Photo Paul Rudderow

Many readers who follow the Philadelphia Union on social media will have already noticed that an unofficial but usually reliable source reports the Union are finalizing a deal with FC Toulouse of France’s Ligue Un to bring Mark McKenzie back to Chester in January of 2027. (Click here.) Were the report true, it would clarify a Jon Scheer comment made publicly in late May that mentioned targeting a left-footed center back with good distribution skills.  

McKenzie’s possible perspective

McKenzie’s contract with Toulouse expires in June of 2027, he married his long-time Guatemalan sweetheart in June of 2024, and the couple now have an eleven-month old son if the gleanings of Artificial Intelligence are correct.

Ever since his days at YSC Academy back in December of 2016, McKenzie has always had an intelligent eye on life after soccer. PSP has not spoken with him since those days. But he has achieved several personal milestones in the game recently, is likely at the pinnacle of his playing career, and will be positioning himself and his family for whatever future may come to them after he stops playing. 

PSP’s perspective

Two designated players in the defensive line would be unusual under the current configuration of Major League Soccer’s roster rules. But Philadelphia’s playing style is grounded first and foremost on defending. Before Jim Curtin left the Union had made Andre Blake, Kai Wagner, and Jakob Glesnes Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) players, that is, they were salaried above and beyond the official individual maximum salary of the league’s salary cap although making less than official designated players.  Philadelphia would overtly increase the value it places on defending.

The results of the first half of the 2026 season conclusively proved in the negative the Philadelphia playing style is dependent on elite emergency defending.

Dropping from a Supporters’ Shield level of play to a Wooden Spoon one over one off-season was a shock to the organization. Principal owner Jay Sugarman’s comments when he introduced Jon Scheer as the club’s new Sporting Director made that shock clear. So a Keystone Sports experiment making defenders into DPs harmonizes with the organization’s stated philosophy to seek advantageous new innovations wherever, whenever it can.

Furthermore, McKenzie’s arrival would cover the inevitable departure of 18.8-year-old center back Neil Pierre to a larger club for a healthy fee soon. 

• • Pierre proved himself on loan in the Danish second division this past spring, a league that cannot be pooh-poohed as inferior because it is North American.
  • He is currently cementing himself into a starting center back role with the Union. 
  • And he is proving to be a devastating offensive weapon on corners and free kicks. He has three goals in five games, with two having been match equalizers.

Union fans should enjoy Neil Pierre’s presence in Chester while they still can.

Our charts

To develop further perspective on the McKenzie situation, we first provide a series of four charts that combine 2027’s contract situations with the players’ positions on the pitch. We will follow the four with a more conventional depth one that includes McKenzie.

We are assuming Alejandro Bedoya will have retired, Philippe Ndinga will have been sold on, and Sal Olivas will be gone. We do not include any specific speculations about promotions from Union II. We are guessing — quite prematurely — that there might be a promotion at goalkeeper and another at attacking midfielder and use question marks to represent them. But we do not name names.

As always typos are deliberate to facilitate proper layout. Asterisked players are currently loaned away from the club.

 #1 Guaranteed 2027 contracts:

Goalkeepers	Center Backs	Outside Backs	DefensveMids	AttackingMids	Strikers
Rick	Harriel	Wagner		C Sullivan	Iloski
	Pierre	Westfield		Vassilev	Damiani
	Sery			Olney*	Alladoh
	Martinez				Anello
	Sundstrom				Jakupovic
					Davis*

 

#2 2027 options certain to be exercised

Goalkeepers	Center Backs	Outside Backs	DefensveMids	AttackingMids	Strikers
Blake			Jean Jacques	Q Sullivan
			Lukic	Bender (Jun)
			Bueno
			Rafanelllo

 

#3 2027 options likely to be exercised

Goalkeepers	Center Backs	Outside Backs	DefensveMids	AttackingMids	Strikers
					Korzeniowski

 

#4 2027 Options not likely to be exercised

Goalkeepers	Center Backs	Outside Backs	DefensveMids	AttackingMids	Strikers
Marks				Anderson*

 

Loan-aways

We have no evidence how new Sporting Director Scheer regards loan-aways. 

• • The Neil Pierre loan has been an obvious developmental success.  
  • Earlier, the Brandan Craig ones were not. 
  • C. J. Olney’s loan last year was not successful in terms of soccer development, but was quite successful in refocusing his personal motivation. Olney’s loan this year to Brooklyn has gone well. We are guessing he will return to Philadelphia.
  • Anderson’s loan to Brooklyn has also gone well, but because of age he would be in ninth place as a striker and seventh as an attacking midfielder so we doubt he will return.
  • Eddy Davis’s loan to Loudoun is too recent to judge. Since he is on a guaranteed contract, has excellent pace, and is only 20, we are guessing he might return.

Depth Chart, including Mark McKenzie

	Striker		Striker
	Iloski		Damiani
	Anello		Alladoh
	Jakupovic		Korzeniowski
			Davis
Attacking Mid				Attacking Mid
Q Sullivan				C Sullivan
Bender				Vassilev
Olney				??
	Defensive Mid		Defensive Mid
	Jean Jacques		Lukic
	Bueno		Rafanello
Left Back	Left Center Back		Right Centr Back	Right Back
Wagner	McKenzie		Pierre	Harriel
	Sery		Martinez	Westfield
			Sundstrom
		Goalkeeper
		Blake
		Rick
		??

McKenzie’s presence would cover a sale of Neil Pierre by moving Nathan Harriel to center back and Frank Westfield to right back.  It also covers the possibility that Japhet Sery may have a shoulder problem needing off-season medical correction. And it moves Rafael Uzcátegui more towards outside back, should he be thought to be a candidate for first team promotion.

We judge that no defensive midfielders in the pipeline are yet ready to step up to the first team. We conclude the same for other attacking midfielders, strikers, goalkeepers, and defenders. All those players will need next year to play the roles of “bell cows” for Union II, not merely place-holders as most have done this season.

Kai Wagner blocks Jordan Griffin at left back. So assuming he is on a one-year contract, Griffin may leave. The one-year assumption remains unproven.

Having a third goalkeeper rostered to the first team allows a 31st player to be on a first-team contract provided he is on season-long loan to a club’s MLSNEXT Pro affiliate or some other non-MLS team. 

Also, off-roster Homegrowns exist but may not appear in regular season MLS without either the provisions for “extreme hardship” having been triggered, or specific short-term contract agreements the total number of which is limited per player per season in non-emergency situations.

PSP, the crazy squirrel

Below, like a crazy squirrel we climb all the way out to the end of a tree limb as it may be in January, 2027 at the start of the so-called “sprint season.”

“Sprint Season” starters: Andre Blake; Kai Wagner, Mark McKenzie, Neil Pierre, Nathan Harriel; Danley Jean Jacques, Jovan Lukic; Quinn Sullivan, Cavan Sullivan; Milan Iloski, Bruno Damiani. Primary reserves: Andrew Rick; Frank Westfield, Jesus Bueno, Indiana Vassilev, Agustin Anello, Ezekiel Alladoh. Assumed by then to be in medical recovery: Japhet Sery.

We assume Neil Pierre will be sold in the summer of 2027. Such timing would exploit MLS’s pending coordination with the rhythms of European soccer as they exist from Denmark, Germany, and Poland south.