Jim Curtain will be taking his Philadelphia Union side on another busy season after their heartbreaking defeat to Los Angeles FC in the 2022 MLS Cup on penalties.
Their season will be full in 2023 with CONCACAF Champions League, MLS, Open Cup and Leagues Cup. With the success this side has had in recent seasons, there will be plenty of expectation his side will go far in each competition, expecting to play more than 50 games this season.
The Union have been famed for their academy development and the players who have come through and been sold on, such as Brendan Aaronson in January 2021 leaving for RB Salzburg and this January his younger brother Paxton has moved across to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Jack McGlynn, Nathaniel Harriel, Quinn Sullivan and more are coming in as young players and have made a big contribution in 2021, but Curtain has identified the need to bring in some more depth with such as busy season ahead.
Philadelphia has highlighted a need to build depth with more experienced players to be able to compete on all fronts after missing out at the final hurdle in MLS Cup last year, and puters are using some of the best no deposit bonuses in the UK to back the Union in the coming season.
In 2021 Mikael Uhre was added as a designated player and Julian Carranza was brought in on loan and the duo formed a formidable front three with Daniel Gazdag that was free scoring throughout the season. Carranza was signed permanently, and more arrivals have since come in to really improve the depth of competition across the roster for 2023.
When Alejandro Bedoya missed some game time through injury in 2022, the lack of experience in their replacements was highlighted. With Bedoya turning 36 this season, it was vital to ensure there was someone brought in alongside the young players to be used in rotation during a busy 2023.
Andrés Perea has arrived from Orlando City after playing 86 times across three seasons for the Florida side scoring four times. At just 22 years old he is a young player with plenty of potential which Philadelphia likes in their recruitment, but also has plenty of MLS experience.
Perea will join a group which is already set in their style of play and brings plenty of energy to the group and flexibility to cover several the roles in the midfield.
Their latest additions look set to be Damion Lowe and Joaquín Torres.
Lowe, a Jamaican central defender played for Inter Miami last season and has 50 caps for his country. He was influential in Inter Miami’s surprise run to the playoffs last season and is a more than capable stand-in when one of Jack Elliott or Jacob Glesnes need to be rested.
The duo were two of the best in the league last season but behind them, there was a really big drop off, with many MLS fans watching games at 2 pounds deposit casinos in the UK noting that the sale of Stuart Findlay also affected them in this area. Curtin was lucky his duo stayed fit all year, but with Lowe, he would have a player who could provide them with rotation options to help avoid injury or burnout this season.
Torres arrives after an ok time at CF Montréal. He didn’t pull up any trees, though is someone you can see thriving in a Philadelphia Union system. The 25-year-old Argentine played 62 times for the Canadian MLS side and recorded just seven goals and nine assists.
He has plenty of pace and skill which Curtin will be able to make good use of in their aggressive, counter-pressing system. Having played on the wing a lot or as one of two players behind the striker in Montreal, it looks like he’d be used as a player to add to the front three in Philadelphia as a disruptive attacker late in games as well as in rotation for others at times.
Along with their young players coming through, Philadelphia is trying to build a roster which can compete all year on multiple fronts. Losing MLS Cup and the Supporters Shield to LAFC hit them hard and they are going into 2023 with something to prove.
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