Photo Ron Soliman

In order to receive a payment rumored to be around $200,000, the Philadelphia Union have chosen to finish the last nine games of their regular season with only five proven MLS players available to  staff the usual four slots in their defensive shape.

Al-Akhoud of the Saudi Arabian top league paid the modest sum to have pending free agent Damion Lowe report to his new side in late August rather than two months later in mid-to-late October, whenever the Union’s season ends.

Jim Curtin has described the situation as a risk similar to the mid-summer departure of center back Stuart Findlay to Oxford United in July of 2022. After examining the details (see chart below), we respectfully suggest a modification to his conclusion.

The risk with Findlay was lesser for longer. In 2022 only one of the three defensive reserves was an MLS virgin. The second reserve that year had two MLS starts  and 170 minutes, and in addition he had had successful time as a center back and a left back with the second team. The third was a proven MLS player.

The risk now with Lowe is greater but shorter. Two of the three defensive reserves are MLS virgins; neither has had even the previous virgin’s cameo debut. The third remains the same proven MLS player.

While studying the data below, please remember two points. 2024’s data is still accumulating, and Damion Lowe played much more this year than Stuart Findlay did in 2022. Among reasons for the difference, Jakob Glesnes is two years older and coming off last fall’s sports hernia surgery. The data does NOT include Wednesday, August 28th’s match against Columbus.

*Union II contract; believed to be practicing with the first team almost every day.

Within 2022’s defensive  reserves, MBaizo was Mbaizo. Real had two MLS starts, and several successful ones as a left center back for Union II in MLS NEXT Pro. For all practical intents and purposes, Craig was a first team game virgin even though he had technically made his debut.

In 2024 MBaizo has remained Mbaizo. Both Westfield and Makhanya are literal first team virgins. Westfield has no 2024 MLS NEXT Pro minutes at center back, and only emergency ones from 2023 with no starts at the position. Makhanya has sat the first-team’s bench as an emergency reserve several times, but his only minutes in 2024, and 2023, are with Union II.

There are the same number of bodies. There is less experience. The risk being taken this year is qualitatively greater than the one taken in 2022. It will run for a shorter time.

Prior to Wednesday’s game with Columbus in Chester according to the Disciplinary Report on MLS’s website after week 29, Jack Elliott had accumulated four yellow cards and faced a suspension for his next one.  The thin defensive bench may be trimmed even thinner.

And of course during Wednesday’s game the risk of thin defensive reserves was highlighted when starting right back  Harriel went down injured inside 20 minutes and MBaizo came on for him in the 22nd. That circumstance left Curtin with one defender on his bench, an MLS virgin. Fortunately no other defenders went down.

Ramifications

The Union’s policy of doing well by its players, as they have done with Lowe and Martinez, is wise. It motivates them. No fan can complain about the efforts given on the Union’s behalf by players who were known to be departing. For 2024 examples we have Lowe himself, Jose Martinez, and Julian Carranza, to say nothing of captain Bedoya.

But the risk being taken shows two things. The Union are first and foremost a player development club, and they judge their 2024 playoff chances to be slim. Were  suspensions or injuries to occur, Makhanya and Westfield will be thrown onto the pitch to do their best, whatever that may turn out to be. We hope that playing would be sound developmentally for each.

.Constructing Tanner 2.0 is fully underway.