CHESTER — It would be uncharitable to suggest that the Philadelphia Union didn’t upgrade its attack this offseason. Perhaps the more accurate characterization would be in trading certainty for potential.
The Union traded Tai Baribo, who was entering the final year of his contract, to D.C. United for a haul of cash, plus a new contract for Baribo that far exceeded what the Union were ever going to pay him.
Mikael Uhre was allowed to walk at age 31, as was Chris Donovan, both at the end of their contracts. Both players have found their levels: Uhre back in his native Denmark; Donovan in the USL Championship.
In Uhre and Baribo, gone are 22 goals and nine assists from the team that finished 11th in MLS in goals scored last year at 57. They’ve been replaced by Ezekiel Alladoh, acquired for $4.5 million and who, at age 20, can’t be expected to make up the production of those other two.
In general, the Union have cashed in certainty for massive upside, and not just from Alladoh. And they’re trying not just to replace the goal scoring but also the two principal chance-creators from last year, with Kai Wagner going to England and Quinn Sullivan out long-term with his ACL tear.
Coach Bradley Carnell is very high on the potential of Alladoh, who stands 6-3 with speed and power. He’s gone in the last 18 months from a club in his native Ghana to renowned Swedish developmental club IF Brommapojkarna to the Union.
He’ll step into the starting spot next to Bruno Damiani, signed in early 2025 for the previous club-record fee, fairly seamlessly, at least to start.
“Explosive, strong. I think he can do a bit of both,” Carnell said Friday at a season-opening press conference. “I think he can be crucial in our hold-up play. I think he can be a real key weapon running in behind with his explosivity and his power. He’s very agile for a big guy, very athletic, and all the attributes that we think that we can get him sharp, fit, healthy and succeed in our environment.”
The Union in 2025 established a set striking rotation, with three starting options for the 4-2-2-2 system meaning one starting-caliber forward was always waiting on the bench.
This year, they project to have two starters. The reserve minutes of Uhre and Donovan will be chopped up among a group of talent Homegrown forwards that include Sal Olivas and Eddy Davis, both of whom debuted last year.
Union II players Stas Korzeniowski and 16-year-old Milan Jakupovic are candidates to be elevated to first-team deals, co-leading scorers for Union II last year.
Davis got one appearances for two minutes with the first team and scored five goals and five assists in 1,587 minutes for Union II.
Olivas logged 45 minutes over three substitute appearances, his pressure helping lead to a Uhre goal against Colorado. For Union II, he scored five goals and two assists in 1,351 minutes.
There’s also Markus Anderson, signed before the 2024 season but something of a forgotten man in the rotation.
He repaid the Union’s faith with the winner against Charlotte, then got a start two games later against Columbus. But he couldn’t sustain a place in the lineup, tallying 98 minutes, all in June. For Union II, he was steady, with six goals and three assists in 1,361 minutes.
The roster is constructed as to require one of those three to take a step in 2026.
“Principles, details, and that’s just not on game day,” Carnell said of what he needs to see from that group. “I think it’s the training environment, whether it’s with Ryan Richter at Union II, or whether it’s within our environment, especially now in preseason. Just an overall commitment to the details and the principles.
“Every one of those players possess exclusive qualities that fit in our game model.
And how that all comes together, timing is a big one: When is the right time, and players take opportunities at certain moments. But the door is open for those guys.”
The midfield configuration is slightly trickier.
The Union have, in the last year, parted ways with creative players like Jack McGlynn and David Vazquez whose defensive abilities don’t fit Carnell’s game model. Indiana Vassilev, an industrious worker, has been a great fit for the position.
But Carnell started Nate Harriel, a capital-D defender, at the No. 10 once last year.
Low on numbers in the postseason, Frankie Westfield was in the No. 10 spot in key moments against New York City FC. The result was several key chances gone begging and a season-ending shutout at home.
Carnell seems to regard that position as less a creator than a worker. That fits the Union ethos of the counterpress as the main chance creator, rooted in the club’s desire to circumvent the economic soccer logic of paying a premium for creative string-pullers.
There are two wild cards in the matter, not including the injury rehab of Sullivan.
The first is Milan Iloski He excelled last year as both a No. 10 and as a forward. He can affect the game working off the ball or with the ball at his feet and running at a defense.
To start the season, he’s both the Union’s best No. 10 and its third-best forward, assuming that Alladoh looks the part. So will Iloski not get a look up top until Sullivan is back sometime in the summer? Not necessarily, but he’ll start in the No. 10.
“We will have a plan for Milan,” Carnell said.
But we also have to make sure we get a baseline and a fitness, so for the first two, three games, we’ll probably be using him in the 10 spot.
And then depending on, we might be two weeks further more knowledgeable in what pieces could be coming in potentially, whether it’s a 10, whether it’s a striker, just to see what the market is, and some of our depth chart availability, where that’s at.”
The other perennial wild card is Cavan Sullivan. He logged 440 minutes in all competitions last year, with three starts and 16 appearances. He’s still just 16 and won’t turn 17 until September.
Carnell’s focus with Sullivan in particular is about year-on-year improvement, in minutes and measurables but also in the player’s development. If there’s a temptation to elevate him quickly, with the clock ticking before his transfer to Manchester City kicks in when he turns 18, Carnell isn’t hinting at it.
Instead, the emphasis for now is on deepening the squad, knowing that the Union may have to play more than last year’s 42 games.
“With our game schedule, the calendar, I think everybody across the board will be able to get minutes,” Carnell said. “We’re going to be doubly strong in each position, and it starts off very, very soon.”