CHARLOTTE, N.C. – As the Charlotte Independence replenished their squad this offseason, some of the new recruits may not have known everything about the club they were joining, but there was certainly one person that everyone was aware of as they arrived for preseason training.

“Coming into the season the one player that we really knew about was Jorge,” said 22-year-old rookie Kevin Areman this week, “just because of his success in the league and because he is approaching a goal-scoring record that is really remarkable.”

Jorge Herrera is a combination of the face of the franchise for the Independence, and arguably the most enduring figure over the past decade years in Charlotte’s soccer scene. As he prepares to make his 100th regular-season appearance for the Independence on Saturday night when the club hosts Penn FC in a key game in the race for the 2018 USL Cup Playoffs at the Sportsplex at Matthews (7:30 p.m. ET | Match Center | ESPN+), the 37-year-old Colombian remains at the top of his game with 10 goals this season, putting him firmly in the conversation for the USL Golden Boot at the end of the season.