Former Indy Eleven striker Eamon Zayed, the club’s all-time leading scorer, is set to join the Charlotte Independence. Charlotte announced the move last week, which won’t become official until Zayed’s P-1 visa is approved, per a press release.

Zayed, a prototypical box striker and prolific scorer, bagged 26 goals across the past two NASL regular seasons for the Eleven. His hat trick on June 11, 2016, that delivered Indy a 4-1 win and an NASL spring championship was dubbed the “Miracle at The Mike.”

Known for scoring in trios on the big stage, Zayed had already earned the nickname “Mr. Hat Trick” for his exploits in Iran prior to coming to the U.S. His knack for finding the back of the net will no doubt aid Charlotte’s attack, either as a volume-scoring starter or an Alan Gordon-like late super sub.

The Irish-Libyan forward penned a heartfelt parting message for Eleven supporters via Twitter on his way out of Indianapolis:

Firstly, a short note of appreciation to Indy, the city and the fans! #🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/qtB16FK3vE — Eamon Zayed (@EamonZayed) March 23, 2018

The Independence are 2-0 to start the USL season after beating Ottawa Fury FC 4-1 at home in Week 1 and Toronto FC II 2-0 — again at the Sportsplex at Matthews — in Week 2. In fact, Charlotte will host five of its first six matches at home, a recipe for early success in the Eastern Conference table.

The Independence’s schedule gets much more daunting in May, as three of their four matches in the month are away from home. With Eamon Zayed in tow, plenty of other talent around him and a favorable early schedule, look for Charlotte to hold its perch near the top of the standings this spring. And when summer rolls around, we’ll see how good the Independence truly are.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

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