Commentary / Philadelphia Union II

Looking at the Union’s developmental pipeline

Photo: Ben Ross Philadelphia Union II’s MLS NEXT Pro season came to an end on Saturday, losing 1-0 to Toronto FC II in the Eastern Conference playoffs. With the season over, it is time to discuss its players.

Player development will continue via post-season “friendlies” against appropriate local and regional fourth division sides. Logic and precedent suggest such friendlies may occur until late November. But no details beyond the general expectation are yet known.

The player discussion will appear in four parts.

  1. Our estimate of the pipeline (today).
  2. First-teamers (Friday, September 30)
  3. Amateurs (Wednesday, October 5)
  4. Union II professionals (Thursday, October 6)

Discussions will reflect all matches PSP has seen prior to publication.

The Union’s organizational pipeline

As background and overview for the next three segments, we estimate the older end of the Union’s professional developmental pipeline as of September 26th. Including or excluding an amateur is the hardest judgment. This year they are 2005 or 2006 birth-year players.

Unless a 2006 player has played more than “cameo” minutes – 30-50 minutes in two or more appearances as an arbitrary benchmark – the player is not included, except for a goalkeeper. For the 2005s inclusion judgments reflect the United Premier Soccer League’s Union Development Squad schedule and roster.

For the first teamers, since Jeremy Rafanello, Richard Odada, and Abasa Aremeyaw have only recently — or not yet — arrived, we place them at the bottom of their position categories unless observation already indicates otherwise. Rafanello is placed with the strikers not the attacking midfielders because that is where he had appeared prior to the Pachuca exhibition match.

All contract information below is neither official nor definitive. Future details of first Homegrown contracts were never made public until Rafanello’s. Second-team professional contract details also have not been announced. Amateurs sign zero-dollar contracts that preserve their amateur standing for future post-secondary play.

Lesser known players are bold-faced. Ages are as of 9/6/22. “O” in front of the year means the club has an option to keep the player for that year.

Goalkeeper

Age

Contract status

  Andre Blake

31.8

22, 23, 24, O 25

  Matt Freese

24.0

22, O 23, O 24

  Joe Bendik

33.4

O 22

  Brooks Thompson

20.3

22

  Andrew Rick

16.6

amateur

Left Back    
  Kai Wagner

25.6

22, O 23

  Matt Real

23.2

22

  Anton Sorenson

19.6

22

  Maike Villero

21.6

22

Left Center Back    
  Jack Elliott

27.0

22, 23, 24, O 25

Right Center Back    
  Jakob Glesnes

28.4

22, 23, 24

  Brandan Craig

18.4

22

  Nathan Nkanji

21.0

22

  Abasa  Aremeyaw

19.1

22, 23, 24, O 25, O 26

Right Back    
  Olivier Mbaizo

25.1

22, 23

  Nathan Harriel

21.4

22

  Frank Westfield

16.7

Amateur

Defensive Midfielder    
  Jose Martinez

28.1

22, O 23, O 24

  Richard Odada

21.8

22, 23, 24, O 25, O 26

  Jesus Bueno

23.4

22, 23, O 24, O25

  Cole Turner

21.4

O 22

  [Maike Villero]

21.6

22

Left Center Midfielder    
  Leon Flach

21.5

22, O 23, O 24

  Jack McGlynn

19.2

22

  Boubacar Diallo

19.7

22, 23

Right Center Midfielder    
  Alejandro Bedoya

35.4

O 22

  Quinn Sullivan

18.4

22

  Juan Perdomo

21.6

22

Attacking Midfielder    
  Daniel Gazdag

26.5

22, 23, O 24, O 25

  Paxten Aaronson

19.0

22

  Bajung Darboe

15.8

Amateur

  Carlos Paternina

21.4

22

Strikers    
  Mikael Uhre

27.9

22, 23, 24, O 25

  Julian Carranza

22.3

22, 23, O24

  Cory Burke

30.7

22, O 23

  Chris Donovan

22.1

22

  Jeremy Rafanello

22.4

22, 23, O 24, O 25

  Stefan Stojanovic

21.5

22

  Jose Riasco

18.6

22

  Nelson Pierre

17.5

22

  Marcos Zambrano

17.6

Amateur

 

3 Comments

  1. THANK YOU!!! Trying to keep track of everyone’s contract status is tough with contracts randomly announced through the season.
    .
    I fully appreciate being able to see everything in one spot!
    .
    Looking forward to the rest of the series to see an early look at Union rosters at the various levels for next year!!!

    • Once the first team’s 2022 fate is known, it will be time for roster decisions and the expansion draft.
      .
      There is a piece already drafted on the expansion draft, free agency, and the 2023 side’s initial composition. It will likely not run until it is time to turn attention to next season.
      .
      The third section will tell you who is guaranteed to return for 2023, for whom the club has an option to bring them back, and who is out of contract. The piece will get updated as needed between now and its date of publication.

  2. I have corrected the contract information about Olivier Mbaizo by adding 2023.
    .
    I infer that because the Players Association did not list him as a free agent.
    .
    As I read the rules of free agency, he would have qualified had he not had a guaranteed contract for 2023. When his new deal was announced last year it only said “multi-year” and did not list the specific years so I had been uncertain until I saw the Players’ Association list.

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