National team call-ups and other speed reads

⚽️ Charlotte FC forward Patrick Agyemang received his first U.S. Men's National Team call-up for this month's camp. Charlotte FC defender and USMNT veteran Tim Ream has also been called up, per a press release.

🐾 Hill's Pet Nutrition is covering up to $100 in dog or cat adoption fees at the Humane Society of Charlotte through Jan. 12. HSC is one of 13 animal shelters nationwide chosen to participate in the Welcome Home Adoption campaign, according to a press release.

🎻 Vitamin String Quartet (VSQ) will perform pop favorites in their Charlotte debut concert on Jan. 23 at 7:30pm at the Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for the Arts and Civic Engagement at Queens University of Charlotte. Tickets start at $29.

🌮 Popular Mexican food truck El Veneno quietly opened a food stall inside Monarch Market in Uptown over the weekend, its owners confirmed to Axios.

🍽 Counter- will host an exclusive seven-course tasting menu in honor of legendary chef Jacques Pépin on Jan. 29.

• The dinner is part of The Jacques Pépin Foundation's nationwide fundraising campaign, which 90 chefs and restaurants across the country will participate in. Tickets are $255 per person.