The Philadelphia Union opened their preseason camp with 25 players on the first-team preseason roster.
Twenty-four of those players are under contract and the other is a trialist.
Unlike past years, the Union carry plenty of depth in most attacking positions, but the one spot they’re lacking at the moment is at the No. 10 or central attacking midfield position.
Sporting director Ernst Tanner and head coach Jim Curtin have said on multiple occasions this offseason that the club is going after a new attacking midfielder, who fits the billing of a No. 8 or No. 10, and a backup left back to replace Matt Real while he’s at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Below is a look at what the Union’s depth chart looks like at the moment. Most of the first-team regulars are under contract and with the club ahead of its trip to Clearwater, Fla., Sunday.
Goalkeepers
Andre Blake, Carlos Miguel Coronel and Matt Freese
Andre Blake is the unquestioned No. 1 on the goalkeeper depth chart, but he won’t be around for every regular-season game.
“We all know what Andre is,” Curtin said. “He’s the best goalkeeper in our league.”
Blake is expected to be one of the headliners of Jamaica’s squad for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup, which means the Union need a capable backup to fill the void for at least two games.
The Union’s Gold Cup break ends June 26, which is the final day of play in the group stage.
If Jamaica makes a far run into the knockout round, like it did in 2017, Blake could miss games against New York City FC and Orlando City as well.
Carlos Miguel Coronel is a 22-year-old goalkeeper, who was officially announced as an offseason signing on Thursday.
“We have a guy behind (Blake) now that when Andre does go away to the Gold Cup, that we have adequate replacement who can step in and do the job,” Curtin said.
Homegrown goalkeeper Matt Freese is likely to be the No. 1 goalkeeper for United Soccer League side Bethlehem Steel FC, but if he impresses enough between now and June, he could be in direct competition with Coronel to fill in for Blake when he’s off on international duty.
Defenders
Right back: Olivier Mbaizo, Ray Gaddis
Centerback: Auston Trusty, Mark McKenzie, Aurelien Collin, Jack Elliott
Left back: Matt Real, Fabinho
Philadelphia’s defensive depth received a boost by signing veteran centerback Aurelien Collin on Tuesday, which means the club now has four players at the position.
Collin and Jack Elliott will push Homegrown defenders Auston Trusty and Mark McKenzie, who are both at the U.S. Men’s National Team January camp, throughout the season for playing time.
Trusty and McKenzie are the starters, but there’s no guarantee either defender starts all 34 games, especially McKenzie, who could head to the U-20 World Cup in Poland in May.
As of now, there’s no guarantee McKenzie will join the USMNT U-20 side in Poland, but that’s a decision that has to be made as the tournament inches closer.
“For sure it affects our situation, but you know, Under 20 is a youth competition and if somebody is a regular player in the first team, especially if you watch the schedule, you could miss up to 6-7 games,” Tanner said. “That has a major impact on us and there is no obligation to release a player, which you surely know, so that has to be discussed with us, the player and the association. And we will do it at the right time.”
On the flanks, Matt Real and Olivier Mbaizo are expected to join Trusty and McKenzie on one of the youngest back lines in MLS history.
Real was handed an opportunity to start a year ago, but he wasn’t ready and spent most of the season in USL.
However, Real will be given every chance to make the left back job his own, with Fabinho serving as a depth option at the position, as well as a new signing that will keep the numbers two deep while Real joins the U.S. at the U-20 World Cup.
The path was cleared for Mbaizo to start at right back after the trade of Keegan Rosenberry to the Colorado Rapids.
Gaddis is a valuable depth option for the club to rely on if Mbaizo struggles, or if Curtin has to rotate the squad during the 2019 campaign.
Midfielders
Central Midfielders: Haris Medunjanin, Alejandro Bedoya, Derrick Jones, Warren Creavalle, Brenden Aaronson, Anthony Fontana
True Wingers: David Accam, Ilsinho
Midfield is the position of intrigue in preseason, as the Union are adjusting to a new progressive style of play.
The Union have ample options at the central midfield positions, as Haris Medunjanin and Alejandro Bedoya are the incumbent starters and Derrick Jones is looking to break through to earn playing time.
If the Union go with a two-forward system, they might not need a traditional No. 10 like they had in the 4-2-3-1 with Borek Dockal in 2018.
That’s where the 8-10 hybrid midfielder the Union are looking at comes into play, as he would become a link between the defense and the forward line.
Homegrown midfielder Brenden Aaronson is the name to keep an eye on as March 2 inches closer, as his teammates and coach have delivered high praise for him at the start of preseason.
“Brenden Aaronson is for me a very good player coming from the youth,” Medunjanin said. “He’s training already like he’s been here 5-10 years. There’s a lot of possibilities for him too.”
On the wings, David Accam and Ilsinho are listed as the only true wingers in the squad, but they’ll interchange playing time with Fafa Picault, Cory Burke and C.J. Sapong, who are all capable of playing out on the wings.
There’s also a potential situation in which Bedoya shifts to the wing to provide a defense-minded presence, which opens space for Medunjanin, Jones or the new acquisition to play in a two-man central midfield.
Forwards
Sergio Santos, Cory Burke, C.J. Sapong, Fafa Picault and Kacper Przybylko
Curtin has a good problem on his hands at the moment: he has four strikers capable of laying claim to a spot in the starting XI.
Santos, the new signing from the Chilean first division, will receive every chance to succeed, and the early reviews have been positive regarding the Brazilian.
“(Santos) has good pace and likes to get on to goal,” Picault said. “He likes to play with the ball so I’m comfortable with that. It should be fun as the time goes on. We’ll definitely try to get to know each other more and it should be dangerous.”
Picault’s switch from the wing to forward is one of the most significant developments of the offseason, as he tries to provide a complement for Santos in a dynamic pressing system.
“It was brought from me to the coaching staff to go up top,” Picault said. “I said I was comfortable with it. That’s where I’ve played for most of my career. I started playing the wing when I got here. Before that, I was a slot striker, I played behind the striker. Anywhere in attack I’m comfortable as long as we work well as a unit and we figure it out
The usage of Burke and Sapong will be interesting to watch, as they’re both capable of being the main scorer, a target winger and key contributors off the bench.
Kacper Przybylko and trialist Yoni Shintu are merely depth options at the moment since the club possesses a plethora of goal-scorers.