Photo courtesy Philadelphia Union Communications

The first portion of the Philadelphia Union’s 2025 preseason is occurring in Marbella, Spain, the geographic center of what English tourists and permanently residing expatriates call the Costa del Sol. That narrow coastal strip’s climate is subtropical, according to Wikipedia’s article on Andalusia. The city is on the coast 50 miles east-northeast of Gibraltar by road, and 37 miles west-southwest of Malaga. Supposedly it is close to 27 beaches.

The Spanish constitution’s processes have divided Spain into 17 separate “autonomous communities” and two other autonomous cities. The autonomous communities are very different from each other in language, size, history, organization, and degrees of political and economic autonomy.

Where the Union are practicing

As of 2023 Andalusia is the largest Spanish autonomous community by population. It subdivides into eight provinces. The city of Marbella is in Andalusia’s province of Malaga.

Most European soccer leagues suspend play during the height of winter weather,  so training refreshers are necessary as resumption of play approaches. The Philadelphia Union’s digital club reporter Sage Hurley writes that over 50 different soccer teams are training on the Costa del Sol during the winter of 2025. It seems roughly comparable to baseball and soccer spring trainings in Florida, Arizona, and Southern California.

Probably the key point about its Spanish sojourn is that the Union will test themselves against different, probably challenging competition.

• Slavia Praha (Prague) lies first in the Czech first division table with 16 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss while having a goal difference of +34 after 19 games.
• Aarhus Gymnastikforening (AGF or Aarhus) lies fourth in the Danish top flight with 7 wins, 7 draws, and 3 losses while holding a goal difference of +13 after 17 matches.

 Any coach in any sport will tell you that playing a stronger team immediately exposes weaknesses and immediately teaches what must be corrected. The two European friendlies will be valuable diagnostic tools for coach Carnell and his technical staff. And they will set benchmarks of future improvement for the Union’s players young and old.

FIFA bans new player registration by the Union

On a related topic, Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer has published an explanation of the Philadelphia Union having been banned by FIFA from registering any new players for the next three registration periods. Because his article lies behind the Inquirer’s paywall, we try to summarize its main points here. (Click here for Tannenwald verbatim if you have access.)

• The hiccup is real but not major and should be resolved once the FIFA bureaucracy processes its paperwork.
• In January of 2022 when completing the deal for Jose Riasco, currently a striker signed to Philadelphia Union II, the Union was required to pay Riasco’s first Venezuelan youth development team compensation for its investment of time and resources. That payment was late because the Union could not figure out where to send it, and a development club lawyer flagged the lateness to FIFA.
• Three years later that late payment has landed the Union on FIFA’s “registrations banned” list.
• The necessary documentation has been sent to FIFA but FIFA has not gotten to it yet since there are over a thousand clubs on the banned list worldwide.
• A FIFA spokesperson has said that once the creditor — the Venezuelan youth development club — has acknowledged payment, the ban will be lifted.

The ban affects only official games. Alejandro Bedoya and Ian Glavinovich, both signed and announced after the ban, will be able to play in preseason matches. So will other unannounced signings and trialists who are with the club. They are as yet unannounced new Homegrowns Neil Pierre and Frank Westfield whose contracts supposedly changed status January 1, 2025 and teenage strikers Sal Olivas and Eddy Davis who may perhaps become “off-roster homegrowns” under the recently announced roster rule changes. (Click here and scroll to point 4.)

Apropos of Riasco, Tannenwald explained why Riasco went on loan to Boston River a year and a half ago. The Union wanted to sign him to the first team, but New York Red Bull held his discovery rights and was demanding a higher than usual price  to surrender them. The Union refused to pay and sent Riasco off to the Uruguayan first division to have him play in a more challenging environment than MLS Next Pro. Red Bull has since climbed down.

Ryan Richter

On Wednesday, January 15 after having posted a visual social media thank you to previous head coach Marlon LeBlanc, Philadelphia Union II announced Ryan Richter as LeBlanc’s successor.

Richter is a Philadelphia area native –Southampton — who played collegiately for LaSalle. He was drafted in 2011 by Peter Nowak’s Union. The story at the time was that he won all the conditioning drills on the first day of practice, prompting Nowak to reward him by keeping him. Now Richter has come full circle.

In 2016 he joined Bethlehem Steel FC in the professional farm team’s first season under its first-ever head coach Brendan Burke. He started at right back, served as captain, served the club’s free kicks, and co-led the team in scoring with five goals.

In a gently ironic turn of history he becomes the fourth head coach of the farm team he once captained. Click here for the official announcement that recaps his coaching career in the Union’s academy as well as his time as a player.

Eddy Davis

Late Wednesday afternoon the Union published a roster of all 29 players who are in Spain. Three names are surprises. Union II contracted professionals Mike Sheridan, GK, and Sal Olivas, S, are listed.

So is Davis who as far as any official announcements indicate — or rather do not indicate — could still technically be an amateur. (Davis made an ambiguous post on Instagram two weeks ago that could indirectly refer to a status change, since it implies gratitude for an unspecified “next step.”)

That the young man is in Spain with the first team, as Sporting Director Ernst Tanner said he and Olivas would be during his end-of-season press conference without specifying when, hints that Davis has turned pro with the Union organization. But nothing official has been announced.