of a lifelong dream to play outside his native Brazil.

“It was always a dream of mine to play outside of my country,” he said. “When I heard about the opportunity to play in Charlotte, it aligned with a lot of what my family and I were looking for. I really liked the pitch of the Club, and I didn’t think there was a better fit for me this past year.”

Adjusting to a new culture and country may present challenges, but João Pedro approached these hurdles with a positive perspective. Reflecting on his initial days at the Club, he not only managed to overcome the difficulties he faced, but he did so with commendable swiftness.

“It was hard at the start for me to adapt. New culture, new country, new language but thankfully I didn’t take too long to adapt. The Club was a big help by providing English classes and helping in other ways so that helped facilitate the work I had to at the Club. So, it was…