The Philadelphia Union Thread

Benfica is a top 20 club in the world though - only a handful of Americans have ever hit that level and making it there was always going to be a tough ask.

I don’t think even now he would easily play for Benfica - at the same time there were two all world CM prospects in Gedson and Florentino, and even they’ve had their struggles.

 

McGlynn's vision to me is his strength, I have only watched him on TV, never in person so if you have seen him in person then you know more than me. The first thing I noticed about his game, he was constantly thinking 2 or 3 passes ahead, he had an idea of what he wanted to do with the ball before he had it. Also his long 50-60 meter passes out of the back to players making runs is excellent.

As far as being slow, his game doesn't revolve around speed, he is much more of a linking player, a long ball & free kick specialist, with a lethal shot around the box.

 

I do think McGlynn has above average vision for his age group. I think he makes poor choices sometimes, opting for flashier passes when a simple one could suffice. Again, he’s pretty good at that, but not elite - yet. I think he’s way beyond anyone who’s come through the youth national teams in the last few cycles.

There’s not having speed be a major part of your game - that’s more of a Parks thing. Then there’s being one of the slowest players in the league. That’s McGlynn. He also doesn’t make up for it by being particularly physical or good in the air. I don’t think that’s a permanent thing, and he will get faster as he continues to grow into his frame. Soccer is still a running sport, as much as you can offset that by playing smart.

I think I’m higher on McGlynn than just about anyone else on this youth squad. His talent is so obvious, and the sky really is the limit. There’s still a lot of hurdles to be jumped before he gets to be even in the top midfielders of the league.

 

Agree with a lot of what you said, let's give him a couple of years in a pro-type environment especially the weight room to see if it makes a difference.

 

Let's do the dang thing down in Cincy!

📝 https://t.co/tea4wQfbmw#DOOP | #CINvPHI pic.twitter.com/xR4Et5pwr4

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) August 6, 2022

Freese, Harriel, Craig, McGlynn, Sullivan, Aaronson, and Donovan are all on the bench against Cincinnati.

 

Down 2-0 on the road. On comes Jack McGlynn (and Cory Burke) with about 30 minutes left.

Paxten on in the 74th minute, probably too late to impact the result as the Union deservedly trail 3-0.

EDIT
Aaronson does almost immediately score on a deflection!
McGlynn puts a free kick just outside the post.

 

Paxten's goal.

Paxten Aaronson gets one back for Philly! pic.twitter.com/V2P1yDk8QS

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 7, 2022

 

1557836364602818565 is not a valid tweet id

 

LOL.

 

McGlynn and Flach start against Chicago.

 

The first two Union subs were in the 72nd minute tonight: Burke (who just scored the Union's 4th goal) and Martinez (who came on for McGlynn). Hard to argue with the results, but I'd like to see the young attacking players get a bit more time.

Aaronson has played 344 minutes in MLS this season and Sullivan has 196.

EDIT: Aaronson and Sullivan sent on with 5 minutes left in the match.

 

https://punditarena.com/football/ro...h-mls-teenager-jack-mcglynn-ireland-american/

Ireland making a run for that golden left foot

 

Yeah okay lol

 

Aaronson has looked pretty dangerous against tired legs in very limited cameos in the games that I have seen recently. Kinda a head scratcher why he wouldn't get 15 or 20 minutes in these games that are fairly one sided. Seems like there is some match congestion coming up also.

Bit of a frustrating spot for him at the moment. I imagine he would be getting pretty significant minutes at many of the teams in the league. Kid is too good to gain much with the second team and needs minutes in MLS at this point.

 

Yeah he had a nice ball into the box for what should’ve been a goal. He really should be getting 15-30 minutes in most games. If Philly doesn’t have a plan to get him a lot more time next year, then they might as well go ahead and sell him. He’s at the age where he needs to start playing if he is going to reach his potential.

 

Yeah. In a match like this Pax needs to get more minutes.

I will say I am all on the Pax train but when he came back for the U20‘s he started against NE and I expected a lot.
D Jones made him look like a schoolboy. 15-20 minutes in and Pax wouldn’t even attempt to make a move against him and actually looked scared to do so. He became super passive and really didn‘t look up to it. Jones owned him.
Really was an eye opener. Still, he can easily get an extra 10-15 I would hope.

As you said, it was against tired legs. If he can‘t make the impact starting use him more in that regard.

 

I watched that game, and got the impression that he was played out of position on the wing. He doesn’t have Brenden’s speed or physicality, at least not yet. He has shown flashes of being very smart with the ball in the final third, and being good with the ball in tight spaces, though. He should be a direct replacement for Gazdag, IMO.

 

You are correct. He was out wide and Jones used his speed and the touch line to just neuter the kid.
He does need to played in the middle parts of the field. What I did not like was the way he almost seemed to accept his fate after the first 15 to 20. It‘s only one match, and Jones is very good, but it was a lesson. Still, he needs to get more minutes in these last few matches.
I give Philly a lot of credit, and defend them when I consistently hear how poorly they run things.

This however is an issue IMO. There is a big difference between a 15,20,25 minute run out and a five plus stoppage run out.

Hope that changes,

What do folks think of McGlynn?

 

I think McGlynn hasn't replicated his amazing first start against NE when we were in the 4-2-3-1. But I think that says more about the expectations of the left sided 8 in a high pressing 4-4-2 diamond than anything about McGlynn.

I notice even in the diamond when we have periods of possession McGlynn will float around to get the ball. And when trying to build out the back, McGlynn will drop deeper than the other midfielders. So they do seem to recognize his game and try to get him on the ball more.

But I just don't think the diamond will ever be the formation to get the best out of him.

 

Freese also had a ridiculous fingertip save to push the ball onto the post and save the game very late, looks like they don't have it up though.

Aaronson looks good, really ready for minutes at the MLS level but is behind the teams MVP candidate.

Sullivan was was more quiet. But what stood out to me was a run last in the game. Miami was on the counter, and Sullivan is busting his ass to get back and wins the ball with a great tackle. Here is an 18 year old, a day after getting 0 first team minutes again, with like 150 first team minutes all season, playing in the heat in front of 10 people in Chester, after a quiet game, in a full sprint to chase down the attacker and win the ball. That's the fight Curtin always praises in him.

All three of those HGs deserve more MLS minutes. But all three are blocked in different ways. There is still some season to go, but this off season will be very interesting. I think each one can make a good case as to why it would be better if they moved on.

 

Thanks for the updates. Sullivan did play against the Fire so technically not zero minutes even though it wasn't much time.

Obviously Gazdag, Bedoya, etc. have played well but it does seem like Curtin is a bit slow on substitutions. Will be interesting to watch and see if/when that changes.