The teenage star has the potential to be American soccer's next great winger.

Charlotte FC are still new kids on the block. The club is only in its third year of existence, after all. The paths expansion teams walk is often a hard one as few clubs in the world can sympathize with the challenge of building something totally from scratch.

The club, though, does already have a homegrown starlet in-house. That starlet's name is Nimfasha Berchimas and, pardon the pun, he's quickly emerged as the jewel of the Crown's academy system.

The 16-year-old attacker already has three MLS appearances under his belt, making him one of the youngest players in league history. He's already made his mark for the U.S. youth national teams, too, as he dazzled at the U-17 World Cup while surpassing marks previously set by Freddy Adu.

He's young, but Berchimas' breakout is coming and, when it happens, Charlotte FC should have a heck of a player on their hands.

But what makes Berchimas so special? GOAL takes a look at the winger, this week's Weekly Wonderkid…

WHAT HE'S DONE

Dean Smith has a pretty good history of developing talent. Ollie Watkins went from obscurity to England star under his watch at Aston Villa. When it comes to helping young players go, Smith is a guy you can trust.

That makes Smith's decision to give Berchimas MLS minutes even more impactful. Smith clearly sees a lot in the teenage starlet.

Rightfully so. Berchimas has been tearing it up at the academy level since joining Charlotte FC. His three appearances came against New York City FCm the Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC, all games where the result was in the balance at the time of his introduction. While those three appearances only totaled 21 minutes, they were 21 important minutes, particularly for a teenager.

And, with the U.S., he dominated at the U-17 World Cup despite being just 15. As the youngest player in the squad, Bechimas scored three goals at the U-17 World Cup last year, surpassing Adu as the youngest player to ever score for the U.S. U-17s at the World Cup level.

AdvertisementImagnWHY HE'S HERE

A talented young winger, Berchimas is physically advanced for his age, giving him the ability to play against players much older than him. He has a quick first step and can change direction quickly, which allows him to beat defenders off the dribble with ease.

In terms of finishing, Berchimas has also shown he can do so at a high level at the World Cup, where he stood out playing against players much older than him. His decision-making is also impressive for a player as young as he is.

For Berchimas, the key will be development, both physical and mental. As he adjusts to even higher levels of the game, how will he adjust to not being one of the more dominant players on the field? If he keeps adding things to his game, though, he'll be able to go toe-to-toe with anyone in his path.

Getty ImagesWHO HE REMINDS US OF

It's a tough comparison, just because Berchimas has so much room to grow. He's just 16, after all. This is nowhere near the finished product.

In one sense, he's a bit reminiscent of Cade Cowell in that it was quite clear early on that he's so far ahead of players his age physically and mentally. Cowell is, of course, still growing himself, but both Berchimas and the Chivas star have looked like men against boys.

Long-term, though, you could see Berchimas playing a wing role a la Tim Weah. Prior to Berchimas, only three U.S. players had scored a brace at a U-17 World Cup: Adu, Weah and Taylor Twellman. Berchimas could end up being a solid out-and-out winger, one who can contribute goals the way that Weah has with the USMNT.

If Berchimas can score at a World Cup like Weah did, everyone involved will have done a very good job in developing him from starlet to star.

WHAT COMES NEXT

Berchimas' primary home will be Crown Legacy FC, Charlotte FC's MLS Next Pro affiliate. It's there that he'll get the most minutes and the most time to develop. By performing there, though, he'll inch closer to a spot with the senior team.

It's clear that a spot is there for him. The club has thrown him into the deep end a few times this season and, thus far, he's swam with ease. Berchimas is clearly a player to watch for Charlotte and the U.S. as he looks to take an even bigger leap forward during this MLS season.