MLS knockout: Philadelphia Union’s youth line means even if their stars leave, they keep winning

For Major League Soccer to become a global power, it needs to become a growing league for the rest of the world. Leagues like the Eredivisie in the Netherlands have been wildly successful in developing and exporting talent to Europe’s biggest teams. But this can create a complex challenge for MLS parties. While at the Eredivisie Ajax (there are Champions League matches you can follow Supreme +) were able to both become a dominant force in the league and sell off the stars they developed, in the MLS, historically well-developed teams haven’t won many. FC Dallas, for example, has brought in over $20 million in transfer profits over the past three years. They have successfully sold players like Bryan Reynolds, Reggie Cannon, Tanner Tessmann to Europe. The problem is that the team has also been on the decline this time around, ultimately missing out on this season’s playoffs. With the interest that current Dallas forward Ricardo Pepi is attracting from abroad, Dallas’ decision-making challenges may be just beginning. But, this is not about Dallas.

Some teams have enough money to buy players year after year to compete, but after time, even those teams fail without help from their academy. LA Galaxy, Toronto FC and LAFC, three in a row this season, are prime examples of what happens when you buy without care year after year. Galaxy and Toronto even have solid academies although you wouldn’t know it from looking at their squads on a regular basis as they instead spend millions on Designated Players, who, when they don’t show up, become albatross under contract with limited federation wages.

What the Philadelphia Union is showing is that perhaps the path to success is a combination of those two approaches. Union beat Nashville SC to reach the Eastern Conference finals, where they will face the New England winners against NYCFC on Sunday, December 5 on ABC at 3pm (you can Live stream the match on fubo television – try it for free), Jim Curtin alluded to how hard it was to continue to succeed by saying, “We lost two of the best XI players, we lost Ray Gaddis, but the boys carried on. join.” Curtin is referring to Brenden Aaronson and Mark McKenzie moving abroad after finishing the season winning the Confederates’ backing shield last year. Aaronson went to RB Salzburg while McKenzie went to Genk. Just as both players started to solidify in and around forming the national team, the Union lost them to Europe, but they haven’t missed a beat.

Replacing both was a group effort with Jakob Glesnes taking over at centre-back and the entire midfield stepping up to replace Aaronson. Leon Flach and Daniel Gazdag were bought to fill the gap but beloved boys Jack McGlynn, Quinn Sullivan and Paxten Aaronson (Brenden’s younger brother) also had to play key minutes with the Confederacy in the Concacaf Champions League and convened internationally.

Jack McGlynn’s penalty to score in their win over Nashville was a poetic moment because it embodies Union line.

A lot of resources have been poured into the Alliance’s YSC Academy and the results are starting to show. Even after “graduating” two of their top prospects to Europe, and trading a few more if you count Derrick Jones and Auston Trusty traded in the league over the past few years, the house cock still accounted for more than nine percent of the total minutes played. by Union. And that’s Jack de Vries on loan with Venice’s youth team and Cole Turner on loan from USL’s El Paso Locomotive.

The contributions of homegrown players are one of the reasons why Jon Scheer was promoted from academy director to first-team scouting director. Speaking about the move, Ernst Tanner said,

“He has done a fantastic job in our academy, cementing it as a mainstay of our first-team squad and a center of evaluation for players across the club. Jon’s advancement is further proof that our academy is a premier place in the country where young players are found as staff develop their careers.”

The versatility of youth and savvy veterans helped Union become the last MLS team to reach the CCL semifinals, and also brought them to a second-place finish at the Eastern Conference with the grand final. will take place on Sunday. This is the vision the League has sold for many years, but with only the final disappointment of the US Open Cup to back off along with being knocked out of the knockout stages in the first round, it is not easy to believe that success is maybe.

But with a partnership between Curtin and athletic director Ernst Tanner, the sky is the limit in Philly. You can see a clear path for these homegrown plants to contribute more next season and maintain their successful trend. This is not to say that the League shouldn’t spend money, as the team is calling for a top striker (or they could give Rolando Damus a chance after he continues to destroy USL) but it will be easier to do. spend that money when the books balance.

After last year’s Supporter’s Shield, Bringing Red Bull’s philosophy to the MLS but without the organizational tie of New York set the Union on a path of success that could lead to two titles in two years after zero during their first 12 years of existence. This is a blueprint that should also be repeated regardless of who is in charge now that the organizational base has been built.