Photo: Nicolae Stoian

Dear Philadelphia Union,

Please acquire Benny Feilhaber.

He just signed with Major League Soccer on Friday.

And you, Philadelphia Union, hold the No. 2 pick in the allocation order for acquiring returning U.S. internationals.

You desperately need a playmaker like him if you want this first place thing to be anything but a temporary scheduling blip. Wins over two mediocre teams (one of which was a man down) and a Tim Ream mistake don’t make you a good team.

Yes, your defense is playing extraordinarily well, but the team looks to have exchanged the whole pass-and-move possession thing we saw last year — you know, the style that worked down the stretch after you changed goalies, added Sheanon Williams, and put Michael Orozco Fiscal at center back to establish a legitimate back five — for a park-the-bus mentality that offers nothing on offense. Right now, there’s no creativity, no playmaking, and no offense, largely because the central midfield is failing to link the defense with the forwards.

The missing piece of the puzzle

Look at the pieces you have:

• An experienced veteran goalkeeper;
• A solid back four;
• Two good strikers in Sebastien Le Toux and (when he’s allowed to rejoin the starting lineup) Danny Mwanga;
• Two solid outside midfielders in Justin Mapp and the emerging Keon Daniel;
• A good defensive midfielder in Brian Carroll, with depth in Amobi Okugo (and Stefani Miglioranzi, his current struggles notwithstanding);
• Depth at forward;
• A second central midfield spot that has been occupied by holding midfielders for over a year and basically duplicates the other center midfield spot.

That last one is what we call a “hole.” A big, fat, gaping, black hole.

Fans keep asking for a playmaker. Some say it should be Roger Torres, and maybe one day it will be, once he consistently harnesses his talents.

But now —

Benny Feilhaber.

A potential long-term franchise cornerstone

Feilhaber is young, talented, creative, and in need of one visionary coach who will park him at center attacking midfielder and just let him do his thing. For years, Feilhaber has flirted with greatness (or very goodness) at various stops, only to get marginalized at just the wrong time. He has seemed to so many people to be a natural No. 10, a central playmaker with creativity, vision and a great touch, but he instead often gets pushed to the flanks, where he’s good but not great due to lack of speed.

But you, Philadelphia Union, are smarter than that. You know where your holes are. You’re smart enough to compromise the tactics of a 4-2-2-2 in order to give yourself a starting 11 among the league’s best.

Because that’s what Feilhaber would do. He’d give you a real attack and turn Sebastien Le Toux into a Golden Boot winner. He’ll even give you a regular starter who can actually do something with free kicks. And he’s just 26 years old, with top flight European and international experience. What more could you possibly want?

Trade up in the allocation draft

Be bold. Trade a draft pick or two to move up and take Chivas USA’s spot at the top of the allocation order. Send allocation money. Give them Carlos Ruiz. Pay the asking price.

Just go get him. Your fans will thank you. This is the beautiful game, and Feilhaber can help Philadelphia Union play it beautifully — and win.

Sincerely,

A Philadelphia Union season ticket holder and founding member

UPDATE: The Washington Post reports that Chivas USA is considering passing on Feilhaber or trading their pick. (Scroll down to the bottom.) The Philadelphia Daily News reports that Union manager Peter Nowak says the Union “do not have any interest” in Feilhaber.