I think Gazdag mentioned he had some Serie A interest during the summer. So there has been that. I wouldn't have thought he would move but it seems slightly possible now especially since a 22g/10a season will have him looking like he reached the peak at this level and is ready for a new move. So that opens it up for Aaronson maybe. For Sullivan, I don't see it. I don't think his best position is in this formation.
The champs league angle is interesting -- they made a real run the last time they were in it and I imagine they'd like to give it a good try again in the upcoming edition. That might weigh towards retaining more vets but also rotating more.
Next season between CCL, League games, Open Cup, and the Leagues Cup there will be plenty of opportunities for the youth to get meaningful playing time.
I think the Union should be operating with the strategy of they should sell off a few of their starters if they win this season. The majority of those players will never be worth more. They have 3-4 players in their ranks that are ready to play and they risk hurting their development pretty substantially if they don't give them regular game time. If they win the title, there would be very little pressure for next season, and they could start off the season experimenting with younger players in bigger roles.
This will really be the test. Seattle showed this year how CCL can really screw with your season -- both from a physical exhaustion but also from a mental aspect. I'm just not sure the Sounders players cared that much once they won CCL. Will Curtain be willing to give the young players BIG time in the MLS season because of CCL? I would expect them to do so with Open Cup given the priority, but I'd love to see them use that depth more to rotate around. They don't have enough guys to do 11 for 11 ... but they will burn everyone out otherwise.
Flach instantly recognizing the danger and busting his ass to turn Tinnerholm backwards is one of those little plays that potentially prevents something much, much bigger. pic.twitter.com/lkGHnATG0v— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) October 31, 2022 Leon Flach in MLS this season:1,983 Successful Pressures - 1st 92.1 Challenge Grade - 2nd82.3 Fifty/Fifty Duel Grade - 8thA vital player for @PhilaUnion 😤 pic.twitter.com/bQAHJl2Cdl— PFF FC (@PFF_FC) October 30, 2022
Pssstttt it's the 2021 MLS season........Philly went to the CCL Semi's, and made it to the Eastern Conference Final.... As for next season? Does Wagner finally get sold? I think he does, he literally has nothing more to prove in MLS. One of Martinez or Flach will move on. M'Baizo will likely be sold, especially if he plays and plays well for Cameroon in Qatar. Also, Philly is one of the few MLS teams that prioritizes the USOC. Plus the foreign player limits for the USOC are stricter than MLS'.
Won't be surprised if Aaronson gets offers based on a combination of U-20 quals and his last name. Those who watch him know why he isn't starting.
Shrug. Philly is in FCD territory with those young players. They're going to start getting offers, and it's going to be hard to hold onto them. How many starts did guys like Reynolds and Tessmann actually have before Euro offers started rolling in? So I can see McGlynn in particular being of interest to Euro clubs. He's the same age as Ricardo Pepi, Jonathan Gomez, and others that made the move a while ago. I mean, Philly can win trophies without Paxten Aaronson and Quinn Sullivan playing. They can now and they can later. We don't think Euro clubs know about Paxten Aaronson? They're all thinking.............."Where's the next Brenden Aaronson? We don't want to miss out on the next one. OH WAIT....................He has a brother!!!"
I think all four of them have Euro interest, but I wouldn't be surprised if McGlynn has the least of it. I think the other three don't have the notable deficit that McGlynn does. As much as it's easy to like McGlynn, he's playing well, and he's very talented, his defensive game is going to turn some teams off.
I'm sure Mglynn can improve enough in it. But his passing and ball striking is almost elite enough to offset that deficiency
That reminds me, I saw this yesterday: Passes breaking the defensive line in MLS this season:Daniel Gazdag - 38 👀Carlos Vela - 15Kellyn Acosta - 13Jack McGlynn - 10| @PhilaUnion | pic.twitter.com/ftiKFapQNF— PFF FC (@PFF_FC) November 1, 2022
I totally get your point. I'm thinking these others might have interest in top 4 league interest. I can easily teams in those 2nd tier leagues like Belgium, etc. coming in for McGlynn now. Eredevisie outside of the top of the top. There's the most MLS film on him. Whether they put in offers that are worth Philly accepting is a different question. Was Tanner Tessmann.......................that much better and more impactful than Jack McGlynn? I don't think so.
The good news is that I think McGlynn and Sullivan have access to an EU passport, while I’m pretty sure Craig has access to a British passport (which isn’t as helpful, but better than nothing). None for Aaronson, but I also don’t think he’s going to struggle for suitors in leagues where a passport isn’t needed.
I don't think Tessmann was anywhere near as impactful as McGlynn in MLS. The fact that Tessman got signed in Europe for the amount / timeline is still a bit of a surprise to me. However, Tessmann was a big athletic player. You could see how scouts would become enamored with his potential. I could see the opposite with McGlynn. Not very big and not very athletic...scouts becoming fixated on what he can't do and miss all the stuff that he does so well. Perhaps Tessmann is a high ceiling prospect and McGlynn is a high floor prospect.
The crashing and burning of the Veniziamericans is such a bummer. Are Tessman and Busio noticeably better than they were in MLS? If a tree falls...
Venizia is trending towards Serie C. Players including Busio apparently just going through the motions. I wouldn't suspect they are getting much better and Venizia is definitely a tree falls situation. Not sure what Philly's deal is with de Vries, but probably best if he was able to bail.
All of these Philly kids are using Brenden Aaronson as a role model for the path, and what's possible. Brenden even reaches out to them apparently. When did Brenden Aaronson go to Europe? His move to Salzburg was announced the week he turned 20 (October of 2020 for a move in the subsequent January window). When does McGlynn turn 20? Next summer after the U20 World Cup.................... Jack McGlynn: Philadelphia Union teenager on emulating Brenden Aaronson & Liverpool 'dream' (90min.com) Based on comments in that column and others, it's clear that Europe is an ambition. Although he says he's not in a rush. I just expect there to be some phone calls made by Euro clubs this winter. Not Real Madrid, of course. If I'm Philly I try to hold onto him thru the U20WC. Maybe his value increases then. Don't tell me Bryan Reynolds can be signed by Roma for a suitcase of cash, and there won't be any interest in Europe for McGlynn. I don't buy it. I mean, a Ligue 1 club submitted a transfer offer for Cade Cowell.
I think Venizia said Tessmann was a guy they bought because of his athletic potential. I don't think there's any question McGlynn has been better at the MLS level.
Though I will say Cowell and Reynolds both fall into the category of having a ton of athletic upside in a way McGlynn doesn't. That upside is what they are paying for/making offers for.
I'm sure we can find plenty of other examples. Don't tell me Sam Vines, Cole Bassett, Kyle Duncan, Auston Trusty, etc. etc. can have European suitors in good leagues...............and McGlynn isn't going to. Auston Trusty was signed by frickin' Arsenal. I don't think any of us actually disagree with each other. I think some folks act like the only Euro teams are big clubs in top 5 leagues. Maybe Paxten Aaronson and Quinn Sullivan will be signed by those types of clubs. The Dortmund type of clubs. But there's a whoooooooooooooole bunch of other clubs out there that should be interested in a player like McGlynn. And I can see those clubs trying to sign him in January before his value increases further. If he has a Euro passport then a ton of doors are open. He's not a 16-17 year old prospect. He'll be 20 soon. Will Philly sell? Maybe not. If I'm Philly I wait to see if his value increases after the U20WC.
It will never cease to amuse me how some people seem to think you can magically teach an athlete to play soccer. While some guys genuinely aren’t athletic enough to play pro soccer, I’m always going to bet on the guy who knows how to play the game at a high level. He’s much more likely to learn how to use the athleticism he does have in the context of the game. How many top notch prospects have faded because of their athleticism? Maybe Akale and Zelalem? How many really good athletes have fizzled out because they never adapted to a high level of play? The list is endless. McGlynn is a generational soccer talent. He’s not the fastest but he’s plenty big, and as long as he fills out and learns how to move intelligently he’ll have a long and successful career.
de Vries was sold to Venezia earlier this year. https://www.brotherlygame.com/2022/...ermanently-transferred-to-venezia-fc-in-italy
Interview with Sporting Director Ernst Tanner: https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/meet...hind-philadelphia-union-s-ascent-to-mls-elite