Photo courtesy Philadelphia Union

On Wednesday Philadelphia Union II announced six more professional additions to their roster for the inaugural season of MLS NEXT Pro, the newly launched professional player development league created by Major League Soccer.

All six are between 21.6  and 19.8 years of age. Two are international, Venezuelans. Four come from the United States, one of whom is from Greater Philadelphia having played first at Conestoga and then Drexel, as well as with West Chester United Predators.

None are from the Union’s own academy.

In a press release announcing the signings, head coach Marlon LeBlanc stated, “Philadelphia Union II is a place where top, young talents will have a platform to show their talents and grow in a competitive and exciting environment. Stefan, Brooks, Chris, Maike, Juan and Nathan will join Nelson Pierre as a core of outstanding players that will set a standard for those that follow in their footsteps at Union II.”

The oldest, Donovan, from ‘Stoga, Drexel, and Predators, went to preseason with the Columbus Crew but did not stick. He was reported to be one of the two striker trialists listed in the Union’s last preseason match against Nashville. The other such trialist was Stojanovic (see photo).

The youngest, Thompson, was Sporting KC II’s youngest professional signing as a goalkeeper back in March of 2019. He had twelve starts from the Covid-shortened 2020 season in the USL Championship.

The Venezuelan midfielders, Perdomo and Villero, come from clubs that were both in Venezuela’s first division in 2021. Perdomo’s Deportivo Lara still is, but Villero’s Atletico Venezuela CF is no longer, having been relegated for 2022.

Nathan Nkanji is the cinderella story. He comes originally from Chargers SC in Florida southeast of Tampa, the club from which Union Homegrown Nathan Harriel matriculated to the Union’s academy. Chargers has now merged into Florida Premier FC north up the coast from Clearwater. Florida Premier played Union II in their first preseason match February 3 in Clearwater.

Nkanji played well enough to attract comment from Jim Curtin and earn a trial with Union II. Florida Premier tweeted in March that he had signed with Union II, complete with a picture of him sitting next to Ernst Tanner at a table with both smiling for the camera. Subsequent Tweets identify him as possibly a left center back.

Observations and inferences

The ages of all these 2022 players recall the ages of those whom Tanner brought in to play for Bethlehem Steel FC the year he made that already-young developmental team considerably younger. In addition to having their own opportunities to impress the technical staff to win contracts for themselves, the newly announced six will provide the developmental matrix in which other Academy amateurs — as yet unannounced — will mature and grow through direct competition.

At the beginning of the season Union II’s depth chart will be expected to show most of the older men starting, backed up by Union Academy amateurs. If he has not already done so Nelson Pierre will be working hard to displace either Stojanovic or Donovan at striker. The other ten position competitions will become clearer as the rest of the roster becomes public.

Readers may expect Philadelphia Union II and MLS NEXT Pro to follow the same seasonal rhythms that Bethlehem Steel FC demonstrated in USL Championship. From the league opener until May the team’s primary task will be to condition first-team reserves who are not getting first-team game minutes. Right center back Brandan Craig and defensive midfielder Cole Turner have not made either first-team match day roster to date, and thus become candidates for Union II.

They will almost certainly be joined as Union II starters by left back Anton Sorenson who is listed on both available official rosters as “loaned out.” No one has ever officially said to whom, but it is inconceivable that the loan is to anyone other than Union II.

When you add Sorenson, Craig, and Turner from the defensive five to Donovan and Stojanovic or Pierre up top with Perdomo and Villero as shuttling midfielders, you have only three field positions left to fill. If Nkanji is in fact the left center back, only a right back is needed along with an attacking midfielder.

Academy senior Jack Jasinski filled in at right back in preseason against Cincinnati, leaving Bajung Darboe to play attacking center mid. There are re-Tweets and Tweets from @UnionRumors and @DarboeJC that show footage of Darboe practicing, playing, and scoring with an unidentified side at FC Bayern Munchen’s Academy southern Germany earlier this month.

Perhaps the most fundamental developmental purpose of Union II in 2022 may be to develop the 15.3-year-old midfielder / attacker. One of the top three clubs in the world thinks he is worth taking a look for themselves.

U.S. Soccer announced Wednesday that Darboe and fellow Union Academy U17 forward Luke Zielinski are in the U-17 MYNT side going to Buenos Aires from March 10-20, preparing for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru. They will play Argentina on March 15 and Uruguay on March 18.