CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Charlotte Independence today announced that the club has acquired 18-year-old midfielder Luca Sowinski on loan from USL Championship side FC Tulsa for the remainder of the 2023 season. Sowinski started four matches for Tulsa in 2022 and tallied the second hat trick in club history in just his second career start.

"I want to thank the FC Tulsa staff, in particular, Sam Doerr for reaching the agreement to loan Luca to us," Charlotte Head Coach Mike Jeffries said. "Luca is a talented, young attacking player who will bolster our attack with his creativity and cleverness in and around goal. We look forward to continuing to develop the potential he has shown both when Tulsa signed him and during his USL experience."

Sowinski made his professional debut with FC Tulsa against Detroit City FC on Sept. 24, 2022. In the club’s next match, Sowinski started again and scored three goals against Indy Eleven to lead Tulsa to a 4-2 win.

As an 18-year-old, Sowinski joined FC Tulsa on July 14, 2022. At the time, he was the youngest player to sign a professional contract in club history.

A Carlsbad, Calif. native, Sowinski joined the Arizona-based Barça Residency Academy in 2019 at 15 years old. He earned his way to Barça's U-19 side in 2022 and helped his team win its second consecutive MLS NEXT Southwest Division Championship. Sowinski led the way for his team with 15 goals and five assists in 20 appearances.

"I’m really excited to be joining the Independence," Sowinski said. "I look forward to playing alongside this talented group of players and for such a high-quality organization. I’m ready to get started, and I hope to contribute to the team’s continued success."