Philadelphia Union have signed German-American striker Andrew Wooten, the club announced Thursday night.
Wooten, 29, joins the Union from Bundesliga 2 side SV Sandhausen, where he scored 17 goals in 31 appearances in the 2018-19 season, including 13 goals in his last 18 games.
“He is a strong forward who had interest from many teams around the world, so to have him choose Philadelphia as the next stop in his career is a tremendous compliment,” Union sporting director Ernst Tanner said in a statement released by the club. “We are all looking forward to integrating Andrew as quickly as possible and having him ready to play as soon as he is eligible following the opening of the transfer window.”
The summer transfer window opens July 9 in the United States, meaning Wooten would be eligible to play against Salt Lake on July 13.
The Union closed the deal using targeted allocation money.
Wooten will not take up an international roster spot, due to his U.S. citizenship. He also holds German citizenship.
https://twitter.com/PhilaUnion/status/1141872352743034880
Wooten grew up in Germany, the son of an American military serviceman and a German woman. He has been capped once for the U.S. national team, in a 2015 against Peru. He has played primarily for Sandhausen since first joining them on loan in 2012, subsequently signing on full transfer with them in 2014, and team officials have gone on record as wanting to retain him.
He joins a team in need of a reliable striker. The Union entered the season with a deep depth chart at striker, albeit one without a star. The team traded C.J. Sapong to Chicago just before the season started and then dealt David Accam to Columbus a few weeks ago. Accam had been playing as a winger and second striker. Subsequently, striker Cory Burke ran into as yet unspecified visa problems and will be unavailable to the Union for at least two months, if not the whole season.
That has left the Union forward corps with new foreign imports Sergio Santos and Kacper Przybylko and winger Fafa Picault. While Picault has featured as a second striker often this season, he has had trouble finishing once in scoring positions. Santos is still working his way back to full sharpness after preseason injury problems. Przybylko has been a pleasant surprise, breaking out with goals in each of his first three MLS starts, but he has scored just once in his last six. Union head coach Jim Curtin sent out little-used midfielder Anthony Fontana as a striker during the team’s U.S. Open Cup loss to D.C. United. He scored, but the Union lost.
Despite that flux, the Union lead the Eastern Conference in goals scored and still sit in first place in the East.
Ambition from the Union. Ernst isn’t your daddy’s Philadelphia Union sporting director.
It’s nice, isn’t it?
That highlight video was nice because it seems to me he scores in a bunch of different ways. Hopefully his conversion rate is good. In Tanner we trust.
This should prove very interesting. Looking at the clip, he crosses his body well to shoot counter to movement, and it looks like he can shoot from the first touch, which the Union has needed forever from their strikers. I am waiting to explain to my grandchildren that “those are not boos that you are hearing, they are ‘Wooooos’ to go along with the doops.” Good luck, young man.
Smart signing. Based on the recent signings that Tanner and Albright have made, I would expect Wooten to be an important contributor.
He would be eligible on July 13 if and only if his international transfer certificate has cleared.
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Hopefully that process does not involve the U. S. state department.
Since he has caps from USMNT he has a US Passport, so the state department shouldn’t be a problem. Just FIFA paperwork.
One of the many pleasant surprises this season. looking forward to the second half.
Any word on contract length and options?
Sounds like 1.5 years with club option.