CHARLOTTE FC

Nimfasha Berchimas, a High Point resident, has signed a homegrown player contract with Charlotte FC, makes him the sixth-youngest player in MLS history to do so.

Nimfasha Berchimas is the latest Charlotte FC academy player to sign a homegrown contract with the MLS first team.

The High Point resident’s deal runs through 2026 with an option for 2027, making Berchimas the sixth-youngest player to sign a Major League Soccer contract at 14 years, 268 days old. The winger, who joined Charlotte FC’s academy in 2020 as a 12-year-old from NC Fusion, is expected to play a significant role for Charlotte FC’s MLS NEXT Pro team next year in that club’s debut season.

“I’m very excited to sign a homegrown contract with Charlotte FC. It’s been a dream of mine to become a professional footballer,” Berchimas said in a statement. “I can’t wait for next season to begin, and I look forward to playing for the Crown.”

MLS clubs can sign players to a homegrown contract if he has been a member of that club's youth academy for at least one year and has met training and retention requirements. Homegrown players in supplemental roster slots 21-30 can earn in aggregate up to $125,000 yearly above the reserve minimum salary for slots 25-30, or the senior minimum in slots 21-24.

Homegrown players are not subject to the MLS SuperDraft.

Berchimas, a native of Berundi, is the second academy player to sign a deal with the first team. Brian Romero of Concord joined the first team during the summer as a 15-year-old.

Berchimas was recently called to the U.S. Under-16 youth national team for the Football Federations Cup along with academy teammate James Nyandjo. Of the 20 players selected to the national squad, Berchimas is the youngest and the only one born in 2008. Everyone else was born in 2007.

“Nimfasha is a young player who has continued to impress across the Academy and youth national team levels for the past year and we’re excited to sign him as the Club’s second homegrown,” Charlotte FC sporting director Zoran Krneta said. “Like any player his age, he has a significant amount of development ahead of him and everyone at the club is aligned to maximize his progress on the appropriate timeline. As we continue to grow as a club, graduation from the academy to the professional level is vitally important to building a sustainable football club and we’re delighted to promote two players from our youth teams in our inaugural season.”

Berchimas, who was invited by German club Bayern Munich over the summer for training with their academy, is another example of the academy producing players with first-team potential.

“Signing a homegrown contract is one of the early steps in a well-defined, long-term path for Nimfasha and today is an exciting moment for him and his family as he starts his professional journey,” Charlotte FC executive academy director Bryan Scales said. “We’re excited to continue developing the next generation of professional soccer players in the region through our academy pathway.”
 

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