Philadelphia Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner took to the podium inside Subaru Park to reflect on the club’s 2020 Supporters’ Shield-winning season and lay out where he sees the club headed for the 2021 season. Even with 25 players currently under contract, Tanner let Union fans know that there will be some fresh faces added to what promises to be a strong side.
“We will do something, you can be sure,” Tanner said with a smile. “We will do something in every part of the roster. There is more to come.”
The key position that Tanner and Head Coach Jim Curtin was the No. 10 spot homegrown Brenden Aaronson leaves behind as he heads to FC Red Bull Salzburg. The Best XI midfielder led the team with seven assists and added four goals in his second season with the first team. Tanner assured fans that another player will be brought in to compete with homegrowns Anthony Fontana and Paxten Aaronson, Brenden’s younger brother.
“We might not forget that Paxten is one year younger than Brenden when he stepped in so we’re probably going to bring in a No. 10,” Tanner said. “At the same time Anthony [Fontana] can do various jobs as well. We used him as a No. 8, a No. 10 and he can play as a second striker. He really stepped up and he will get his chance.”
Aaronson’s multi-million-dollar transfer fee, when added to additional performance-based bonuses, could add up to the highest ever transfer free for a U.S.-based homegrown player. When that deal was done, Tanner and Technical Director Chris Albright immediately got to work looking for ways to improve the club.
“You can assume that we were not sleeping the last couple of months since we know that Brenden is going overseas,” Tanner said. “We have a few candidates and we have priorities but you know with a transfer it’s not that easy. There are at least three parties who have to agree and to bring everyone together is not that easy.”
Aaronson is moving overseas, but the club also parted ways with Warren Creavalle, Michee Ngalina and Andrew Wooten by declining their contract options. Tanner commented on the rumors that even more players could join Aaronson in making a move to Europe, noting that “at this moment there is nothing on the table,” but he said the staff is monitoring the open market in case options present themselves that appeal to all sides.
“We want to keep our group together as good as possible in order to be as competitive in the next season,” Tanner said. “Of course we need to work in terms of the competitiveness as it’s always harder to stay up top than to reach the top but we will certainly do our best.”
While the Boys in Blue lifted hardware at Subaru Park, 2021 will see even more possibilities for glory with an appearance in the Concacaf Champions League for the first time in team history. The celebrations to close the 2020 regular season will be engrained in everyone’s memory for a lifetime, but the chase for next year’s Supporters Shield, MLS Cup and more is already underway.
