Sullivan is 14th on the squad in minutes, McGlynn 16th, and Aaronson 17th. I said at the beginning of the season that two of the three should be within the top 11, and the third should be 12th. Would I prefer these guys be starting every game? Yes, but I think what's most important is that they play regularly enough that they can put themselves in the shop window for the next few years with their performances. It's possible they still can get sold playing 400-500 minutes during the season, but playing more should help. I was willing to give it a few months from the start of the season. I understand it's a veteran team that has gotten good results over the years, but at some point the excuses ring hollow and we expect these kids to play. Is that reasonable? Maybe it's not, but I'm a USMNT fan, so I'm not looking at this as a fan of Philadelphia Union. I also expect that we see Brandan Craig play some this season. I understand that he's a defensive player and the other three aren't, so his timeline for minutes should be a little different, but it's not as if '04 CB's aren't playing minutes in MLS this season (Williams, Orozco). Craig is 18 years old. He's done well in NEXT PRO, and he's a better prospect (and current player) than both Williams and Orozco. He's also been on the on the bench a few times. He should get a few hundred minutes this season building towards getting minutes in the thousands in upcoming years. If you want to do right by the player, you cannot hide behind the youth excuse. He's at the age where it's important he start getting some first team minutes to eventually progress on a path towards Europe at 20-21.
The thing that makes this confusing, imo, is that they showed last year that they are more than capable to rotate in with the first 11. Given their ages, it should be an expectation, not a hope, that they can make dramatic improvements over the season, which could improve the club's chances during the playoffs and, at the same time, save a few of the veteran's legs for the playoffs as well. Win, win imo...improved performance of vets due to reduced fatigue, improved contribution from young blood due to experience.
The same thing happened to FC Dallas eventually. They get too much into win-now mode, and stopped using the HG players. They didn’t realize that the HG players were some of their best players (Pepi, Ferreira, Pomykal, Tessmann).
Mediocre boring game that got better once the starters were subbed in and McGlynn, Sullivan and Aaronson were allowed to play with them. McGlynn still the most impressive to me, just knows exactly where he is going with the ball and can make the pass every time. Aaronson got better with two strikers in front of him and had some nice final third touch and drives into the box and a few passes that almost found the striker. Sullivan stood out the least, kinda an understated element to his game where he just is where he needs to be and does what he needs to be. Was surprised by his agility, he had some changes of direction on the ball that really kept the defense off him. All of them showed they deserve more minutes so lets hope we see that starting this weekend.
I thought Sullivan had a sloppy game. Aaronson struggled to get involved in the game, although he wasn't bad when he was involved. McGlynn was good. Can we all also appreciate Matt Freese for a second? I know he's not thread-eligible, but still young for a GK. Maybe he could've done something on the Perea goal, although it was hit incredibly well, but he's always convincing when I see him play. Had three nice plays that stopped good chances. I wish he wasn't stuck behind Andre Blake because I don't think there are very many GK's in MLS better than him.
FRESH OFF THE BENCH!!!Paxten Aaronson gets the lead for @PhilaUnionII! 👏 pic.twitter.com/5QmGmzTC7S— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) May 17, 2022
The u15s (mostly 07s) go 1-1-1 at the MLS Next Flex against 3 non-MLS teams. I realize most of their attacking players are playing a year or 2 up but still it's underwhelming considering the talent they have at the academy.
I think it’s been talked about before that they don’t seem to get the results that the raw talent they have on their team indicates they should. I didn’t see all the results or any of the games, so I could be wrong about the problems at that event, but I think that offense is not very cohesive due to the difficulty of playing that formation for U-15’s, the inconsistency of a few of their better attackers (Rocio, LeBlanc), and that they don’t really have a true CF goal threat.
Nathan. Harriel. 🔥@nateharriel is second in @MLS for interceptions this season!#DOOP pic.twitter.com/OEMzgGu7Zk— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) May 17, 2022
I'm curious to see the u15 roster for next year. The 2008s are the group who won the GA u12 a couple years ago- and they were phenomenal. I expect Cavan, Kellan and the other 08s to remain on the u15 team next year- so expectations must be very, very high.
Makin’ noise on a Wednesday night in Philly⚡📝👉 https://t.co/FTpkwqfMYw#PHIvMIA | #DOOP | @MLS pic.twitter.com/v7Y0Zqwr8Z— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) May 18, 2022
There is nothing to say after watching that crap, besides that Curtin needs to steer this ship away from the iceberg soon and preferably in a way that gives the HGs a lot more minutes. Also, it's a damn shame a Union striker prospect (if we even have one?) isn't farther along. Burke is a disaster and there are minutes to be had at that position more than anywhere else on the pitch.
Only true striker prospect Philly has is Nelson Pierre and I’m not sure if he’s first team level. Nelson is as athletic as it can get but his technical ability is a little lagging behind. With that being said he’s a top 3 striker prospect in the country currently for the 2005’s. The entire country is really struggling at producing 9’s across the board. There’s only a very small handful that I think could go directly from academy to the first team level without needing a few years college soccer first. For context, the only 9 I think we have that is at a true youth national team level team in the 2003-2006 age groups is Ricardo Pepi. It’s a nationwide issue
I would say it is a historical issue. Over the past 30ish years, how many of our top players have been strikers. I'm not even talking about relative to the rest of the world, I'm talking relative to the USMNT pool of the era they are in. If you list the top strikers it is a pretty short list compared to other positions imo. Our top two goal scorers weren't really strikers (Dempsey maybe but I think he was always played in a role more similar to Pulisic...if you consider Pulisic a striker, I'm with you). Who are the others that come to mind? Jozy, Wynalda, Davies, McBride, and then? When you think of the top players (disregarding goal scoring, how many are/were strikers?) Here's one list made in 2015....not saying I agree or disagree but I think it makes a positional point. (if that phrasing makes any sense at all). https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2015/jul/24/top-us-soccer-players-usmnt
Clint Mathis, Josh Wolff, Joe-Max Moore, Aron Jóhannsson, Roy Wegerle At a lower level: Brian Ching, Herculez Gomez, Edson Buddle, Eddie Johnson
Of the three, I don't think of Mathis as a striker. Imo, he fits into a role similar to Pulisic and Dempsey. Nominally an am or winger imo. I don't think Wolff and Joe-Max, get the credit they deserve (especially Joe-Max) but Joe-Max had 24 goals in 100 appearances (not bad, but not great either) and Wolff had 9 in 52 caps. Either way, we are still talking about a 30 year stretch. We should have more than a small handful. How many times has our best player been a striker? (Of course if you consider guys like Dempsey/Pulisic a striker that cuts into my argument). To be clear, I know that Dempsey has played striker....the WC in Brazil is a perfect example. He also played a single striker at Fulham but even there, he was most effective playing a role similar to the role Pulisic plays. (especially under Arena and Klinsmann where Pulisic seemed to have even more freedom than he has now)
You're right that we've never had a best player who has been a striker. Guys in contention for best player at various points: Ramos, Reyna, Pope, JOB, Donovan, Dempsey. It is a small list. And from the current group: Pulisic, McKennie, Gio. So never had a striker as "best" player and unlikely to have one anytime soon. Maybe Wynalda comes closest.
Pierre is the only 05 on a MLSNP contract and most of the 05’s aren’t committing to college yet, he’s the top prospect of that age group at Philly
Wynalda is a good call. As you say, the "best" is a small list. Perhaps I should have said our top (as in top 2 or 3 or 4). If you expand it that way, certainly you get a few that might fit, but I still find it striking how few of our best were strikers. Mids and defenders mostly. Also, good call on a few others that you have mentioned: Wegerle and a few others from the past. As far as having our best or one of our best players be a striker....one can hope. I take solace in the fact that it was only a few years ago that we were lamenting the lack of creative young players in MLS. Just piano carriers and defenders.... We'll see
I think it is more likely that the "solution" to our "9 problem" will come from the ranks of young players who are currently playing as 7/11s or 8/10s rather than someone who is being developed as a 9. That's where the talent lies and that's the direction the game is evolving.
Quick update here, per sources: Venezia FC are finalizing the permanent signing of Jack de Vries from the Philadelphia Union.De Vries, a 20-year-old US youth int'l, had been on loan at Venezia since last summer. Union academy product had 14g/6a in the U-19 league. https://t.co/59rXV5jAR2 pic.twitter.com/ousByCW8CT— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) May 25, 2022