Photo Kevin Barrett.

It is again time to continue PSP’s midseason roster analysis. Strikers were discussed on Thursday, June 11th, and midfielders were discussed on Friday, June 12th. 

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.

We also speculate that for goalkeepers the organization’s roster-building principles may apply differently. Under Director of Goalkeeping Phil Wheddon, the organization has always had four keepers available for practice even though only three have been carried on the first team’s roster. Two of the three goalkeepers we discuss today played four-year collegiate careers before becoming professionals. George Marks played for Clemson, and Pierce Holbrook played for the United States Naval Academy. 

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. Estimates of minutes played in the CONCACAF Champions Cup are compiled by PSP and unofficial.

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

 

Goalkeepers— 3

Andrew Rick: All data as of 6/6/2026. Age = 20.4. Union CCC matches: 4 matches, 4 starts, 360 minutes played, 2 clean sheets, 4 saves. Union matches: 1 appearance, 1 start, 90 minutes played, 2 saved, 1 penalty committed.  Union II matches: 3 appearances, 3 starts, 270 minutes, 7 saves, 1 shootout loss. First team contract, supplemental roster.

Rick remains one of the top goalkeeping prospects in the nation and has earned a nod to serve as a training goalkeeper with the US Men’s National Team during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He is not eligible to play in games.

He possesses high-quality ability with his feet for a keeper and is surely the man you want in the net for a penalty shootout. Philadelphia will have to make a difficult decision about passing the torch from Andre Blake to Andrew Rick within the next few years, assuming Rick isn’t scooped up by a European team first. 

George Marks: All data as of 6/6/2026. Age = 26.6. Union II matches: 5 appearances, 5 starts, 450 minutes played, 21 saves, 2 clean sheets, 1 shootout win, 1 shootout-winning penalty scored. First team contract, supplemental roster. 

Philadelphia is lucky to have George Marks as the organization’s third-choice goalkeeper; he could easily be a second choice or contend for a starting position at another club. He had proven himself at the MLS level in Charlotte before coming to Philadelphia and continues to impress for Union II with his shot-stopping. He has taken a step up in his penalty-saving skills as well. 

Marks dressed for all four of the Union’s CONCACAF Champions Cup fixtures but did not play. He is solidly behind Andrew Rick in the organization’s depth chart. Considering his age, if an opportunity for him to get playing time elsewhere arises, it might be a wise decision for him to take it. 

Pierce Holbrook: All data as of 6/6/2026. Age = 23.2. Union II matches: 5 appearances, 5 starts, 450 minutes played, 0 clean sheets, 19 saves. Union II contract. 

Holbrook spent the early part of the season working back to match fitness after the knee injury he suffered last season. Since his return, he has stepped back into things with no issue and is not a far drop-off in quality from Marks, but has yet to register a clean sheet in league play. 

Defenders— 7

Giovanny Sequera: All data as of 6/6/2026. Age: 20.3. Union CCC matches: 1 appearance, 1 start, 90 minutes played. Union II matches: 11 appearances, 9 starts, 829 minutes, 0 goals, 0 assists played.

Sequera made his first team debut in the CONCACAF Champions League earlier in the year. He has morphed into a threatening attacking right back who can work down that sideline with ease. He can also fit back into his earlier defensive or attacking midfield roles in a pinch. 

He is a candidate for promotion to the first team in 2027. 

Rafael Uzcategui: All data as of 6/6/2026. Age = 21.7. Union II matches: 13 appearances, 13 starts, 1,170 minutes played, 1 goal. 

Uzcategui is the only Union II player to start all 13 matches so far this season and leads the team in minutes played. The captain has stepped into his role with confidence and has bailed out the rest of his back line on multiple occasions. 

Considering the first team’s defensive depth, Uzcategui should be considered for promotion sooner rather than later. His play most recently against the Cote d’Ivoire national team reinforces that judgment.

Finn Sundstrom: All data as of 6/6/2026. Age = 19.5. Union CC matches: 1 appearance, 0 starts, 17 minutes played. Union MLS  matches: 2 appearances, 1 start, 52 minutes played. Union II matches: 11 appearances, 10 starts, 870 minutes played, 1 goal.. First team contract, supplemental roster. 

Sundstrom is above the level of MLS NEXT Pro but has not yet fully developed for first-division football in the United States as a center back. He exists between the levels of the first and second teams, but still benefits from his time with Union II. Sundstrom is a confident defender and is generally level-headed. 

Jordan Griffin: All data as of 6/6/2026. Age = 17.6. Union II matches: 11 appearances, 10 starts, 840 minutes played, 2 assists. Union II contract. 

Griffin continues to impress on both sides of the ball and is one of only two natural left backs signed to professional contractions by the Union organization. He is reliable as a defender and picks the right moments to involve himself in the attack. 

Considering the lack of depth at his position, he, too, could be considered for promotion in 2027. 

Oliver Pratt: All data as of 6/6/2026. Age = 22.7. Union II matches: 6 matches, 6 starts, 540 minutes played. Union II contract. 

Pratt graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in the winter before joining Union II in preseason. He played four years of collegiate soccer before becoming a professional.  He is confident moving the ball forward and is reliable as a defender. 

Kaiden Moore: All data as of 6/6/2026. Age = 18.6. Union II matches: 6 appearances, 3 starts, 325 minutes played. 1 assist. First team contract, off-roster homegrown, on loan from Atlanta United. 

Moore is back with Union II for a second season. He joined on loan toward the end of 2025 while he was on a second-team contract with Atlanta, but that contract turned into a first-team contract in 2026. Philadelphia had the option to keep him, but instead opted to loan him into the side for a second season. 

He still has yet to cement himself in this team. Despite being a center back by trade, the majority of his minutes have come as a left back. He is a warm body in that position, but has not yet demonstrated that he is outside back. Otherwise, he is in the beginning stages of developing into a Philadelphia-style defender.