Photo by Marjorie Elzey

 

Welcome back to the Philadelphians and former/current Union Abroad report! For the 6th edition, August 2026, we’ll be taking a look at a few players whose seasons are getting started across the pond in Europe! 

 

Auston Trusty

Celtic FC – 27 years old – Center Back – Union 2016-2019 – Media, PA

Trusty has rebounded strongly for Celtic after the World Cup ended, putting in a trio of good performances. He started with 90-minutes in a 1-0 Scottish Premiership win over Dundee FC, in which he completed 11 passes into the final third and made 5 recoveries. Trusty has lined up alongside fellow American center-back Cameron Carter-Vickers so far this year, with the duo proving to be a great defensive pairing. 

Celtic followed up their opening win over Dundee FC with a 5-1 win over Kilmarnock the week after, and Trusty delivered a great showing, leading the match in touches with 105. He scored in his next match, a 4-0 win over Dundee United in the Scottish League Cup Round of 16. With the USMNT center-back grouping looking at a post-World Cup makeover, Trusty’s giving himself a strong account for head coach Mauricio Pochettino. 

 

Brenden Aaronson 

Leeds United – 25 years old – Attacking Mid – Union 2019-2021 – Medford, NJ

Both Aaronson and Leeds United have looked strong in preseason. Aaronson’s picked up a pair of goals and a pair of assists in four games, in which Leeds have won three and drawn the other. He opened the preseason with a goal and an assist in just 45 minutes against Liverpool, a game in which Leeds won 4-2. Squad rotation meant Aaronson played only 10 minutes against RB Leipzig in the following match, but Leeds won 2-0 anyway. 

Aaronson played another 45 against Manchester United in his third preseason match, and he scored his side’s only goal as the match finished 1-1. Most recently, “Medford Messi” dished out an assist in Leeds’ 4-0 win over Augsburg as he played 76 minutes. No full-90s completed yet, but Aaronson’s been delivering in less time than that anyway. 

 

Mark McKenzie

Toulouse FC – 27 years old – Center Back – Union 2018-2021 – The Bronx, NY

McKenzie’s name has made huge headlines in recent days as it’s been confirmed by MLS insider Tom Bogert that the Union are bringing McKenzie back in January as a Designated Player. This move will add depth and experience to the defensive line and is another former Philly talent returning after a move abroad (Kai Wagner). 

McKenzie signed for the Union as a homegrown player in 2018 and made 59 senior team appearances before moving to Genk in Belgium. He spent four full, solid seasons there before moving to Toulouse in France, where he has played the last two years. McKenzie played a full 90 minutes in the USA’s loss to Turkiye at the 2026 World Cup. To date, the 27-year-old has made 30 senior team appearances for the USMNT and is looking to be a key part of the center-back group going forward. This transfer, though, which can be considered as a backwards move for a player in his prime years, might hurt him when being considered for future call-ups. 

 

 Olwethu Makhanya

Rangers – 22 years old – Center Back – Union 2023-2026 – Durban, South Africa

After moving to Rangers in July, Makhanya has played three full games. He did not get any action for South Africa in the World Cup and was not a part of the Union’s squad after MLS resumed. His first game with Rangers, a 2-1 loss to Hibernian in the league, saw him earn a 7.2 rating playing as the right-sided center-back in a three-back system. Makhanya racked up 102 touches and made four clearances without being dribbled past. 

His next two games, a 1-1 draw with Jagellonia Bialystok that eliminated Rangers from the Europa League and a 5-1 cup win over St.Mirren, continued his acclimation. This is Makhanya’s third club and third continent of his career after the Union acquired him from South African side Stellenbosch FC. 

 

Julian Carranza

Club Necaxa – 26 years old – Striker – Union 2021-2024 – Oncativo, Argentina

Carranza’s recent return trip to Subaru Park was spoiled by a 3-1 Union win in which he did not score, but he’s been scoring plenty in other matches. Necaxa started the season with back-to-back 2-1 wins, both featuring Carranza goals, and a 3-1 loss in which he played only 45 minutes before getting sent off, but did score in that time. Carranza failed to score in 196 Leagues Cup minutes and did not feature in Necaxa’s one match since. 

With Wagner and now McKenzie being back, one could reasonably wonder if the Union is going to make a move for their former star striker. That is unlikely at this moment, though, as his value is north of $5 million, and any potential fee would likely break the Union’s transfer record. In fairness, though, the other two return signings were very random and caught us by surprise. 

 

Samuel Adeniran

LASK – 27 years old – Striker – Union Jul-Dec 2024 – Houston, TX

Big Samuel Adeniran seems to have found a home after not scoring in any of his 14 Union appearances a couple of years ago. After a 2025/26 campaign in which he scored 15 times in 35 games, Adeniran has found the net four times (and assisted once) in three league games to start the season. Even more impressive, he’s only played one full-90, which puts his goal rate at about once every 53 minutes. Very strong. 

In 58 appearances for LASK in all competitions, Adeniran has scored 22 goals while assisting on seven. His per-90 stats include 4.65 shots, 2.96 duels won, and 0.42 big chances created. It’s definitely not a popular pick, but he’s making himself a case for a potential USMNT call-up this fall.