Union

Union select midfielder Corben Bone in Re-entry Draft first stage

Photo: Courtesy of the Chicago Fire

With the sixth pick of the first stage of the Re-entry Draft on Thursday, the Philadelphia Union selected midfielder Corben Bone.

Bone comes to the Union from the Chicago Fire, who selected the 25-year-old in the first round (13th pick overall) of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. Since joining the league, Bone has made 18 appearances for Chicago including 8 starts for a total of 677 minutes. In the past two seasons, Bone made only three appearances with no starts for a total of 29 minutes.

Bone played his college ball at Wake Forest where he helped the team to four straight College Cup finals, winning the national championship in 2007, his freshmen year.

“We like what Corben can offer to our team going forward,” said Union head coach John Hackworth. “Our staff believes he has a lot of potential to contribute and we are happy to have the opportunity to add him to our squad as we continue to look to improve our roster this offseason.”

Bone will be well known to Hackworth from the US youth national team system. Between 2005 and 2006, Bone made 10 appearances with US youth national team squads including one appearance in 2005 with the U-17s, two with the U-18s, and seven with the U-20s.

The second stage of the Re-entry Draft will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 3 pm.

35 Comments

  1. I’m gonna go out out a limb here and say he is a depth signing.

  2. Is this a joke?

    And here I had hope Hackworth wouldn’t screw things up this off season.

    • I truly don’t understand how people can be so upset by this; I’m not sure what people were expecting Hackworth to do in the first round. I would have been angry if we picked up any of the big names and larger contracts available in the first round. I might have taken Zakuani at his current contract but even then that is a risk with the debilitating injuries he has had

  3. I’m not feeling it.

  4. does anyone know anything about him?

  5. Cheap, low risk depth/potential signing. I’m fine with it. The second round is where all the action is at anyway, almost all of the “good” players available made too much money last year for a team to commit to matching it, so teams wait til the second round where they can re-negotiate salary.

    • I guess on the flip side, that’s a good way to see it.

      There’s 12 weeks and 2 days to go before the season starts and I’m already looking forward to “exciting” news.

    • I guess my problem with this is the Midfield is where we need starters, not depth. I would rather have them take a flyer of a deferenceman instead of adding another person to the legion of mediocre midfielders.

    • Don’t we have this role of cheap, young American midfielder used mainly for depth already filled with Matt Kassel?

  6. I have a bone to pick with hackworth

  7. OneManWolfpack says:

    Ha… Bone. I’m juvenile.
    .
    He is definitely (hopefully) a depth guy. He’s young, has talent, and doesn’t cost much. I don’t hate the move. I just hope they target someone a little stronger in Round 2

  8. Optimism for offseason… Going… Going… Gone

    • it is pretty weird to lose faith in the offseason already just from not liking one pick in the first round of the re entry draft.

  9. Disappointing. For a while it’s been a pet conspiracy theory of mine that Hack preferences Wake Forest guys based on his connections to the school (Lahoud, Carrol, Vartughian). This does not help me dismiss those concerns. I want to believe that Hack plays guys because of what they can do and not who they are/know, but I find that evidence continues to pile up to the contrary.

  10. Anyone have the figures on his salary vs. Keons, Labouds, etc? If it’s lower then OK. But picking a guy based on when he was 18 compared to now isn’t smart.
    I can’t really say this is terrible, but I still have no faith that Hack actually knows what a #10 is, or how to construct an offense based on him…
    But I can’t judge on this.

  11. At worst, it’s a low risk, moneyball move, but if Farfan is staying on the right or being moved for other assets. Bone profiles as a young developmental central mid that Farfan was expected to be. He can sub in with a lead to hold possession, especially if our new AM is older.
    Also, if they can’t get the players for a 4-3-3, then he at least represents a better potential center mid partner for Carrol or Okugo.

    • 25 isn’t really young for a Soccer player. The Union constantly spout off about how young they are, but players come through alot earlier in the rest of the world due to players going through academies and not college. Not picking a fight with you, just sick of the U always spinning something…..

      • And too be fair, this whole “Wow he’s 23 – he’s still young!” is a MLS and American thing. Not just a Union thing.

      • Sorry, I guess it’s more fair to say he fits with our younger core of players who are his contemporaries. We know that most athletes peak around ages 27-28, I haven’t seen any studies to show that soccer players are different from other athletes.

      • Yeah, like James said, it’s young in American soccer. The development arc is different due to the college vs. European academy paradigm. You get less tread on the wheels (but also slower development) from playing fewer games in the American development system. It may push a player’s peak back, but it also probably lengthens the career. That’s purely anecdotal observation, but I think some research would actually confirm it. (I find it kind of fascinating, to be honest.) Clint Dempsey is a good example. So are Brad Davis, Alan Gordon, and plenty of others.

      • I just think that when you look at teams abroad you are more likely to see 17 and 18 yr olds breaking into the first teams…..I think you wouldn’t consider alot of 25 yr olds “young”. I agree with your assesment John that he fits the Union age profile though. For fun, here are some guys and their ages…

        Fabregas is 26
        Hamsik is 26
        Messi is 26
        Ozil is 25
        Gotze is 21
        Muller is 24

        No one considers them young, accompished yes, but not young…

      • You’re right, you do see that more often in Europe. It’s the different development model. American soccer is beginning to veer toward that direction with the advent of youth academies — Diego Fagundez, Juan Agudelo, Bill Hamid and others are the early top products of it, and all broke in earlier than players who went to college — but the academy movement is still in its infant stage. Most MLS rookies are 21-22 years old. A 21-year-old in Europe has been a pro for 3-4 years.

  12. I hoping there’ll be a coaching position at Wake Forest and Hackworth accepts. He is not a professional manager. He’s also clueless about drafting players. Last year is still vivid.

  13. Toronto announces their DP. Does the Union even have anyone on their radar?

  14. James lockerbie says:

    That’s my question Who are the U targeting as their new DP

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