Photos courtesy Philadelphia Union II Communications 

David Rabadan

Philadelphia Union II announced Thursday the acquisition 19 year old Spanish midfielder David Rabadan on loan from third division side Athletico Albacete.

Philadelphia Union II head coach Sven Gartung expects the Spaniard to be with the team for the rest of the season, unless he earns a promotion to the first team — for which Gartug sees potential.

In the match reports available on the lending club’s website, the most recent mention of Rabadan occurs on January 19, when the midfielder was sent off in the 43^rd minute for a second yellow card offense. Rabadan’s side won the match while down a man, with two goals less than ten minutes before time, indirectly supporting Ernst Tanner’s suggestion in the announcement that Rabadan has been playing in a counter-attacking side.

In his conference call yesterday, Gartung indicated the Spaniard is a expected to be a box-to-box or an attacking midfielder, in line with the Tanner’s comments about him and counterattacks. He will raise the age and experience level of the Union II’s midfield, and will be direct competition for Zach Zandi, among the other known midfielders.

Gartung did not comment on the young man’s whereabouts between January 19 and March 5, nor did he indicate whether he was physically present in the United States at the time of the announcement. As we all learned when Ernst Tanner himself arrived, immigration regulations constrain information flow and other forms of activity. And once the new visa has been acquired, one must leave the country and then re-enter it using the new credential.

For Union II in the immediate short-term, the critical news is that Rabadan is awaiting his international transfer certificate and his P1 visa. When the paper work arrives and he is officially rostered with the league, as of this writing, he will become the team’s eleventh known USLC player. (Editor’s note: Forty-five minute’s after this article was posted, Union II announced the signing of 16-year-old midfielder Jack McGlynn who is a U. S. Citizen in the Philadelphia Union’s Academy. Technically, McGlynn will be eleventh and Rabadan will be twelfth because of the paperwork delay.) 

L-R: Issa Rayyan, Ben Ofeimu, Zach Zandi

Rabadan is already listed on the Union II’s website. He stands 6’0″ tall, weighs 169, was born May 22, 2000, and will wear number 35.

In other news, the club released a photo of the new 2020 white kits, which feature a new jersey sponsor.