Photo courtesy Philadelphia Union II Communications

Now that Bradley Carnell is on the ground working with his squad, it is time for us to do what the technical staff writ large has assuredly already done and figure out the depth pieces that will be called on in case of injury, illness, or — the more predictable one — international call-ups.

Here are the players currently in Spain who recently have  received  international call-ups.  As many as four Union Homegrowns might be called up for the 2025 FIFA U20s World Cup in Chile with the US of A mid-September.

Opponents and exact dates are not yet fully available.

Potential difficulties & solutions 

Defensive mid: Danley Jean Jacques starts for Haiti when healthy. With Leon Flach and Jack Elliott both gone, only Jesus Bueno remains from the group that used to fill in for Jose Martinez at d-mid, and for Jim Curtin Bueno was not the first-choice to start perhaps because he was the top reserve at other midfield positions. Nick Pariano has played only 12 professional games as a d-mid, all with Union II, so relying on him might be a stretch. Alejandro Bedoya could do it in an in-game emergency probably.

D-mid seems the position on the squad most likely to need an added outside reinforcement.

Goalkeeper: If both Andre Blake and Andrew Rick happen to be called up at the same time as seems possible this summer, MLS’s emergency goalkeeper pool could provide a backup to sit the bench behind Oliver Semmle. Or Mike Sheridan could sign a short-term emergency contract and sit the bench, with Academy players providing Union II with coverage.

Striker & Attacking mid: Daniel Gazdag and Tai Baribo have been called up at the same time in past international windows more than once.

Jeremy Rafanello has not yet shown great offensive creativity when filling in for Gazdag, but plays within the system and is a disciplined defender when playing there. Chris Donovan also knows the system and defends well from it. Donovan and Rafanello might start and absorb pressure for a first half or a first hour, and then Markus Anderson and Cavan Sullivan might come on to finish the match when the other side is tiring, especially in March when they are still adjusting to so much that will be new. That approach reduces the total of other substitutions available by 40% , and probably forces the other mids and the striker to play full shifts, particularly if any changes are needed in the defense.

Quinn Sullivan could shift to striker but would himself then have to be replaced at right mid. There are bodies available within the roster to create solutions.

The four US U20s:

Andrew Rick was Blake’s primary backup by the end of last season and since coach Phil Wheddon remains in place as goalkeeping director, probably the ranking will change only if Oliver Semmle improves. If both Rick and Blake are away in June once the US U20s schedule becomes known, the MLS goalkeeper pool could  provide, or Mike Sheridan would have to sign a short-term contract to back-up Semmle. That’s probably why Sheridan is in Spain, for more evaluation by the first team.

When Jack McGlynn was at the Olympics last season, and Martinez was hurt or away thus moving Leon Flach to d-mid, CJ Olney was the backup left mid. Whether coach Carnell will rate him that way cannot yet be guessed. He does have 18 MLS minutes.

Neil Pierre is a back up at center back at the beginning of the year. If Carnell starts three center backs, Pierre would be the single substitute on the bench. When he is away with the U20s, had Jim Curtin still been the coach numbers would have forced Nathan Harriel into center back with Olivier Mbaizo moving to right back. We cannot yet tell how Carnell will respond to that circumstance.

David Vazquez has changed his first-team jersey number to 22. He is a left footer who is completely comfortable playing on the right side. Minor injuries nagged him last year.

He is the Union US U20 player most certain to play in Chile at the U20 world cup where he will probably start as a left winger or a striker. For Philadelphia he can play any of the three forward  midfield positions and could easily fill in at striker since he plays half of a double striker at times with the U20s.

The only question is how well he will absorb MLS physicality. Although the oldest, he is the slightest of the rising young mids. And he is the best pure ball winner among them, which carries a price. Barbed wire describes both Vazquez’s physique and defending style well. But that wire bends when hit, even as it tears flesh and wins soccer balls,

 The US U18: Cavan Sullivan started for this group last summer even though by age he is a U16.

So far US Soccer has not jumped Sullivan a second step up to the U20s. He did well enough with the U18 group last year that the decision makers might discuss it, at the very least informally among themselves were he to show well in MLS this season.

For those worried about relying on teenage midfielders, last January in St. Petersburg, Florida Vazquez and Olney played credibly during the  entire second half of the opening friendly against Brazilian first division side Flamengo. Yes, it was only a half of one friendly. But Flamengo is Flamengo and they were on midseason break not preseason.

A general observation

In his end-of-year presser Sporting Director Ernst Tanner pegged the probable size of the Union’s 2025 roster at 26, or perhaps 27, players. There are 29 in Spain right now, with three of them probably ticketed to play for Union II this season. They are Sal Olivas, Eddy Davis, and Mike Sheridan. (Tanner’s discussed Davis’s and Olivas’s probable unreadiness for MLS right now in that presser.)

That earlier comment suggests he already has his 26 in camp, and that there might possibly be only one more addition.

The number 26 says this season is going to see many more young players playing actual Union minutes than ever before. Tanner seems more willing to allow the young the opportunity initially to fail  and prove their mental toughness by recovering from the failure and improving themselves as players.

Perhaps that is one part of the substance behind the code word “development” that permeated his explanations of why he changed coaches. He is not as tender of traumatizing his youngsters as Jim Curtin was. He expects if they are professionals they have the mental capacity to will themselves to recover.