Charlotte soccer stars boast top jersey sales

Charlotte FC has had an up-and-down season so far on the field, but their popularity with fans is at an all-time high. New merchandise data from Major League Soccer shows that three of the club's players rank among the 25 best-selling jerseys in the 30-team league.
The three players are Wilfried Zaha, who signed with Charlotte FC in January after establishing a loyal following as a top player in the Premier League earlier in his career; Patrick Agyemang, a 24-year-old rising star who also plays on the U.S. Men's National Team; and team captain Ashley Westwood. Zaha's jersey ranks seventh in sales; Agyemang's is ninth and Westwood's is 11th.
Advertisement
READ: Juneteenth celebration honors historically Black corridor in Charlotte
Only two teams, Inter Miami CF and Seattle Sounders FC, had more player jerseys in the top 25, with four apiece. There is no mystery about the top-selling player jersey: Inter Miami's Lionel Messi — for the third year in a row, tracking with his arrival in MLS after a decorated career with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
Keep reading here.
WATCH: Juneteenth celebration honors historically Black corridor in Charlotte

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

28 minutes ago

• Yahoo

What changes will IndyCar make to new car? Weight reduction, engine formula, more

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Penske Entertainment executives rolled out its plan for IndyCar's next-generation chassis and engine formula in a private meeting of its team owners midway Saturday at Road America, the series announced in a release. The car, which earlier this month the series confirmed to be on track for the start of the 2028 season, will include between 85 to 100 pounds of weight reduction, house a 2.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 internal combustion engine — the engine originally planned to be rolled out in tandem with the debut of IndyCar's bespoke hybrid unit — and a low-voltage hybrid unit that will continue to evolve off of the current model in use to eventually include 'longer deployment, more horsepower gain and overall improved performance.' Advertisement On-track testing for the car will begin in 2026, with Dallara producing the chassis that, according to the series, will 'feature a look designed to appeal to a new generation of fans while keeping styling cues recognized by all as an IndyCar series car." 'The time has come for a new IndyCar series chassis,' IndyCar president Doug Boles said. 'The DW12 served the series so well, as it provided a combination of phenomenal, wheel-to-wheel racing and critical enhancements to safety. But recent significant updates to the car — from the aero screen to the hybrid power unit — have helped advanced the need for a completely new car. 'We are pleased by what our engineers and Dallara have collaboratively designed and believe it will appeal to the fans and paddock, while also upholding our standards of safety and enhancing IndyCar's on-track competition well into the future." Insider: IndyCar shifts timeline for new car further back, creating complicated future. Here's why Advertisement Also noted in the release, Xtrac, an exclusive supplier for IndyCar since 2000, will continue to provide transmissions for the new chassis. The new car will feature a new gearbox that will shed 25 pounds and that will share components with the future Indy NXT gearbox. Performance Friction Corporation will again be the exclusive supplier of brake system components for the series, as it has since 2017. The new car will also include an ergonomic driver cockpit to improve seating position, as well as an integrated aero screen and a new roll hoop. Renderings of the new car as well as information on its test schedule and additional partners will be announced at a later date. This story will be updated. Get IndyStar's motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyCar new car changes: weight reduction, engine formula, hybrid

Yahoo

31 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Denny Hamlin wins Busch Light Pole Award at Pocono

Denny Hamlin won Busch Light Pole qualifying at Pocono Raceway and will lead the field to green for Sunday's The Great American Getaway 400 (2 p.m. ET, Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The all-time Cup wins leader at Pocono put down a hot lap of 172.599 mph in his return to on-track action after missing Mexico City last weekend due to the birth of his son. It is the 44th pole of his career. Advertisement RELATED: Starting lineup | At-track photos: Pocono Chris Buescher (172.325 mph) will join Hamlin on the front row. Carson Hocevar (171.825 mph), John Hunter Nemechek (171.789 mph) and Cole Custer (171.638 mph) rounded out the top five. Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell and Daniel Suárez completed the top 10 in Sunday's starting lineup. William Byron crashed on his qualifying lap coming off Turn 2 and suffered significant front-end damage. Bubba Wallace and Josh Berry did not put down qualifying laps due to respective mechanical issues. Brennan Poole and the No. 44 team were not allowed to qualify after failing pre-race inspection three times. Also, Cody Ware crashed in practice and did not qualify. Advertisement PRACTICE Before crashing on his qualifying lap, Byron put down the fastest single lap in Saturday's practice session at 170.758 mph. Bubba Wallace (170.032 mph), Chase Elliott (169.885 mph), Tyler Reddick (169.766 mph) and Chris Buescher (169.667 mph) rounded out the top five. The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports driver also topped the board in five- and 10-lap averages at the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania circuit. Christopher Bell's No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota suffered a mechanical issue before hitting the track in Group B's 25-minute session and only put down three laps, landing 13th on the practice board. This story will be updated.

Yahoo

36 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Ian Happ's leadoff home run (10)

Ian Happ drills a leadoff home run to left-center field, putting the Cubs ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the 1st inning