Charlotte FC signs forward Rodolfo Aloko to first team deal

CHARLOTTE FC

Charlotte FC signed forward Rodolfo Aloko to a first team contract through June 2030 with a club option through 2031.

Rodolfo Aloko’s earned promotion to Charlotte FC.

The Crown Legacy FC forward has been signed to a first team contract as a U22 Initiative player on a guaranteed deal through June 30, 2030, with an option for the 2030-31 MLS season. Through four matches with Crown Legacy, Aloko, 19, leads MLS Next Pro in goals and goal contributions with six goals and two assists. He earned MLS Next Pro Player of the Month for March after opening the season with back-to-back braces and a goal in each of the next two games.

“The reason that we’re thinking of bringing him up is because he's done exceptionally well with the Legacy, did well preseason with us, we’ve seen the potential, the development that we can get from him,” Charlotte FC coach Dean Smith said earlier this week. “We feel that he can go and compete within the squad, and that’s what we want.”

To make room for Aloko, who was acquired in September from Croatian club NK Kusto?ija, Kerwin Vargas, one of Charlotte’s three U22 players, was designated a targeted allocation money player. The Crown also acquired $170,000 in 2026 general allocation money from San Diego FC and their 2027 second round SuperDraft pick for $200,000 in 2027 GAM and Charlotte’s 2027 second round pick.

“Rodolfo is another example of our growing list of young talents coming through our development pathway, and we are happy to see him move so quickly to the first team,” Charlotte general manager Zoran Krneta said in a statement. “When we signed him in September, we knew he was a promising, young talent, but needed to settle into a new market. We've been impressed with his performances during the preseason, with Crown Legacy and at AFCON with Benin. His versatility at the forward positions with great physical attributes and an extremely strong work ethic will continue to keep his ceiling high.”

Aloko has earned seven caps since debuting for Benin’s national team in June and was selected earned a spot for this winter’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament. He played four matches with a pair of starts as Benin advanced to the round of 16.

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