Photo Kevin Barrett.

It is time to continue PSP’s midseason roster analysis. Strikers were discussed earlier on Thursday, June 11th. 

Before we continue the player-by-player discussion, we reiterate some generalities about the organization’s process.

• Eight to ten games for evaluation purposes.
• Age.
• foregoing an athletic scholarship is major.
• other less publicized pathways to the pros.

Illustrating the last bullet, first-teamer Jeremy Rafanello left Penn State after one season to trial and earn a contract in Denmark. And former Union II captain Nick Pariano spent four years at Duke before signing with the Union.

The midfield has seen the largest changeover between 2025 and 2026, since it has gotten 2-3 years younger in most positions. Two of last year’s primary midfield starters, Cavan Sullivan and David Vazquez, are now starting or primary reserves at the MLS level. And CJ Olney and Markus Anderson are starting for Brooklyn FC in the USL Championship, a division higher than MLS NEXT Pro. 

The review

This year, we divide the 23 players we are going to discuss by positional groups: Forwards, Midfielders, Defenders, and Goalkeepers.

The data we provide for MLS and MLS Next Pro play is verbatim from the team’s website. 

F — 6	M —8	D— 6	GK— 3
Korzeniowski	Ferreira	Sequera	Rick
Jakupovic	LeBlanc	Uzcategui	Marks
Olivas	Berthe	Sundstrom	Holbrook
Davis	Benitez	Griffin
Ruf	De Paula	Pratt
Reed	Hasan	Moore
	Gladstone
	Diop

 

Midfielders— 8

Willyam Ferreira: all data as of 6/6/26. Age = 17.3. Union II matches: 11 appearances, 9 starts, 725 minutes played, 0 goals, 1 assist. Union II contract. 

Ferreira continues to display on the ball talent that no other professional player in the Union organization possesses. He has yet to bag his first professional goal. But he has had multiple shining moments. He played a key role in the Union Academy U-18s’ winning Dallas Cup run earlier in the year. 

Kellan LeBlanc: all data as of 6/6/26. Age = 18.2. Union II matches: 11 appearances, 11 starts, 855 minutes played, 0 goals, 3 assists. Union II contract. 

This is the first season of LeBlanc’s professional career without his father, former Union II head coach Marlon LeBlanc, present with him. Kellan LeBlanc is filling Cavan Sullivan’s place in Union II’s starting lineup and is cementing his place in the team. He travelled with the Union’s first team to Inter Miami on May 24, but did not debut. 

We do not know if his current Union II contract will promote him to the first team next year, but he is a strong candidate to become an off-roster homegrown in 2027. 

Mamoutou Berthe: All data as of 6/6/2026. Age = 19.4. Union II matches: 8 appearances, 6 starts, 423 minutes played, 0 goals, 1 assist. Union II contract. 

Union II signed Berthe in March, and the Malian was a regular in the defensive midfield until Academy amateur Matheus De Paula broke into the team. Berthe is a competent holding midfielder with room to develop, but has dropped back in the depth chart. 

Oscar Benitez: All data as of 6/6/2026. Age = 22.0. Union II matches: 12 appearances, 7 starts, 718 minutes, 0 goals, 0 assists. Union II contract. 

Benitez has developed a bit from his first season with Union II, but isn’t anywhere near the first team yet. He is still a very physical holding midfielder who has started to fix last year’s habit of attracting yellow cards. 

Given his age, Benitez may have to move on from Philadelphia at the end of this season if a large step up in development does not occur. 

Matheus De Paula: All data as of 6/6/2026. Age = 17.6. Union II matches: 13 appearances, 10 starts, 951 minutes played, 2 goals, 1 assist. Academy amateur. 

De Paula has been the breakout academy player for Union II this season. De Paula will be a senior at YSC Academy in the fall and is currently verbally committed to play his college ball for Penn State. Despite his diminutive size, he is an imposing defensive presence in the midfield and has scored two wonder goals from long range.

The teenager is an exciting prospect to watch, and it would not be a surprise if he forgoes his college eligibility and signs a Union II deal later this season or ahead of the 2027 ones. 

Nehan Hasan: All data as of 6/6/2026. Age = 17.9. Union II matches: 5 appearances, 4 starts, 520 minutes played, 0 goals, 0 assists. Academy amateur. 

Hasan graduated from YSC Academy in May and, as things stand, will move on to play for Penn State later in the summer. He can competently play both the attacking midfield and forward positions  in the Union’s 4-2-2 system and has stood in for LeBlanc, Ferreira, Korzeniowski, and Jakupovic for injuries and international duties. 

Tyler Gladstone: All data as of 6/6/2026. Age = 16.9. Union II matches: 3 appearances, 2 starts, 134 minutes played, 0 goals, 1 assist. Academy amateur. 

Gladstone will be a senior at YSC Academy in the fall and is verbally committed to start his collegiate career at Indiana. He has not had a large sample size of Union II matches to observe, but has shown promising flashes on the wing and is rated highly by the club. 

We expect him to play a larger role in the latter half of the season as graduated seniors move on. 

Abdoulaye Diop: All data as of 6/6/2026. Age = 16.3. Union II matches: 2 appearances, 0 starts, 42 minutes played, 0 goals, 0 assists. Academy amateur. 

Diop is the first 2010-born player to appear for Union II. He will be a senior at YSC in the fall. He has not yet played a full half worth of professional football, but we mention him because we observe that he may be being treated the same way Malik Jakupovic was when he started seeing professional minutes last season. As Jakupovic was last year, Diop is the youngest player in this year’s group. His first appearance, although unofficial, was starting for Union II in the open-door friendly against the Ocean City Nor’Easters.

He stepped away from Union II to finish out the MLS NEXT Cup with the Union Academy U-16s, but we expect he will be back in training with the second team now that the Academy’s season and its academic year are over.

Performance-wise, Diop is a tall, lanky holding midfielder who runs with purpose and is not afraid to put in a challenge. He will be a key player to keep an eye on going forward.