Photo courtesy Philadelphia Union Communications
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 the Philadelphia Union and Philadelphia Union II equipment management staff flew to Clearwater, FL to prepare the equipment for Wednesday’s arrival of both teams for the Clearwater phases of their respective preseasons.
We estimate what players will participate with which teams. And we try for an up-to-date first team depth chart. We do not yet have information sufficient to try for a second team one.
U. S. international travel re-entry procedures for international players required Venezuelan Gio Sequera and Colombian Oscar Benitez to re-enter the United States from their home countries. We assume from James Chambers’ experience with Bethlehem Steel FC that neither Sequera nor Benitez can be on P1 visas because they are not currently signed to division one contracts. Sequera is rumored to become so soon but has not yet been announced. Benitez is not as likely to achieve that status in the short term.
We are trying to hit a moving target. Assistant Sporting Director Matt Ratajczak, Director of Academy and Professional Development Jon Scheer, Scouting Director Chris Zitterbart and the rest of the technical staff are still seeking and signing players for both teams. And first team signings are a three-party process given that contracts are legally with the league not the club, a point that historically has never hastened completion.
Aside from social media’s publicly available information, our only extra information resource was a visit to a Union II practice at the WSFS Sportsplex’s IBX Fieldhouse Monday, February 2nd to observe a Union II practice and chat with head coach Ryan Richter afterwards.
First Team
We have no confirmation of what follows. It is entirely unofficial. Typos are deliberate to facilitate layout.
| F I R S T T E A M T O F L O R I D A | |||||
| GKs – 4 | OBs – 5 | CBs – 4 | DMs – 4 | AMs – 7 | STs – 6 |
| “Certainties” | |||||
| Blake | Westfield | Makhanya | JeanJacques | Iloski | Damiani |
| Rick | Harriel | SeryLarsen | Lukic | Vassilev | Alladoh |
| Marks | Mbaizo | Martinez | Bueno | CSullivan | Korzeniowski |
| Bender | Sundstrom | Rafanello | Bedoya | Davis | |
| Olney | Olivas | ||||
| [QSullivan] | |||||
| “Late arrivals:” certain !, highly probable *, and rumored ? | |||||
| [Trialist]* | Sequera! | Custovic? | Anello* | ||
| F I R S T T E A M D E P T H C H A R T | |||||
| Striker | Striker | ||||
| Damiani | Alladoh | ||||
| Korzeniowski | Anello * | ||||
| Davis | Olivas | ||||
| AttckngMid | AttckngMid | ||||
| Iloski | Vassilev | ||||
| C Sullivan | Bedoya | ||||
| Olney | ?Custovic? | ||||
| [QSullivan] | |||||
| DefnsvMId | DefnsvMid | ||||
| JeanJacques | Lukic | ||||
| Bueno | Rafanello | ||||
| Lft Back | Lft Cn Back | Rgt Cn Back | Rgt Back | ||
| Harriel | Makhanya | Sery Larsen | Westfield | ||
| Bender | Sundstrom | Martinez | Mbaizo | ||
| Sequera | |||||
| Goalkeeper | |||||
| Blake | |||||
| Rick | |||||
| Marks | |||||
| [Trialist] | |||||
The Union announced the signing of Geiner Martinez Tuesday while we were writing. As a division one player on a P1 visa, he should not have faced the same entry delays as players from the second team. He is from Colombia, but seems to have negotiated entering the United States without difficulty. Photographic evidence implies he was in Chester before going to Clearwater.
Unofficial social media reporting from sources proven highly reliable indicate striker Agustin Anello from Uruguay’s top division should be joining. An exact timeframe is not clear.
As we publish we are much less confident about Swede Kevin Custovic, a midfielder currently playing in Poland’s top-flight.
Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer has written that Philadelphia missed out on Moroccan left back Zakaria Ariss for whom they had made a substantial bid (click here). Tannenwald indicated that the Moroccan’s current French Ligue 2 team was dropping into a relegation battle and that the player was “off the table.”
Bender, Sequera, and Rafanello could all do double duty as emergency attacking midfield depth.
Second team
| S E C O N D T E A M | ||||||
| GKs – 2 | OBs – 2 | CBs – 2 | DMs – 3 | AMs – 2 | STs -3 | |
|
||||||
| HolbrookeUII | GriffinAA | UzcateguiUII | HasanAA | LeBlancUii | ReedAA | |
| Trialist | Trialist | Moore1st | DePaulaAA | FerreiraUII | RufAA | |
| “Late arrivals:” certain !, highly probable *, and rumored ? | ||||||
| BenitezU2! | JakupovicU2! | |||||
Malik Jakupovic will arrive in Florida late as he is currently involved in USYMNT U17 attempts to qualify for the U17 World Cup in Qatar this coming December. Oscar Benitez is explained above.
The Union II practice we witnessed saw goalkeeper Pierce Holbrooke’s first full unrestricted practice participation since his injury last August 23rd in Chicago. Coach Richter indicated he expected Holbrooke to play in at least one of the side’s four Florida matches.
Richter also said goalkeepers Mike Sheridan and Lou LIedtka were no longer with Union II, and that Leandro Soria and Noah Probst were not either. He was unsure of Jose Riasco’s contract status but was clear that the Venezuelan would not be part of Union II in 2026.
Left-footed center back Kaiden Moore is on loan to the first team from Atlanta United but is expected to spend the season with Union II. In both the Loudoun scrimmage and the practice we saw he was paired with Rafael Uzcategui at center back.
At the practice we saw the trialist at right back impressed us in both athleticism and skill. He plays a position at which the organization is already well stocked, but he “felt” like he belonged with the group.
The trialist at goalkeeper did not seem to be a Union academy graduate or a current academy player. Of the 14 players we list his travel to Florida is the least certain.
