CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Charlotte Independence announced on Tuesday the signing of midfielder Zev Taublieb. The signing is pending league and federation approval.

“The professionalism here is very high,” said Taublieb. “I really felt that by coming here, I could grow as a player and help the team reach their big goals of winning a championship. The players and the coaching staff are a great bunch of guys.”

In 2016, Taublieb played for Wilmington Hammerheads FC, where he made 21 appearances and logged 1,067 minutes. A year prior, the New York City native played his rookie campaign with Sacramento Republic FC, where he scored one goal. In 2013, Taublieb played for Independence Head Coach Mike Jeffries at the Premier Development League’s Des Moines Menace.

"Zev's got a great soccer brain," said Jeffries. "He understands the game and reads plays pretty well. I think his movement and ability to connect in the middle of the field are big positives."

In his collegiate career at Valparaiso University, Taublieb appeared in 65 matches, starting 59. A captain his senior year for Valpo, the team finished with an 8-5-6 record, the most wins for the program since 2011. That season Taublieb was named to the All-Horizon League Second Team, and was an NSCAA Scholar All-North/Central Region Second Team, and First-Team All-American by the Jewish Sports Review.