Photo Kyle Grantham?
After two seasons of both Concacaf Champions Cup (formerly League) in February, March and April and Leagues Cup in July and August, aspects of the Philadelphia Union’s business model need to be modified to accommodate the extra competitions.
The foundational core of the Union’s business plan cannot change. Too many minority owners have bought into it. Changing that core would require a clean sweep of ownership. At least some business-oriented measurements say the club is doing well, especially when outlier Miami is excluded from the comparison.
On the other hand, some sporting-oriented measurements are more open to challenge. Five consecutive tournament semifinals with no wins raises questions. Most cogent to this discussion is the recent 1-0 loss to Columbus at Subaru Park Wednesday, August 28, 2024.
The Columbus match’s lesson
The lesson is simple.
Three days prior, both teams had sought needed wins by pushing their best possible sides to their limits. At the end of five knockout round games played every fourth day, the starters of both sides were already deeply tired.
Compare the two responses. Columbus head coach Wilfred Nancy had sufficient quality depth on his bench to ask eight new players to start in Chester to try to play a good Philadelphia team—even for sixty minutes.
In the first minutes, Nancy’s decision for a massive lineup change looked shaky. Columbus surrendered five+ consecutive corner kicks in the first five or six minutes, and suffered some early close calls from the run of play. But Nancy’s bench players grew into the match and held tiring Philly scoreless. For the last forty minutes of their run, the Ohio reserves played Philly even.
Then with half an hour to go, Nancy brought on his best five as fresh legs, the Union made a coverage mistake, and the Columbus result was secure.
Philadelphia head coach Jim Curtin lacked that much quality depth. He did use the small midfield and striker rotation that had advanced and survived his side to the end of the tournament.
But the bulk of his bench was not as advanced as Columbus’s. He indirectly admitted as much when he said post-game that the plan had been to get an early lead against the probability that Hernandez, Rossi, Yeboah, Nagbe, and Arfsten would sub on for the last half hour, as they did.
Philadelphia does not have eight bench players who could keep a strong opponent scoreless for an hour, only three or maybe four. The deeper parts of their bench are used differently than Columbus’s. Philly’s provide deep-level youth development for players not yet ready for an MLS game pitch.
Why the difference?
Philadelphia’s business plan is to develop young players to sell them into the first tier of Europe’s developmental leagues, the clubs where the elite teams find roster solutions using promising young outsiders.
Philly’s plan will not change. Neither will reliance on the whole of its team being greater than the sum of its parts. A willingness to relax transfer fee frugality may well be under discussion. Danley Jean Jacques is one datum of evidence. The website Footballdatabase.eu reports he cost 1.4 million euros ($1.54 million) as his transfer fee. In the past for the Union that amount of money was spent only for a striker (Mikael Uhre) or an attacking midfielder (Daniel Gazdag or Jamiro Monteiro). In the recent Town Hall, ownership seemed to recognize that the quality of play in the league has improved noticeably year upon year and would require adjustments.
Back in 2023, the experience of 2022’s schedule intensity produced a good-faith, three-player attempt to increase the bench’s quality depth. Unfortunately, two of the three did not meet the demands of Philly’s difficult system.
What needs to change is not only the quality of bench depth but especially its quantity. The competitive environment has changed. Ten years ago, above and beyond the MLS regular season was only the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Now more periods of intense game frequency have been deliberately added. Because Major League Soccer’s quality has improved significantly, Concacaf Champion’s Cup has been adjusted to affect more MLS teams for longer periods of time, and the Leagues Cup has been added from nothing.
These bursts of schedule intensity this season and last involve consecutive weeks of midweek games. In the Champions Cup’s case the schedule intensity has extended well beyond a month. These sequences require greater roster depth than the Union’s past roster practices have allowed. The old ways accommodated an occasional midweek game. They do not—and cannot—handle week after week after week, as the Columbus match showed.
The Union needs more game-ready reserves, and they need more of the money the young players’ sales will generate to pay for them. On Wednesday, August 28th coach Nancy suggested that as many as eight MLS-ready quality depth players are needed, not just Jim Curtin’s three.
A possible way forward
If unofficial press reports and credible rumors are correct, changes to MLS’s roster mechanisms may be an on-going discussion. Some roster changes have already become official, like the special player pathway annual choice involving numbers of DPs, U22 players, and increased GAM.
In the Union’s universe 2024 has seen use of a never-before-used rule, namely, off-roster Homegrown players. Whether the roster slot is new only to Union usage or to the league as a whole we cannot say. Philly Soccer Page has not followed the detailed roster gyrations of other MLS clubs. We have noticed that such gyrations have existed but have not dissected their details.
Prior to this year Philadelphia has never publicly announced using off-roster Homegrown slots. This year two have been published, David Vazquez and Cavan Sullivan. Each time either has dressed for a Union game, a special short-term contract allowing it has been announced. (We are guessing on the basis of evidence sufficient only to be inferential not definitive, that C. J. Olney’s six short-term agreements occurred before he was signed as a Homegrown on August 6th, i. e., when he was still under contract to Union II, the way Frank Westfield still is.)
Off-roster Homegrowns exist on other teams. In the 29 official roster profiles published May 1st there were 32 off-roster Homegrowns total. The largest number any single team listed was five, meaning – potentially – 31 players on an active roster and five more who are not.
Adding five more MLS-ready depth players to the Union’s roster would raise its current three to eight, both matching Columbus’s reserves and preserving the numbers of youngsters who are currently candidates for development and re-sale.
In only the roughest of crude estimates, expanding the salary budget that much would require ownership to add an extra million or so per year, while they are still spending on the structures of WSFS Sportsplex Phase Two as well as their annual operating losses.
Development technique
Philadelphia Union player development utilizes one of the more powerful tools known to exist, “practicing up.”
When an individual player is regularly and judged carefully for physical, technical, and mental readiness, “playing up,” is a developmental tool of great power. Its sequentially earlier brother, “practicing up,” is the same.
At various times this year 14-year-old Cavan Sullivan, 17-year-old CJ Olney, 18 year-old David Vazquez, and 18-year-old Frank Westfield have begun consistently to practice up. None of the four are yet ready to start an MLS game, since starting carries with it the potential demand of having to play the full 90 minutes, if the game unfolds to demand it.
- Olney has debuted with more than a cameo substitution, 18 minutes against Charlotte on June 22nd.
- Sullivan also has debuted as a cameo, five minutes against New England on July 17th. It worked from a purely soccer development point of view. But it must also be classified as league headline grabbing when placed alongside al the rest of the extra attention the young man has received.
- Vazquez and Westfield have not yet debuted. In Westfield’s case the debut is an injury and a yellow card suspension away from being necessary because only five MLS-ready defenders are currently on the roster: Wagner, Elliott, Glesnes, Harriel, and Mbaizo. Wagner and Elliott carry four yellows, Harriel has missed time with back spasms, and Mbaizo has had some lower leg soft tissue issues.
For these four teenagers, practicing up and playing for Union II is what they currently need to grow. They are doing both.
Two final first team months of midweek games demands bench players who can start. In the past defenders have sustained such game frequency when healthy, in peak condition, and of prime age. But midfielders and strikers cannot, as the Columbus match illustrated to say nothing of Leagues Cup and Concacaf Champions League.
Right now too many reserve strikers and midfielders are not yet ready to start first-team matches and succeed.
Denouement
For 2023 the Union tried to add depth from outside the club above and beyond the core 24 or 25 players previously used to play an MLS schedule. Defender Damion Lowe fit, but midfielders Richard Odada and Joaquin Torres did not.
Odada and Torres fit poorly into the Union’s culture and usages. Odada did not accept “playing down” easily. And despite his willing courage Torres was too easily knocked off the ball when in possession and lacked defensive ball-winning bite.
Full credit to the organization for recognizing a need and attempting to address it. From the 2023 MLSPA Salary report, 2023’s tripartite roster addition added $630,000 in annualized base salary to the club’s total salary charge. We do not know how the extra was funded.
A willingness like 2023’s must be found for 2025. Finding and signing five or more game-ready depth players must be a priority. It will be an investment in preserving proper developmental practices to grow the teenagers who will be the next wave of sales overseas.
Appendix: Off-roster Homegrowns
In MLS’s published summarized rules a single word hints at the possible existence of off-roster Homegrown players. A verb is modified with the descriptor “may.”
Here are the numbers of such players on every MLS club as of May 1st , except for Philly where we know more.
| Club | Club | Club | |||
| Atlanta | 0 | Kansas City | 0 | Orlando | 1 |
| Austin | 1 | LA Galaxy | 1 | Philadelphia* | 1 |
| Charlotte | 2 | LA FC | 1 | Portland | 0 |
| Chicago | 1 | Miami | 4 | Salt Lake | 5 |
| Cincinnati | 0 | Minnesota | 0 | San Jose | 5 |
| Colorado | 0 | Montreal | 1 | Seattle | 1 |
| Columbus | 0 | Nashville | 2 | St. Louis | |
| Dallas | 3 | New England | 0 | Toronto | 0 |
| D. C. | 1 | NYC FC | 5 | Vancouver | 0 |
| Houston | 0 | NY Red Bull | 0 |
*Since May Day Philadelphia has added Cavan Sullivan judging from the official press releases that state he has been added to game day rosters using “short-term agreements.” It should be noted that since roster slots have cleared with multiple recent departures, the off-roster statuses may have evolved.
I understood about half of what you said but all of it sounded really smart. I hope the Union reads PSP.
Oh dear. I apologize for being as clear as the lower Mississipi River.
.- Tim.
No you were clear. My tiny brain just couldn’t process your brilliance Tim. Always appreciate your stuff.
From your keyboard to Sugarman’s ears..very informative thx
Same: “You were clear. My tiny brain just couldn’t process your brilliance Tim. Always appreciate your stuff.”
Good stuff Tim. A minor quibble – just because there are minority investors doesn’t mean they can’t change strategy. Unlikely perhaps but not impossible. Minority investors are by definition along for the ride and not calling the shots.
Is there any chance that the plan for the next 5 years includes revamping roster approach to better fit the multiple competitions? They have shown they can be innovative before when building a state-of-the-art player development program, and Curtin has finally learned to use subs (at least some) when they are of adequate quality. One can hope….
Agree with all, with exception that in addition Curtin must go! 0-11 in semi/finals? Tell me that would fly anywhere else in Philly sports. If goal was to get a lead vs Columbus, why start Flach and Bedoya leaving McGlynn and Uhre on the bench? Even if was successful in getting a lead (which wasn’t) again would be playing in 2nd half with a inferior defensive team after sub time, which of course came after going down 1-0? Never good strategy, always outcoached and too slow to the draw. Good thing I sit on opposite side ad would be banned from Subaru Park if Jim could hear me asking him to take his hands out of his pants(ball game should be on the field) when it still matters, no?
We must agree to disagree about Jim Curtin. He along with the technical staff since the decisions are collective, not individual, seems to judge well when youngsters are ready to make the final step up.
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Put another way, he has not destroyed any academy youngsters that I think of off the top of my head.
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That’s crucial for a club with the Union’s underlying strategy.
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Point two: Uhre and McGlynn were on the bench because they were exhausted.
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I am guessing that Curtin kudged beating Columbus was going to be a stretch, and that beating Red Bull in north Jersey was a higher chance. he’s subsequently said in so many words that he likes McGlynn’s calmness in face of Red Bull’s chaos.
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If I happen to be right, and I have no idea whether I am, it was an excellent decision if we judge by the results.
Jim is yes man to tech staff and ownership. Only exp of him playing inferior youngsters and others to benefit mgmt vs wins. See Paxton, Mckenzie, mbazio,etc…also way to loyal to aging players Carroll, Bedoya, etc.
20yr Olds not normally exhausted. And if so, shouldn’t be on the roster, as 60 more min of rest will not cure it.
I don’t think 3 pts from 2 matches a winning approach. And if you’re sacrificing matches, plan ahead and make sure at risk players serve their suspensions for those matches. Now will likely loose a couple defenders for key matches as result of not doing so. Duh.
Wow!! This is why PSP is just an amazing platform!! Tim I’m not as into all the rules and regulations of the league, but knowing that someone is and brings the knowledge to us, so thanks for your hard work! If the Union can change up the spending to add better depth to the bench, I am sure that would solve some problems. The players are getting better league wide and because of the big money players showing up. Coaches are getting better also. Is it time for the U to move on from Curtain? I’m not sold Jim is the problem. I think it’s a variety of factors that starts with the availability of money for a better bench. We, the Union faithful deserve some hardware! The shield is a good start but most fans want a larger trophy!
You are already getting some hardware, just not trophies.
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Look towards the oil refinery at Marcus Hook next time you are on the west side of the stadium. You will see — finally — the gigantic steel roof pillars and roof trusses of one end of the indoor practice facility.
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That means they will stop paying rent to others, and start renting it out when they are not using it themselves.
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No idea when it will be done. You can bet they want it done before next January, but I know nothing about building such a structure.
In no other major US pro sport would the fans tolerate Sugarmans business model. His only goal is to develop academy players and sell the cream of the crop to European to the highest bidder and reinvest most of the money back into the academy. The first team will never win the championship until he sells the team. so sad
In what other major sport are other leagues better than the US league? Can you imagine a kid coming out of college turning down an NBA contract to play somewhere in Europe? Comparing soccer business models with other sports makes no sense.
Columbus has proven you can hold the model and win,if and only if, you spend on at least two top quality designated players up top. They spent 4x-5x on their designated players and have two trophies in a row.
I think you missed my point. Sugarman is not reinvesting in the first team as much as he should if he truly wants to win an MLS championship. I would not turn the money down either if I was a young player with a big offer from .Europe. see John Odnnels comments he explains my point in a lot more detail.
How long did Connie Mack own the Philadelphia As?How long has Mike Brown owned the Bengals?
Tim, great assessment and writeup. I will disagree with you about bench strength and investment. The league is way more talented than it was even 5 years ago. To compete, we need higher talented individuals on the starting team. The true state of the team was apparent when Blake was out. He is a phenomenal player but a good strategy is not to rely on him to save the day. Our defense is getting old and is slow. We need some creativity in the midfield. I will say and I have noticed this for the past two months, the frontline is way more cohesive and functional than when Julian was here.
From an investment point of view, it is a challenge in this league at this time, when other teams even outside of LA are spending money on key players and we don’t. How many more times will we get lucky with Brendan and Mark M. and actually give them a chance to play when the overall MLS level of play has increased so much? Jim has a conundrum. Win now and please many of us or play the kids and suffer. He tends to be very very conservative in his approach. Not knocking it. Just saying. This team is good enough to compete but no where near good enough to win. Despite the silly comments about “never turning down something put in front of them”, the team needs to decide what it wants to do. Invest in first team or suck it up and play the youngsters. You can’t do both. Personally, I think we should invest in first team but give periodic shots to the kids. What will make Union a household name in Philly is NOT the kids, it’s winning. Yes, Cavan will grab a headline or two but winning is what the city lives for and if we really want to make the value and interest in the team skyrocket, it is with winning, not a youth program. Can we do both? Absolutely! With 2-3 key signings and make a splash.
Good perspective, Tim. Nice to see so much laid out so succinctly.
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I think more important than quality of depth is the degree to which that depth can change a team’s look and approach in the final 30. Corey Burke was not a great footballer, but send him windmilling at tired center backs who’ve been running hard for 60 minutes and you might get something out of it. Santos had that same sort of quality, but we relied on him to start to often. In his last season, Ilsinho offered that kind of change. Our current bench seems to often now nothing more than a like for like, but of less quality.
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I think Jim is a great coach. And I realize he has forgotten more about football than I’ve ever known. But I have long been puzzled by his reliance on vets and favorites and running those players into the ground over the course of a long season. If you’re going to be a team that relies on youth from the academy for replenishment, you need to get those players more than Union II game time. In a league where grabbing every point is not that important, why not rotate and experiment more often? Bring kids up. Get them more meaningful minutes.
Only when the kids are ready not only to survive but to have moments of real success. Their confidence in themselves has to be nurtured.
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Jim Curtin is not a schoolteacher in the traditional sense. BUt he is a school teacher with a different sort of a classroom. So is Marlon LeBlanc.
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Coaching athletics in many ways is like teaching history. (I cannot speak to science or Math or foreign languages since I never did them except as an individual tutor.)
If you follow MLS beyond the Union you’ll see this system has never really won much outside the Supporters’ Shield, but is always competitive. The model I believe the Union copied was their rival from New Jersey, the Red Bulls. Unlike the Red Bulls the Union aren’t one of the feeder teams to the main team in Germany. Red Bull changed from signing older name players to the academy players being promoted and sold abroad model with some success. Since then it seems a few different systems have come and gone quickly in MLS over the last decade.
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Right now the most successful MLS teams are signing younger DP players built around seasoned MLS veterans and homegrown players. Columbus, Cincinnati, LA Galaxy and LAFC are the blueprint unless you can spend like Miami who are doing the same but with legends and U22 players.
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I think where the Union are missing on competing is they don’t spend and develop U22 players. The DP players they do sign are okay but you wouldn’t consider them game changers on their own.
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Just this year you’ve seen the Red Bulls start to spend for better quality DP players and hopefully in the future you’ll see the Union adjust the same way. You are already seeing teams like RSL, Houston and Vancouver moving in this direction. With MLS changing roster rules for the second half of this season and possibly more in the future, the Union need to do the same.
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I would argue that the Union’s “U22 Players” are McGlynn, and Q. Sullivan. Prior to this season Carranza could have been considered a U22 players as well. Not to mention that the Union only had one U22 slot available the past 3 seasons due to having 3 DP’s. Miami is really the only MLS that has had a lot of success with U22 players, and they’ve had to pay hefty transfer fees for those players as well.
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I think what we’ll see is the Union using their U22 spots to resign their most talented and first team ready Academy Players once their initial contracts are up.
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I’d also add that despite all of the moaning and groaning about the Union’s lackluster DP signings…. Gazdag is the club’s all time leading goalscorer and Uhre has scored 10+ goals in each of his season’s with the Union. That’s a really good return on DP spending compared to most teams in the league.
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Where the Union need to get better IMO is when it comes to moving on from players who are past their peak and on the downside of their careers. They should have maximized the value of Elliott and Glesnes (and possibly Blake as well) and reinvested that money into their replacements. In Blake’s case they could have just kept Freese. The best clubs in the world understand this delicate balance.
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For those complaining about Bedoya playing? Seriously? Do y’all not understand the sport you’re watching? He may not be a 90 minute every game player any longer, however, he’s still one of the Union’s best midfielders. He’s been their best player since he was signed. Whether that is now as a spot starter, a 45-60 minute player, or a 40 minute super sub, he’s still one of their best options.
actually, because Carranza was a young DP, they had three U22s available, if memory serves.
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You are correct they did not use the category in full.
I would have said the Union are copying Red Bull Salzburg and perhaps Hoffenheim, not Red Bull NY.
Do we have draft picks this year? Do those factor into the Unions plans at all?
They have provided players to Union II in recent years, not to the first team. Primary reliance remains on the Academy.