Also................Alex Freeman says hi. Their interim coach is now Ryan Richter. He was a draft pick of the Union. That's cool. If there's one veteran coach in the MLS pantheon that I trust to work with young players, its Oscar Pareja. Does his coaching style match with what Philly wants to do? I don't know. They just hired a full-time sporting director it seems. Its not Ernst Tanner, obviously. So we'll see if they move away from previous strategies. But if they end up hiring Richie Williams or somebody, I'll be back to say him.
Last thing that team needs is a veteran coach. Accept they aren’t good and try to get back to their identity of a young promising coach from the academy leading young promising players from the academy.
Last night's Philadelphia Union II exhibition against Côte d'Ivoire was a celebration of the beautiful game, the upcoming World Cup, and most importantly, the successes of the Philadelphia Union Academy. 15 of 22 Union II players who participated were either graduates or…— Alex Hayden (@chillxrc) June 9, 2026
I had a chance to chat with Neil Pierre about his loan to Lyngby as he was at Philadelphia Union training (off to the side though with Quinn Sullivan, who is looking good btw).“I think the biggest thing I learned, like, overall, is just, like, kind of learning about myself,… pic.twitter.com/tUg0znHCiR— Jillian All-$$ (@Silly__Jilly) June 17, 2026
Paul Killian has been named Philadelphia Union Academy Director after Jon Scheer became sporting director, announced by the Union today. He was previously Head of Scouting, Academy, and Professional Development. Before the Union, he was an assistant coach at UCLA and associate… pic.twitter.com/0mLqrWaCIu— Jillian All-$$ (@Silly__Jilly) June 18, 2026
I’m hoping the impact he had in his short loan stint gets him some minutes with the Union first team once the seasons resumes. I think Trusty and McKenzie started together around the same age? It’s not like we have anyone good playing CB.
Quinn Sullivan is fully training. The hope is for him to play 10-15 minutes next week in a friendly against DC.— Joe Tansey (@JTansey90) July 9, 2026
Fantastic. Really excited for Philly to have Quinn back and Pierre (who appears to have started in the friendly yesterday, even if that might be because Makhanya was at the WC) involved.
Quinn back, Wagner back, and Pierre back. Excited to see what they can do in the second half. They're 11 points out of playoff contention with 19 to play.
I’d imagine if he’s not starting, then getting minutes off the bench. The new coach seems to really like the II guys he’s coached. I’d imagine Harriel now moves to CB, but Makhanya gets sold in the next couple weeks.
Huh? Do you ever REALLY watch the Union play?? Did you actually watch them play last season? Frankie started on the right, Kai on the left. This isn't difficult to figure out. Plus Frankie is likely going to be sold this time next year. Harriel becomes a utility man, as he can fill in at RB, LB and CB. He's even played some in midfield as well. Possibly. A team just has to meet the Union's asking price. I doubt Rangers or those teams in Belgium sniffing around will meet that price though. One would think that $5M plus a decent sell on percentage will get it done.
Yes, I do all the time. I'm aware they can play together. I'm also aware that coaches have their own preferences and that Harriel gets more time than I'd like. Lots of coaches don't want two attacking fullbacks. And hey, I was right about Carnell and his leanings and preferences. I don't know the new guy; hopefully he won't be that way. I know he's an academy guy but most inexperienced coaches go running to a defensive set the first time they give up a few goals.
The Wagner signing is out of the blue. From the article I read, it seemed like his family wanted to return to Philadelphia. That's a multi-year upgrade. They'll figure out Westfield, Harriel, and company. You need a bunch of guys to get thru an MLS season. If I'm Philly, I haven't given up on the playoffs yet............................... Soon, but not yet.
Philadelphia Union Sporting Director Jon Scheer spoke to the media today on things such as Kai Wagner’s return, the direction of the team, and more.FYI, Olwethu Makhanya is currently still away from the team for personal reasons. #DOOP pic.twitter.com/eg9F8DnFSs— Jillian All-$$ (@Silly__Jilly) July 18, 2026
Wagner back... Westfield back to RB where he belongs... Quinn coming back... his brother coming into his own... Reason for hope for sure. And if Pierre can fill one of the black holes they have had at the CB position this season then this could become a must-watch team again for US/MLS fans like me.
Philly vs NY was the game I was looking forward to all year. Breaking my Union attendance boycott for this one.
Would be nice if they start him against Red Bull along with Cavan so we can get a fun game along with all the Red Bull guys.
I’m probably not your typical fan but I’d watch way more MLS games than I do if there were more games like this. And I’d be way more interested in my local team DC United and attend more than the occasional game if they were doing what Red Bull are doing with the young guys.
I don't honestly think the USMNT crossover pull for fans is nearly as big as USMNT fans seem to think, but "young, exciting players" is a common marketing angle in any sport. The problem with soccer, of course, is that those players leave fairly quickly. That's the challenge. DC United is incredibly poorly run, period, but whereas in baseball, you get a Mike Trout at 19, you can center everything around him. But if Cavan plays well this second half, he's gone by January or at the latest, July. For the fan who isn't a USMNT fan first and foremost, that kind of revolving door sucks. As someone who's B team in baseball was the A's, so many of my friends here just were exhausted of the constantly changing roster even if the team actually got good again. It's simply hard to re-do the attachment. And as my friend once said, he's getting sick and tired of his young son crying because the As traded away another favorite player.