NEW YORK COSMOS

Darrius Barnes, a North Carolina native who played soccer at Duke and later Major League Soccer, has joined Charlotte FC as director of business operations.

Darrius Barnes is coming back to North Carolina.

Charlotte FC President Nick Kelly announced on Twitter that Barnes and Ellie Amaguana would join the club as director of business operations and human resources business partner respectively.

“Two months ago all I heard was, ‘Charlotte FC needs some soccer people, not beer people.’ Well we’ve been recruiting and are pleased to welcome two new team members that will immediately make us better,” Kelly tweeted.

Barnes said in a tweet that he is “excited to be heading back to my home state and the BLUE DEVIL state to play a small part in building and growing this promising Club!”  
Barnes, a Raleigh native who played soccer at Duke, made an Elite Eight appearance with the Blue Devils in 2006. A defender, Barnes spent eight seasons with the New England Revolution, followed by a season with the New York Cosmos. He also participated in Harvard Business School’s crossover into business program, which matches professional athletes with MBA student mentors.

After retiring as a player, he transitioned into a role with Major League Soccer, most recently as manager of partnership marketing.

Barnes will be responsible for leading business outreach and connecting Charlotte FC with youth clubs in the Carolinas.

Barnes arrives in Charlotte as an executive, but he played with former Charlotte Eagles and Independence player Bilal Duckett in New England. Duckett retired in 2019.
Amaguana heads to Charlotte from Atlanta United, where she spent the last four years. She spent 13 years with D.C. United, starting as human resources manager and later as director of human resources. She holds a bachelor of arts in parks, recreation and tourism management and sports management from North Carolina State.

“Ellie joins us from Atlanta where she was a part of a great front office that helped build one of the best organizations in soccer both on and off the field. Combine that with her more than a decade of work at DC United, she’ll certainly make an impact on our culture on day one,” Kelly tweeted.

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