Philly Sports Jabronis
By Brian W. Ferrie
It seems like almost yesterday the Philadelphia Union kicked off its inaugural season in Major League Soccer (MLS). In reality, that was the spring of 2010, and tonight the team will launch its fifth season in Portland against the imposing Timbers, a team that earned the most points in the Western Conference last year with a 14-5-15 record.
The Union’s first four seasons have been a bit of a roller coaster ride. To recap, in 2010 the team was bad (8-15-7, 31 points). But that didn’t matter much because expansion teams aren’t supposed to be good and fans were so excited to finally have an MLS team in town that wins and losses were secondary. The team played hard, had a beautiful new stadium packed with people who made the environment exciting, and showed some hope for the future.
In 2011, the Union took a big step forward as everything seemed to be falling into place. They went 11-8-15 (48 points) with the help of some key veteran additions and internal improvement, making the playoffs for the first time. Anybody who attended that first playoff game in PPL Park against the Houston Dynamo will tell you the atmosphere was absolutely electric. Alas, the Union dropped the home-and-home series, but nobody could deny the progress the team made or the optimism surrounding it.
Then came the 2012 season, which was a complete and abject disaster. The trouble started in the offseason, when manager Peter Nowak (who has mercifully since been fired) inexplicably traded franchise icon and fan favorite Sebastien Le Toux to the Vancouver Whitecaps for allocation money. It was one of several head-scratching moves that offseason by Novak, including the acquisition of several foreign players who turned out to either be not good enough for the MLS or just a bad fit for the team. Veteran goalie Faryd Mondragon also decided to return to his native Colombia, Freddy Adu proved to be a huge disappointment and the Union produced an atrocious 10-18-6 campaign (36 points) in which they not only missed the playoffs but actually finished lower in the conference (8th) than their inaugural season. Fans were infuriated and disillusioned, Nowak lost his job and team management was forced to take a hard look at the franchise, trying to figure out how to get it back on the right track again. 
The 2013 season was a good step in that direction. To great acclaim, the team reacquired Le Toux in the offseason, brought in solid veteran striker Conor Casey and emphasized giving playing time to younger players under new coach John Hackworth in hopes of encouraging their development. Overall, the Union finished 12-12-10 (46 points) and stayed in the playoff hunt all season, although they fell just short at the end. Still, the season produced a general feeling of positivity around the club and a sense it had moved on from the carnage of the previous year.
But Hackworth and team officials made it clear going into this offseason that a .500 record wasn’t good enough, and the Union was focused on making the kind of high-profile talented acquisitions that would transform the team from middling squad to true MLS Cup contender.
So far, so good. This offseason was without a doubt the most active and impressive by the Union since entering the league, highlighted by the loaning of U.S. national team midfielder Maurice Edu from English Premier League side Stoke City, but that was far from the only major addition. Here’s a breakdown of the new players in the order they were acquired:
Cristian Maidana: This 27-year-old Argentine winger was added as a designated player (DP), the highest salary classification in MLS. He most recently played with Argentinos Juniors and is expected to add a level of offensive attacking ability at left wing that the Union has never been able to boast before.
Edu: The loan deal with Stoke is for one year as a DP, though it includes an option to sign Edu to a long-term contract. Edu is still young (27), a former MLS Rookie of the Year with Toronto and played well for Scottish side Glasgow Rangers from 2008-12. However, he languished on the bench during his two seasons with Stoke and actually was loaned out last season to Turkish side Bursaspor in order to get some playing time. I’m cautiously optimistic about the impact Edu will make, but can’t help remembering the last time the Union added a hyped-up U.S. national team midfielder with a name that sounded like Edu who had seen limited time for his European club (see Adu, Freddy).
Vincent Nogueira: The least heralded of the Union’s three major acquisitions from foreign squads, Nogueira will be asked to handle a playmaking midfield role for the team. Like Edu and Maidana, he’s young (26) and comes with a strong pedigree, having played since 2007 for French Ligue 1 side Sochaux. Despite comparatively little fanfare, I have a feeling Nogueira will make as much as if not more of a mark on the Union than Edu and Maidana.
Austin Berry: This move was the cherry on top of a great offseason. The one obvious area of concern as the Union entered preseason training was the center-back situation. Last year, the team was rock-solid there with young standout Amobi Okugo and dependable veteran Jeff Parke. However, the team traded Parke in mid-January (shortly before the MLS SuperDraft in Philly) to DC United so it could move to the top of the league’s allocation order, allowing the acquisition of Edu. The Union also received defender Ethan White in the DC deal, who is young (23) and talented but hasn’t yet carved out a consistent starting role in the nation’s capital. Evidently, the Union wasn’t convinced he was ready for that kind of role in Philly either, since rumors abounded in February that the team was scouring both domestic and foreign options for a steady starting center-back to pair with Okugo. Then, seemingly out of a clear blue sky, the Union announced two weeks ago it had acquired Berry from the Chicago Fire. It is, from all appearances, a steal. Still just 25, Berry won the MLS Rookie of the Year Award for Chicago in 2012 and started every game in 2013. But the Fire made a couple high-profile defensive acquisitions of its own this offseason and was dealing with salary-cap constraints, making Berry expendable.
Maidana, Edu, Nogueira and Berry are all expected to start for the Union, which is a testament to their skill and experience considering the team was in decent shape already. The Union also strengthened itself through the draft by selecting goalkeeper Andre Blake No. 1 overall, midfielder Pedro Ribeiro at No. 15 and defender Richie Marquez at No. 44. Blake is the only goalie to be drafted with the top MLS pick, though this season he’ll likely back up incumbent Zac MacMath, himself a young and talented keeper. Ribeiro brings great size at 6-4 and the kind of midfield playmaking skill the Union has traditionally lacked. Marquez is intriguing because he’s big (6-2), athletic and beat out two defenders the Union drafted higher (Kevin Cope at No. 25 and Robbie Derschang at No. 27) to make the team.
Overall, I think this season looks very bright for the Union. They should be strong in net whether it’s MacMath or Blake between the pipes. The starting defensive backfield of Sheanon Williams, Okugo, Berry and Fabio Alves (“Fabinho”) is young, talented, athletic and experienced. The array of midfield options including Maidana, Nogueira, Edu, Brian Carroll and Le Toux seems by far the best in Union history. The striking combination of Casey and budding 21-year-old star Jack McInerney was lethal last season and can be reinforced by Hackworth with Le Toux or super sub Antoine Hoppenot. The team now has depth all over the field, meaning regular starters last year such as Keon Daniel, Danny Cruz and Ray Gaddis will now likely fill reserve roles.
From this observer’s perspective, the Union nailed its offseason and the results will show on the field with a team record for wins, points, and farthest advance in the playoffs to date. Let’s kick it off!
Game 1: Tonight at 10:30 vs. Portland Timbers
Predictions
Regular Season: 14-9-11 (53 points), 3rd in Eastern Conference
Playoffs: Eastern Conference Finals
Brian W. Ferrie is a contributing writer for Philly Sports Jabronis.
