That's ironic seeing as the current captain america cut his teeth at Klopp's gegenpressing Dortmund...... Tyler Adams came up through the Red Bull System...... For a team that's supposedly not very good for youth development, they sure might have a lot of alumni playing at the World Cup next summer. Let's not forget that the sky was falling when Earnie left for US Soccer.........
I don’t think the style of play is inherently a problem — in fact, for Philly’s ownership, it’s the right way to go. I also don’t think it’s inherently bad for development, but I’m not sure it’s the absolute best, either. That said, losing Tanner is a problem. He was very good at his job. It can be hard to find people as consistently good at talent evaluation as him.
A blessing long term. There's no end to the rot that will settle in when people of Tanner's moral quality are in power. Eventually they will find someone else and it's possible they have people in-house who absorbed some of Tanner's methodology.
What I don’t understand is why Tanner gets credit for every little thing. Do you think he was out in the field recruiting Malik Jakupovic or Abdoulaye Diop to the academy? Is he on the training pitch every day developing these teenage players from the academy they’ve signed to pro deals? He obviously has done some good things. Maybe they won’t even have success without him, but he’s not completely to thank for what they’ve built:
He doesn't get credit for every little thing. From what I've read, I don't think he has a ton to do with the academy, for example. But for the senior team, he or his staff get most of the credit. He brought in their offensive and defensive system -- Curtain was basically running what Earnie told him to run before and with Tanner, he started running what Ernst knew. And he's made a TON of below market acquisitions that have formed the core of why they've succeeded. Blake was already there, but he's done an exceptionally good job of both getting guys like Kai Wagner for the German 3rd division who immediately played well above that level. He's also been very unsentimental, which a team that is not going to have a high payroll needs to do. Guys start to get old or want a different role -- he replaces them. They've had elite CDMs for several years and he just reloads when needed. Jamiro Monteiro wants to play a position he's not really suited for? See ya. And he gets value for them. Same with the Trusty-like deals -- Trusty wasn't going to win a spot so he got value. He's a very good talent evaluator at the senior level and has moneyball sensibilities for an owner who does not want to spend. Usually, when even successful European DOFs come to the US, they fail badly -- see Georg Heitz in Chicago or Lutz Pfannensteil in St Louis. There's a massive bias to European talent they know in many cases (see Heitz or some of the guys SJ had) or too rigid a feel to their player decisions like in St. Louis. But Tanner put in his system, stuck to it ... but also made it work by basically finding his guys. Philly routinely has one of the lowest payrolls in the league AND doesn't spend big on transfer fees. It's like Burnley winning hardware. Dude was very good at what he did, and while it might not all be HIM -- it's clearly his philosophy and his staff. How many stay? This might actually be good for the academy kids, because Sugarman will not spend, and his replacement is unlikely to be able to find players as good for the same price.
We probably won't know for a few years what the impact of Ernst leaving will be. We have Dallas as a data point. Everyone who made the Dallas academy great left for one reason or another (many took bigger jobs). It took a few years for the impact to be fully realized. It turns out it wasn't the buildings. It wasn't the homegrown territory or the "FCD way." There wasn't something special in the water in Dallas. It was that collection of PEOPLE that made the Dallas academy what it was. Everyone played a role from the front office to the first team staff to the academy director to the academy coaches. So we'll see what the downstream effect of losing Ernst Tanner will be. Curtin left. Leblanc left. Its easy to replace people on paper with other guys you think may be just as good player development. Not so easy to do in practice. Sometimes a collection of people is just magic. We should all WANT Philly to go from strength to strength and BUILD from here. This was a successful year for the Union from a HG point of view. Quinn Sullivan was on a great track pre-injury and was rewarded with a Gold Cup callup. That injury really did hurt them. Maybe we were hoping that Neil Pierre would get more of an opportunity. He's an 18 year old centerback, though. [And there was no reason to break up the CB combo that was working. Philly conceded the fewest goals of any team in the league. They only conceded 35 goals in 34 games.] But let's not overlook the career advancements for Andrew Rick and Frankie Westfield. Harriel is getting callups to USMNT camps. I do think they have some tough end of year decisions to make on players like Olney, Vazquez, and those guys. Its tough to come to the realization that some of the homegrowns just aren't going to "make it." You have to cut them loose early. Its not like CJ Olney lit the world on fire with Lexington. And if Bradley Carnell's biggest crime is giving playing time to 24 year old Indiana Vassilev (who was eligible for the last Olympic cycle), then he had a pretty good year? Indiana scored a nice goal against Chicago in the playoffs. Are we criticizing him for trying to find a way to get Harriel and Westfield on the field at the same time?? He did give lots of time to USMNT-eligible players while also winning the Supporter's Shield, so..........................
San Diego will very likely exercise the purchase option on the Vazquez loan. Olney will be one to watch. He's clearly at a point where playing in Next pro is no longer pushing him forward. His loan to Lexington got terminated early. He's not going to usurp the players ahead of him currently on the first team roster. I could see them moving on. He's talented for sure, and still young, but he's just not in that McGlynn/Sullivan category currently. One to watch when preseason starts in 6-7 weeks would be Sal Olivas. He plays exactly how the Union want their #9's to play. The few chances he got with the senior team this season, he didn't look out of place. He still needs to grow physically to hold up with extended minutes in MLS, but I would not be surprised if he earns more minutes next season as 70-8oth minute sub option in the second half of games. Eddy Davis is another one to watch in preseason as well.
Vazquez to San Diego is confirmed. This is theoretically good for Cavan's playing time, and also good for Vazquez. Varas gave him some minutes when he got there before tapering off. Hopefully with a full off season he start to become an integral piece. I still have faith that Vazquez is too talented on the ball to not play a bunch in MLS. Between Mendez and Jack McGlynn, he's closer to McGlynn in that he's a more well-rounded and tactically adept player. He was totally dominant this year in Next Pro, and deserves some time to integrate in a team without a prodigy breathing down his neck.
Union continue clearing house - Baribo and Glesnes out, the latter creating a clear path to playing time for Pierre.
The Union shopping Glesnes and Baribo too................... Report: Galaxy finalizing deal for Union's Jakob Glesnes Union Reportedly Trading Leading Goal Scorer Tai Baribo - Crossing Broad They do need somebody to play for them. Glesnes leaving can't be bad for Pierre..................... The Union continue being the Union. Sell high and keep grinding.
I think Pierre is kind of at the point where it's now or never with this club. Either he plays a regular role or he's gone a year from now (at the latest). We saw the same thing with Craig. They never really felt comfortable integrating him, so he left earlier than you would've thought. Pierre has been around the first team long enough that he's going to be looking elsewhere if this isn't his season.
Pierre's 18 and he's sufficiently different than Craig, who doesn't have the physical profile that Pierre has. They aren't going to ship him out for peanuts but a loan is certainly possible. And it's just a bit weird to put "Now or Never" on an 18 year old CB. Also, Tanner is going to be gone. So I don't know how much that prior decision making will apply from Philly's side.
The same group that collaborated with Tanner on player development/movement/signings is making the decisions. They have systems and processes in place.
Sure, but at some point, they will replace Tanner. And even if it comes from inside, that person has their own ideas. Tanner was pretty skeptical of youth for a team that has a great academy. No one should be making a forced decision on an 18 year old CB anyway. Virgil van Dyck didn't play real minutes at Groningen until he was 20; there's no rush here.
Huh? How is the guy who ran Salzburg's academy skeptical on youth exactly? One of the main reasons he moved on from Curtin was because their youth wasn't being given enough chances.
I think he wanted to keep winning and was very skeptical of their ability to contribute at the level he wanted. I didn't say he was wrong, but he definitely had a tendency to trust more of his own foreign signings, IMO. I've seen this commentary on Curtain, but I don't buy it. He and Curtain didn't like each other and I think Curtain signed his pink slip when he started campaigning for contracts for his veterans when Tanner didn't want to give them. Curtain forced his hand on a couple of occasions -- namely with Bedoya -- and once there was some level of performance drop, he was gone. Publicly saying your boss is wrong and forcing him into something he didn't want to do gets you fired. It's not like Carnell played the kids more than Curtain. It wasn't about youth chances; it was about the veterans.
Craig was loaned out a few months after turning 19, and at that point it became obvious he wasn’t going to return to the club, both because he didn’t want to and the club didn’t see his role. Pierre turns 19 a few months after next season. That’s why I say it’s now or never. If he doesn’t break into the rotation this season, he’s going to want to leave and they’ll have decided they don’t want to integrate him. Pierre and Craig are different stylistically, yes. Not sure what that has to do with the point we’re discussing. Additionally, I said it’s now or never for him with this club. I didn’t say now or never for his career. To suggest the latter is simply a dishonest portrayal of what I said. It’s quite clear that if he doesn’t break into the rotation this upcoming season he’s going to want to go and they’ll just move onto the next prospect. That’s what happened with Craig, Vazquez, Olney, etc.
If we're discussing what Philadelphia wants to do, stylistically means everything. Pierre has much more potential than Craig, and his athleticism also fits Philly much better. Both are reasons to retain one while letting the other go. And going out on loan is completely different than selling or releasing a player.
Says you. I have never rated Pierre at the level of Craig. Heck, I think Craig’s younger brother is a better prospect than Pierre. If the club thinks so highly of Pierre to a different degree, why has he been unable to get on the field? Did you even watch the one game he played? Can you give me your thoughts on how that went? Besides, as I just put out on twitter it’s expected that Pierre will be loaned this winter to Europe. How is that much different than the deal with Craig? They tried to do exactly the same with him. Tried to launder him abroad. Deal collapsed at the last moment and then they decided to launder him domestically.
I've only watched him with the YNT, but I thought he played well the last time I saw. More importantly, in terms of potential, Craig is slow and 6'1". Pierre isn't a speed demon from what I can tell, but he moves better and is 6'7", which is always going to interest people. It's probably a bit too tall, but he's going to be dominant in the air once he hits his mid-20s in all likelihood. Craig's footspeed is a real issue on a team that defends like Philly does, as well. Why has he been unable to get on the field? He's an 18 year old CB. Pretty simple. Most of the minutes given to young centerbacks are because of need, not excellence. Maybe they will move on from him, maybe they will keep him. I simply don't think it is as simple as "they eventually moved on from Craig therefore he's definitely gone."
Jamir Johnson's homegrown rights were included in the Glesnes deal to LAG. Every time one of the 08 kids leave it breaks my heart. I know its for the best, especially for Jamir, but it would have been cool to see all these kids go from u12 to the top level together. Hope to see him at PSV this summer.
Well, we'll see with Pierre. Chris Richards didn't play a second with the FC Dallas first team. They loaned him out. He was scrawny and gangly and not ready for the first team. He needed more "behind the scenes" seasoning than Dallas could provide. He got that in the reserves in Germany. Pierre might be the same. He's in a little bit of limbo. Beyond MLNP but perhaps not ready to be handed the job in MLS. It could be that a move to Europe and continuing his maturation there might be beneficial. We know Philly likes to "sell high." Maybe now's that time with Pierre. I'm not saying Pierre is Richards. Who knows? I just know I can easily go back and ready what well-known posters were saying about Richards while he was 18. Going to Europe isn't some panacea either. What is going on with Josh Wynder? What is going on with Akinmboni? At some point there needs to be upward movement or you end up being Nico Carrera, Jonathan Tomkinson, and Justin Che. [I just mentioned them as they were all in DFW at the same time. There's a bunch of other defenders we can name. They go to Europe and don't advance.] Typically, Supporter's Shield winners don't blow the thing up. But Philly is going to Philly. After the Vazquez move, Glesnes transfer, and Baribo transfer..................they'd be down to like 21 players under contract. Uhre is out of contract. This is what they do. Sell high and key churning. They've typically gotten these decisions right under Tanner. Brandon Craig is NOT one they sold high on. They declined his option prior to the 2025 season. Right? He's an MLS-caliber player that they let walk away for free. He played 23 MLS games for Montreal this year. That's one you might be able to say they "lost" on. We lauded Montreal for picking up these players like Jalen Neal, Dante Sealy, and Brandon Craig. Young Americans that were marginalized on other rosters. Meanwhile.................Montreal sucked. Philly won the Supporter's Shield. That's the point of the thing. You don't win any trophies for number of minutes given to Homegrown Players or young Americans.
FC Dallas did not have a reserve team until 2019. It's another working part of the the "pipeline to pros" that MLS clubs needed to build. They were a little late to the party. Most of MLS in those years started in 2015 or 2016.
Man Philly has a lot of roster work to do! Birmingham City triggered Kai Wagner's release clause. That's a loss. He was one of the best fullbacks in MLS. Made Best Xi this year, right? Philadelphia Union transfer Kai Wagner to Birmingham City | MLSSoccer.com So they've traded Glesnes. Traded Baribo. Wagner is sold. Uhre is out of contract. Isn't Bedoya out of contract too? There's a lot of impact and leadership amongst those guys. I can't remember a Supporter's Shield winner needing to do this much re-tooling. They did acquire 19 year old Sundstrom. Interesting young player who was nominated for USL Young Player of the Year at North Carolina FC. Do they have a left back in the pipeline to cover for Wagner?? Did Wagner and Glesnes play the most minutes for the club in 2025?
Sundstrom is a great development. Transfers from USL to MLS (or anywhere, really) help fund USL academies and we need that expanded footprint. He was called up to the September U20 camp for 2006s.