”You just ripped the heart out of your squad. And your fan base.” 

– Martin Longman, Union fan, on the Union web site

“Horrible day, horrible decision. All the guy did was give his heart, soul and sweat to this team for two years and this is how you repay him. Good luck Seba, I hope you have a career season this year and show these fools what they’ve given up.”

– Dan Coleman, Union fan, on the Union web site

““I wanted to stay in Philly. I didn’t care about the money.”

– Sebastien Le Toux, to the Delaware County Times in a must-read interview

This should have been unthinkable.

This should have been where common sense kicked in.

It should have been where the regard for Philadelphia Union fans and players kicked in.

But it didn’t. After all, Peter Nowak was involved.

“Feelings are not really included in my job description,” the Union manager said today during a press conference.

So Sebastien Le Toux is gone.

Sport is a business, as we all know. Union fans and players saw that play out during the Michael Orozco-Fiscal fiasco last year. And we knew, to a degree, that could impact the Le Toux situation. I even wrote about it last week in a post titled “Buy low, sell high: The Sebastien Le Toux story“, in which I explained the merits of a Le Toux sale. But we all thought it was Bolton and the dream of top-flight European soccer.

Little did we know.

Union fans are furious, and rightly so. A Le Toux move to Bolton was one thing: A chance for a player to ascend to a higher level after giving so much to fans for two years. People understood the business side, but it’s clear most felt the move was only justifiable if Le Toux wanted to go. Le Toux went on trial but left Bolton early, choosing to stay in Philadelphia.

Instead, he’s off to Vancouver of all places, sold for an undisclosed fee kept secret due to a dubious league policy, obscuring the deal’s true value. Don’t buy the spin that Le Toux’s sale financed the Roger Torres transfer. It might be more accurate to say it financed the acquisition of Le Toux’s replacement, Josue Martinez (and possibly Lionard Pajoy), filling the budget hole the Martinez purchase left. Le Toux was never meant to return.

Le Toux: “Peter Nowak doesn’t really want me in his team”

Nowak rightly points out the need to avoid losing Le Toux on free transfer after Le Toux’s contract expires in December. MLS has had that happen too often, with players like Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Jonathan Bornstein and others moving abroad for no transfer fees. The Union needed to get something for him or keep him.

But was it really all that implausible that the Union could resign him? Le Toux makes $179,000 a year. The Designated Player rule would have allowed the Union to resign him, but the league would have picked up a sizable chunk of the approximately $400,000 salary Le Toux proposed.

Le Toux said Nowak simply didn’t want him on the team, and when Le Toux learned of the trade, it hit him hard.

“I was sad in the beginning,” Le Toux told Whitecaps FC Daily, a radio show on 1410 AM in Vancouver.* “I got two good years here. But after the fact that, you know, the coach of Philadelphia, Peter Nowak, doesn’t really want me in his team, and the Whitecaps, you know, want me more and really believe in me and want me — want me there — is great.”

Le Toux said he first heard of the possible trade the same way most people did: He read it on Twitter. “A lot of people were talking and just asking questions that I have no clue (about). So I just found out this morning when I was on my way to practice.”

The person to tell him wasn’t his manager. Nowak’s No. 2 man picked up the dirty work, as usual. “Coach John Hackworth just called me in, told me that, you know, I was traded to Vancouver,” Le Toux said.

(*Ed. note: Le Toux’s radio interview begins at the 30-minute mark.) 

Le Toux’s value to fans

Philadelphia’s a tough town. Its fans are notoriously brutal. And Le Toux is French. Americans love to hate the French.

Le Toux took Philadelphia like perhaps no other athlete in recent history. He was the face, engine, heart and soul of the Union. He was responsible for most of the goals, and he is almost universally loved by Union fans. In just two years, he became the Union’s version of Rocky, a guy who achieved far beyond his natural talents due to hard work, hustle, and never giving up. He symbolized everything Philadelphia fans wanted a team to be, in any sport. If he wasn’t a Philly sports icon yet, he was well on his way.

For a two-year-old franchise trying to crack into a saturated pro sports market, that matters. The new car smell doesn’t last forever. A club needs popular players fans can relate to and, quite frankly, love the way they love Le Toux. They also need players who love this area back the way Le Toux does.

Sure, some fans root for the team and say they will follow the team regardless of who wears the jersey. But is that all spectator sports are, simply rooting for a shirt? Or do you care about who’s actually wearing it? Do you celebrate with the shirt, or do you celebrate with the player? Is the player just an automaton who maneuvers the uniform across a pitch for your enjoyment, or is he a human being?

In MLS, where guys like Sheanon Williams and Kyle Nakazawa barely make enough money to raise a family if they choose to, fans build ties with players like in no other sport — or at least they do in Philadelphia. There’s a connection between Union players and fans that is rare and organic, spawned by creative, passionate outreach by the Sons of Ben and other fans and the presence of good, personable guys on the team. Le Toux was known for staying late after games to sign autographs and generally being an eminently approachable, normal, nice guy who played his heart out every game, whether he was marginalized positionally by the misguided Carlos Ruiz signing or scoring goals by the boatload.

Now Nowak has callously discarded him like trash tossed to the curb, without even the decency to man up and tell him face to face. (Sounds a lot like how Danny Califf learned he lost the captain’s armband, doesn’t it?) It’s an insult of massive proportions both to Union fans and players.

Yes, that’s how big-time professional sports sometimes work, but MLS isn’t big-time yet. Around the league, clubs like Seattle and Portland have shown it’s not only possible but also a successful business practice to be open and respectful to your fans and players while still recognizing that, yes, sometimes players need to move on. On the flip side, clubs like Toronto FC have shown that, even if you have a waiting list for season tickets, you can still find yourself with empty seats once the new car smell wears off and the fans decide they hate management more than they love the players.

Nowak may say he’s building a Union roster for the future. Union management should ask themselves whether it’s worth the good will he’s destroying in the process.

NOTE: If you haven’t read Le Toux’s interview with the Delco Times’ Chris Vito, then you should. It’s an absolute must-read.

Philadelphia Union and Faryd Mondragon confirmed Monday that the veteran goalkeeper will leave to sign with Colombian club Deportivo Cali.

Mondragon, 40, will return to his hometown to play for the team he made his professional debut for more than 20 years ago.

“For family reasons, I have requested the club to allow me the opportunity to finish my career where it started,” Mondragon said in a statement released Monday afternoon by the Union.

Mondragon and the Union did not elaborate on the family reasons, but the Union made clear they did not want to stand in his way.

“We understand that family is important above all else and we decided that it was of the utmost importance to grant him his request of finishing his career with his childhood club,” Union manager Peter Nowak said in the Union statement.

The joint announcement follows a sudden flurry of news reports that emerged out of Colombia — but seemingly out of nowhere — over the weekend. Until then, there had been little hint in the U.S. that Mondragon might leave the club. As recently as Sunday afternoon, a Union official told PSP there had been no discussion of Mondragon leaving the Union. But then Nuevo Estadio, a Colombian publication, quoted Mondragon discussing the move Sunday night, and around 10 p.m. that night, the Union informed local media they were closing Monday’s practice to the media after initially planning to have it open.

Mondragon’s departure leaves second-year man Zac MacMath as the only goalkeeper on the roster, and the 20-year-old is expected to miss time this summer if he makes the U.S. Olympic team. The Union have not yet identified any trialists under consideration in training camp, so it’s unclear yet who prospective replacements for Mondragon may be.

Mondragon played one season for the Union after a career that included stints in Colombia, Argentina, Turkey and Germany and 50 caps for the Colombian national team. He was the highest paid goalkeeper in Major League Soccer last year, and while he helped transform the Union from one of the league’s worst defenses to one of its best, he still produced the league’s worst save rate among goalkeepers appearing in at least eight games. After he missed time with an injury in September, MacMath replaced him and went unbeaten in seven starts.

Still, Mondragon’s impact upon the club was clear, and he became a fan favorite for his active play in the box and his connection with fans. Nowak named him team captain before the first match, and he wore the captain’s armband in every game he played.

“I am extremely thankful with our fans, especially Sons of Ben, the best fans in MLS, our ownership, technical staff, my teammates and everyone in the city of Philadelphia who always made me feel at home and made the 2011 season one I will never forget,” Mondragon said. “I look forward to coming back to PPL Park as an avid fan and part of the Union family. I wish the club continued success.”

(PSP may update this post as more information becomes available.)

(UPDATE: Several hours after this post went live, another Colombian report quoted Mondragon as saying he would be moving to Cali. Mondragon could not be reached by PSP for comment. The Union subsequently closed the Monday training session to the media, after it had initially been open.)

Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon remains a Union player.

A Union official confirmed Sunday that Mondragon was in camp with the Union and said the club has not talked with Deportivo Cali, despite Colombian reports that Mondragon could initiate a move to his hometown club, Deportivo Cali.

Mondragon, who broke into the pros with Deportivo Cali more than 21 years ago, has said previously he would like to stay with the Union this year and possibly retire in Philadelphia.

The Colombian reports renewed questions about Mondragon’s tenure with the club, which first arose in September after he missed several weeks due to injury. Rookie goalkeeper Zac MacMath replaced Mondragon and played well in his absence, going undefeated in seven starts and posting a better save percentage (64 percent) than Mondragon (62.39). Until his injury, Mondragon had been credited as a crucial part of the a defensive turnaround on a team that lacked confidence defensively after giving up the second most goals in the league in 2010, and Mondragon helped change, along with the additions of Carlos Valdes and Sheanon Williams.

A postseason analysis showed Mondragon had the league’s lowest save rate among goalkeepers with at least eight appearances, but at nearly $400,000, he had the highest salary of all MLS goalkeepers. While he still seemed as smart a goalkeeper as any in the league, his shot-stopping proved a question mark at times late in the season.

But does that mean the Union will let him go?

Commentary: The pros and cons of a Mondragon departure

A Mondragon departure could free up a big chunk of salary to finance acquisition of two quality MLS players, or even a designated player.

MacMath was always viewed as the goalkeeper of the future after the Union spent their first round draft pick on him in 2011, but with Mondragon around, few expected that future to be now. After Seitz proved not ready for prime time, the idea was clearly to bring in an experienced veteran to hold the job for maybe two years and mentor MacMath while he prepared for the starting role. His good play thus far doesn’t change the fact that MacMath is just 20 years old at a position where players often peak developmentally in their early 30s.

Even if MacMath proves able to step in as a regular starter this year, the Union would have big holes to fill.

MacMath appears a near-lock for the U.S. Olympic team this summer, meaning the Union will be without him for several games. If Mondragon departs, the Union would need another goalkeeper capable of starting important mid-season matches. While they likely have another goalkeeper or two set for trials in training camp, it’s a long shot that someone competing to be a third-string goalie will be someone the Union want starting several key summer games. Should the Union choose to let Mondragon go this late in the winter transfer period, they may not find a quality backup goalkeeper available until the summer transfer market opens.

Then there’s this simple fact: Mondragon is still a good player and a terrific model for a young goalkeeper like MacMath.

Has Mondragon lost a step? Probably.

But the Union captain has been a good team leader and ambassador on and off the field. Whatever he’s lost in quickness, he appears to largely make up for with smarts and intangibles. Sure, the numbers show one thing, but don’t forget the Union are still just a third-year team establishing a team culture both in the locker room and with their fan base. In that, veterans like Mondragon are key.

Should Mondragon leave, the Union will lose something they may find difficult to replace.

Philadelphia Union got the MLS All-Star game for PPL Park.

So why aren’t you excited?

Why was there a collective yawn in response to Tuesday’s announcement when there could have been rapturous joy?

Was it because word had leaked out early and killed the surprise factor?

Or was it because you think the All-Star game doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things?

Have you gotten so wound up about the Sebastien Le Toux situation that other soccer news pales in comparison to word on his fate?

Are you skeptical MLS will get a good opponent after two years of Manchester United? Even worse, are you jaded after two straight blowouts by United?

Do you prefer a different format than the current MLS All-Stars versus European club model? Did Simon Borg’s killer suggestion of playing the Mexican league’s all-stars grab your attention? Or would you like the American MLS all-stars to play the foreign MLS all-stars?

Did you scratch your head about the July 25 date because the men’s Olympic soccer tournament starts the next day, which will keep some MLS stars (cough, Beckham) out of the game? Or did you grudgingly concede there was no way to avoid that with a July match?

Maybe your problem was where they made the announcement: Philadelphia city hall. Did that strike you as a slap in the face to Chester, where the game and many supporting events are likely to occur?

Or did you worry about the national spotlight shining down on the struggling former industrial city that has a beautiful soccer stadium and casino but not a single supermarket?

Did you hear the chatter about PPL being the smallest stadium to ever host the game? Do you wish they’d waited until after PPL’s eventual expansion to 25,000?

Is it that you’d rather hook up with Berta from Two and a Half Men than hear the latest sycophantic ode to the Sons of Ben while the national media don’t realize the Union have other fans and supporter groups too?

Or is it none of that?

Are you sneaky-quiet-excited after all?

Is it simply that there isn’t  much to say about the All-Star game besides a quiet “good for the Union,” and then you move along and look into getting tickets?

Maybe it’s just so obvious what’s good about this that you didn’t have much to say. You know it’s another pay day at the gate for the Union, which is good on the revenue side. It’s another spot in the national spotlight for soccer in the Philadelphia area, which is always good.

Perhaps you always knew it was just a matter of time before the Union hosted the All-Star game, because the Union are a well-run club and PPL Park is just that great a place to watch soccer. This was a given, sooner or later. It was no surprise.

Sometimes things are just that simple.

Or are they not?

The U.S. women’s national team won 14-0 over the Dominican Republic on Friday. Yes, the women’s soccer team won by that score. Amy Rodriguez scored five goals.

At halftime, Abby Wambach told her teammates to keep scoring in the Olympic qualifier, despite being up 7-0, because goal differential can impact Olympic qualifying qualifying. (SI.com examined the team’s qualifying prospects before the game.) Coach Pia Sundhage apparently had no problems with that. Unreal.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Final previews on today’s USMNT match vs. Venezuela, which starts at 9 p.m. EST:

• MLSSoccer.com - focus on Jurgen Klinsmann
• Soccer America - focus on Geoff Cameron

Wambach and Clint Dempsey were named women’s and men’s U.S. soccer players of the year, respectively. Sidney LeRoux and Brek Shea were named young players of the year for the women’s and men’s sides.

The Union web site has a feature on Tom Brandt, a Pennsylvania native who played at Penn before getting drafted by the Union.

D.C. United picked up midfielder Danny Cruz in a trade from Houston. Cruz played well against the Union last season, but Houston left him unprotected in the expansion draft and now traded with him.

In other D.C. news, former United midfielder Santino Quaranta won’t be retiring after all. He’s going to play in India’s new soccer league, which apparently is paying some big money for big names like Fabio Cannavaro. “With the money they’ve got in this league, a lot of guys are unretiring,” Quaranta told the Washington Post.

The Red Bulls’ Carl Robinson has ended his playing days to take a position on Vancouver’s coaching staff.

Steve Zakuani is back in training for Seattle after last year’s horrid leg injury.

Didier Drogba says he plans to play out his Chelsea contract, which ends in June. That’s potentially big news for MLS, because it means he could move to the LA Galaxy or another team on free transfer.

Finally, a player in Norway’s league scored on a header from midfield. Check out the video.

So if Philadelphia Union was ever going to sell Sebastien Le Toux, now’s the time.

At 28, Le Toux is in his prime. He may never be worth more than he is right now.

Bolton has never needed to buy good players for bargain prices more than right now, as they desperately try to avoid a relegation that could devastate the club financially.

Enter MLS.

Most top MLS players are undervalued on the international transfer market. Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Thierry Henry and maybe Robbie Keane might be the exceptions. Otherwise, you’ll find bargains, if you’re an EPL team that scouts well and gets past the anti-American soccer bias. Owen Coyle’s first flyer on an MLS player panned out brilliantly when Stuart Holden was one of the EPL’s best midfielders last year, so it’s logical he’d try others when he needs an affordable and immediate talent upgrade at multiple positions.

If Le Toux goes to Bolton, he’ll probably fetch no more than $2 million.

Bolton is likely playing by the same business rules, betting the $7 million price for Gary Cahill is a peak price in a depressed market that will enable Bolton to buy Le Toux at a bargain rate (compared to Europe-based counterparts), along with New York defender Tim Ream for $4 million and one or two other underpriced players.

The Union could do the same at their level. No, Philadelphia won’t keep the entire transfer fee, with part going to league coffers as per MLS rules, but the club would likely keep enough to finance acquisition of new players and overall reinvestment in a club that wants a bigger stadium and firmer long-term financial foundation. If you sell a product at its peak price, you can reinvest to buy something that will eventually be worth far more than you buy it for.

Considering Union manager Peter Nowak is on record saying his team isn’t championship caliber yet, it could make sense. Basically, Nowak is trying to build a team that can win three league titles in a row beginning around 2014. That means locking in a nucleus that will play together long enough to do that. If you’re betting on the standard European soccer player development-and-decline arc, then Le Toux begins declining in two to three years. (I’m not betting on that, by the way, but the theory is widely accepted. More on this another time.) He’s part of the present, but he’s not part of the future, under that mindset.

A Le Toux move would still be like a kidney punch. He’s the face of the franchise, undoubtedly the most beloved Union player, and already one of the most popular athletes in Philadelphia. But he has so endeared himself to Union fans with his hard work, classy behavior, and terrific play that very few would begrudge him the chance to play in the world’s best league.

Loans and trends

If Le Toux goes on loan to Bolton, as opposed to a transfer, it’s still a bargain that’s part of a new and larger trend that began with Stuart Holden and Landon Donovan.

Holden and Donovan weren’t the first American players to find success in a top European league, but they may be the first to go immediately from being impact MLS players to impact EPL players (i.e. top 3-5 players on their team). Successful loans of Thierry Henry and Robbie Keane should help cement the concept.

Their successes show the talent gap between MLS and the EPL is smaller than most believe. No, MLS isn’t on par with these leagues, but if a few top MLS players can make the leap and contribute right away at a level comparable to their MLS performance, who’s to say others can’t?

That could project not only onto Le Toux and Ream, but also someone like Michael Farfan, whose appearance at Sunderland stunned many. But you watched Farfan this year. You saw his sick goal against Real Madrid. You saw that creativity in his play that’s so rare for American players. If not for the inherent view that MLS is inferior to European leagues, wouldn’t you think his performance would have turned some heads in bigger leagues?

So what happens when the inherent bias against MLS disappears, thanks to players like Holden, Donovan, and (more indirectly) Clint Dempsey? Suddenly, a far-sighted European manager can have confidence that top MLS players can immediately make it in their league. If you recognize this before your competitors, you can find a legitimate player at a cut-rate price, before the market value of those MLS players goes up. David Moyes saw it years ago when he started acquiring players from non-traditional soccer countries, like Tim Cahill (Australia), Steven Pienaar (South Africa) and Tim Howard (U.S.). Owen Coyle sees it too.

The winter loans of Donovan and David Beckham have shown European clubs that getting a top player during a crowded January-February schedule can save their bacon when they lose players to tournaments (African Cup of Nations), injury, and fatigue. Le Toux may not star in the EPL, but if he’s a solid contributor for six to eight weeks while on loan, Bolton would benefit disproportionally to what they spend. The Omar Gonzalez disaster aside, MLS clubs financially benefit when players go on loan, have their wages picked up, and raise the eventual transfer price, thanks to the shop window.

So would it surprise if Farfan’s training stint at Sunderland turns into a loan? Not in the slightest. Like Le Toux, he’s cheap, he’s good, and he might be able to replicate his MLS performance in the EPL right away.

So why did all these Union personnel moves happen Wednesday?

In one day, the Union cut four players, announced the retirement of Veljko Paunovic, and saw word break on Le Toux’s imminent move to England. Think that was a coincidence? If so, I have a bridge to sell you.

Here’s why Wednesday was the big day.

1. The Union clearly delayed announcing the moves on Paunovic, Joe Tait, Morgan Langley, Levi Houapeu and Ryan Richter until after the supplemental draft. Once again, Nowak takes a page out of Bill Belichick’s book. You don’t want other teams to know what your needs are on draft day. If you hide your losses, you hide what you need to replace, which gives you an advantage against other teams trying to project your picks and game-plan their own in the draft.
2. Once you add rookies in the drafts, you can gauge whether to cut your current end-of-the-bench players. In Richter’s case, the drafting of fullback Raymon Gaddis made him expendable, as Nowak clearly viewed Richter as another positional experiment and not an attacker, which he was in college.
3. D.C. United held its first training session on Wednesday, with Houapeu and Richter on trial there. It’s a bit hard (and unnecessary) to keep it quiet after that.
4. The Union open camp on Wednesday, Jan. 25. Time to set the roster.

The Union probably didn’t plan for news of Le Toux’s potential move to leak out, so that may be the one part that is coincidence. The rest? Not likely.

(For a look at the Union’s striker situation, sans Le Toux, check out Eli’s post today.)

The Independence then took UC-Irvine defender CoCo Goodson and Florida State defender Toni Pressley in the second round, Santa Clara goalkeeper Bianca Henninger and Portland forward Danielle Foxhoven in the third, and Maryland forward Jasmyne Spencer in the fourth round.

Here’s coverage from:

• The Inquirer
• All White Kit
• ESPN.com
• Philly Soccer News

All White Kit has the best coverage, with a pick by pick analysis of the draft, so check there for the most detailed look.

On the men’s side of the ledger, the Union web site has in-depth features on newly drafted right back Raymon Gaddis and center midfielder Greg Jordan.

Brian Ching finally has something more to say about the whole Montreal fiasco. “I see it as a cat and mouse game that I’m caught in the middle of,” Ching told MLSSoccer.com. Good interview, worth checking out.

No trades in MLS after the draft either. Disappointing. Nothing to link to there. So on to other things.

Jermaine Jones is suspended for eight weeks, so he’s going to spend some of it in Camp Cupcake with the U.S. National Team.

Zonal Marking has an interesting look at Freddy Adu’s potential future club, Rayo Vallecano, laying out how the Spanish side intercepts more passes than any club in the top European leagues.

Darron Gibson decided he finally wants to play soccer, so he’s moving to Everton on a transfer from Manchester United. Apparently, Wayne Rooney sold him on the move there.

Alexandre Pato became the latest big name to turn down Paris St. Germain.

Former Chelsea coach Avram Grant will coach in Belgrade, of all places.

Could Sepp Blatter get forced out of FIFA leadership this year? One can hope.

There’s an interesting debate in German soccer about how young is too young for players to be treated like professionals.

U.S. international Brad Guzan may have won the starting goalkeeper job at Aston Villa, at the expense of the injured Shay Given.

Here’s a shocker: Brazil may not finish the stadiums in time for the 2014 World Cup. 

Here’s a funny piece on Manchester United and how one player’s head is too firmly fixed up his rear.

This one’s for you, Adam.

Be patient, wait for other teams to screw up, and draft the best player available. When in doubt late, take a guy who played for Reading United.

The Union did it again this year, so let’s talk about it with the proverbial Five Observations about … the draft.

The steal of the draft?

Last year, it was Michael Farfan. This year, it might be Chandler Hoffman.

Some projected Hoffman as a top three pick.  Others had him much lower, but they were in the minority. He was an 18-goal scorer in 2011. Few expected him to be on the board for the Union’s pick. The Union certainly didn’t. But there he was. And with the top center backs already taken, Hoffman was almost a no-brainer for the Union. (Playmaker Enzo Martinez might have tempted, but if Roger Torres and Freddy Adu return, he’d have been excess.)

In terms of value for a pick, the Union got a potential top-five player with the 13th pick. That makes it a great draft choice.

Unless everyone else knows something the Union don’t — and that’s unlikely. The Union brass has proved terrific at identifying talented young players, maybe the best in the league. Michael Farfan showed that, as have Sheanon Williams, Amobi Okugo,  Danny Mwanga and others. (Remember: Mwanga wasn’t viewed as the probable top draft choice until Peter Nowak brought his name into the mix.) John Hackworth is one of the league’s most valuable assistant coaches partially because of this.

The question is whether Hoffman will get to play. He’s now the fourth Union striker under the age of 22, and you’d like to see all get some minutes in 2012. When and where will they all play? (Right now, Union fans should be praying Sebastien Le Toux doesn’t get moved out to right wing again.) The scouting report on Hoffman is that he may have a better nose for the goal than any other player in the draft, but some say he’s more of a goal poacher than anything else. If so, that sounds an awful lot like Jack McInerney, doesn’t it?

The Reading connection

When in doubt with your last pick, take a guy who played for Reading United.

That seems to be the Union strategy the last two years (with midfielder Levi Houapeu going last year) although whether there was any doubt in either case I couldn’t tell you.

Right back Raymon Gaddis is an oddity the Union have never actually had on their roster: Someone acquired to be a backup fullback. He’s someone they’ve seen plenty of, both in his time playing for Reading United and through Hackworth’s scouting of the youth international pool prior to his Union days. (That put them a step on everyone else in the league, because Gaddis didn’t play at the scouting combine.) The word on him is that he’s fast, and he plays right back. That’s a good thing, because Sheanon Williams appears to be a lock for the Olympic team, which means he’ll miss several games. Rather than having to shuffle the entire lineup, the Union can now slot in a backup defender who actually plays the position he’s filling. Quite revolutionary, isn’t it?

Center back depth still lacking

The one thing the Union didn’t do was take a center back. It’s hard to fault them for that choice, considering the top two center backs were off the board, including the one (Matt Hedges) most likely to fall to them. In the MLS SuperDraft, which is anything but super as far as drafts go, you take the best player available, regardless of position.

That means the Union could (and probably should) look to sign another central defender before opening day.

Englishman Joe Tait is still on the roster, but he has yet to feature for the club, so he’s an unproven variable. Other than Tait, there’s no natural center back to step into the lineup if Danny Califf or Carlos Valdes go down with injury or suspension. Of course, there is the option of players moving out of position. Williams featured at center back once last year, but the Union would prefer him on the flank. Amobi Okugo has played some center back at the youth international level, but never in the pros.

This was a hole last season, and the Union got away with it. They’ll have less leeway this year, because they could lose as many as five players to the Olympics, far more than any other team.

Just one trade on draft day?

I delayed this post several hours to wait for the post-draft trades to shake out. Sure enough, there weren’t any. That was a stunner. This was the first MLS SuperDraft without a single trade.

That said, the one trade that happened before the draft was a big one. Kenny Cooper may have struggled some in Portland (and in Europe), but he could prove a good compliment to Thierry Henry with New York. Last season, Luke Rodgers proved the perfect partner to Henry, and when he was healthy, his good positioning and hold-up play let Henry be Henry. Now, Rodgers may not return due to visa issues, which means Cooper could fill the space. When Cooper was with  Dallas, don’t forget how good the big guy was.

Look for more trades to be announced Friday. Speculation had Brian Ching on the move, but let’s be honest: Jesse Marsch and Joey Saputo are playing a game of chicken right now with Houston, waiting to see who blinks first on Quebec native Andre Hainault. (Thought: Is all the Brian Ching drama worth Andre Hainault? He’s good, but he’s not THAT good.)

A Reading guy goes No. 1

You didn’t think we were going to forget this, did you?

Stick another feather in Reading United’s cap. Last year, the MLS rookie of the year was a Reading alum, C.J. Sapong. This year, Reading can claim parentage of the No. 1 draft pick.

No, the club isn’t entirely responsible for Andrew Wenger’s development, but they get to take SOME credit for it. The model of the USL PDL is such that recruiting good players for that season is at least as as important as training and coaching them, so the cynic might say Reading’s good at finding them. Whatever. Wenger’s from central PA, right in Reading’s back yard.

This can only help Reading in the coming years. They’re building a resume as a place players go to get noticed by the pros, and they win games. The next question is whether the Union can turn some of those players into home-grown signings. As yet, they haven’t, but with the SuperDraft fading in relevance as other player acquisition methods arise, that could change.

The thought I don’t have

I have nothing to add about this Jordan guy. I guess he’ll fill in for Okugo if Okugo makes the Olympic team. Never seen Jordan play. Have you? What do you have on him or any of these guys? Observations welcome (on him and, well, on everything in the draft).

When Major League Soccer teams make their draft picks in Thursday’s amateur draft, several players with local ties are sure to go off the board. You may not have three former Reading United players go off the board in the first round, as happened last year when that burgeoning soccer factory churned out C.J. Sapong, Zarek Valentin and Corey Hertzog, but the Philly area will definitely be represented.

With that in mind, here’s a look at some of those who are in play for the draft. (Sure enough, most have played for Reading United.)

Andrew Wenger, defender, Duke

The Hermann Trophy winner and 1st team All-American is projected as a top-five pick, with most predicting him to go in the top three. Wenger hails from Lilitz, Pa., which is out near Lancaster, and has played for nearby Reading United in the USL PDL. He has played forward, midfield and defense for Duke, and he’s played well at each. Many are projecting him as a defensive midfielder or center back, but honestly, we won’t know where he plays until we know what team he’s on.

Matt Hedges, defender, North Carolina

At 6-4, Hedges is a near-prototypical center back, and some project the Reading United product as a top 10 pick. His aerial game helped produce six goals as a senior. Hedges spent his first three years at Butler in his hometown after being largely overlooked coming out of high school. He transferred to North Carolina for his senior year and earned 1st team All-American honors for the national champs in 2011.  After he played 10 games for Reading United in 2011, Philadelphia Union should be quite familiar with him, and the Union’s lack of depth at center back and ties to Reading make Hedges a popular projected draft pick for the Union.

Evans Frimpong (Courtesy of University of Delaware)

Evans Frimpong, midfielder, Delaware

Frimpong scored 12 goals and handed out 5 assists to become the Colonial Athletic Association’s player of the year in 2011. The 2nd team All-American hails from Accra, Ghana, and, much like Hedges, he came out of nowhere, impressing at an NAIA school in Texas before transferring to Delaware, where he was the first Blue Hen in 27 years to be named an All-American. He appeared in four games for Reading United in 2011 as well. Some mock drafts have him as a borderline draft prospect, but he’s at the MLS Combine and getting a legitimate chance to show scouts there what he can do.

Christian Barreiro, midfielder, Penn

Another Reading United product, this two-time first-team All-Ivy Leaguer led Reading United in 2011 with 7 assists and added 4 goals, playing more minutes than any other Reading outfield player. He followed it up by leading Penn in goals (7) and assists (7) his senior year. As a youth player, he passed on youth squad offers from English club Middlesbrough and Scottish giants Celtic. Barreiro was also academic all-conference, which is saying something when your conference is the Ivy League. At just 5-7, he likely projects as a midfielder at the next level, but he’ll have to impress at the MLS Combine to show a team he’s worth drafting. Unfortunately, the Ivy League doesn’t have the rep of the ACC when it comes to college soccer.

Brian Ownby, forward, Virginia

Ownby has been a top player for four years at Virginia, but injuries have slowed him down along the way. His local ties are, once again, Reading United, for whom he scored 4 goals and handed out 3 assists in just 4 games in 2011. He scored five times for Virginia in 19 games and netted 20 times over four years.

Brian Holt, goalkeeper, Creighton

Holt set an NCAA record with a miniscule 0.207 goals against average in 2011, and he was one of just six USL PDL players to play every minute for his team in 2011. Still, the Reading United alum wasn’t invited to the MLS Combine and probably won’t get a sniff in the draft due to his height, or lack thereof: At just 5-8, he’s considered far too small to play goalkeeper professionally. Nonetheless, don’t be surprised if someone like Harrisburg takes a flyer on him. Whatever his size, he can play the game.

Antoine Hoppenot, forward, Princeton

Hoppenot was Ivy League Player of the Year and second-team All-American in 2010, but his goal tally dropped from 9 and 10 the previous two years to just 4 in 2011. Still, he made all-conference and earned an invitation to the MLS Combine. At 5-8, he may project as a midfielder if he makes it to the pros, but most mock drafts don’t include him. This week is a chance to impress.

Eric Schoenle (Courtesy of The Daily Athenium)

Eric Schoenle, defender, West Virginia

The Yardley, Pa. native was a third-team All-American in 2011, and this fall, he was a popular projected first round MLS pick because of his excellent technical ability. Then apparently someone soured on his string bean physique (listed at 6-2, 147), and he began to drop off the radar. He isn’t at the MLS Combine now, and he doesn’t appear on most mock draft lists. If he goes undrafted, don’t be surprised if the Union become a possible landing spot, with his ties to the region and his time spent playing for Reading United in 2010. He played for Reading in their friendly against the Union that year, but unfortunately, he landed on the score sheet with an own goal. Still, he didn’t make All-American for nothing, and professional sports are full of players who may not have the measurables on paper but perform on the field when it matters.

Billy Schuler, forward, North Carolina

The Allentown, N.J., native and Hermann Trophy finalist has already signed with Norwegian club Hammarby, where he’ll play for American coach Gregg Berhalter, but an MLS club could still draft him to obtain his domestic rights if he ever heads stateside. Don’t expect it, but don’t be surprised if it happens either. Like many others on this list, he’s also played for Reading United, which means the Union should be a bit familiar with him.

Pennsylvania native Andrew Wenger won the Hermann Trophy on Friday as the best player in men’s college soccer. The former Reading United and Duke University star is expected to be a top-3 pick in this month’s MLS college draft. Stanford’s Teresa Noyola won the women’s award.

Wenger will join five Philadelphia Union players at a January training camp for the U.S. U-23 squad in his first call-up. Sheanon Williams, Amobi Okugo, Jack McInerney, Zac MacMath and Freddy Adu will all return to camp. Lancaster native and former Reading United star Zarek Valentin will also be in camp, as will former Rutgers player Dilly Duke, meaning that nearly half the squad will have Pennsylvania or New Jersey ties. Union players make up five of the 11-man MLS contingent.

Hermann Trophy runner-up Billy Schuler, an Allentown (N.J.) native, looks set to pass up MLS and play for American coach Gregg Berhalter at Norwegian side Hammarby.

The MLS Scouting Combine kicked off Friday without Schuler. In a smart marketing move, MLS has made the combine available to watch online here, with the next friendly matches scheduled for 2:30 and 4:25 p.m. today. The draft is Thursday.

MLS Defender of the Year Omar Gonzalez tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during his first practice with German club Nuremberg and will be out for at least six months. Seriously. First practice while on loan. That’s the sort of injury that takes a long time to recover from.

Bolton has made a formal transfer offer for Tim Ream, ESPN reported Friday. Ream is apparently getting married today. Good luck on both. (Am I the only PSP writer who doesn’t rip on him? Too much hate, too much hate!)

Rangers rejected a transfer bid for U.S. international Maurice Edu from French club Sochaux.

Toronto FC has hired former U.S. U-20 coach Thomas Rongen to lead its academy.

A German indoor soccer tournament ended early after a brawl broke out and injured 49 people. Yes, 49.

ESPN breaks down Colorado’s very interesting move to hire Oscar Pareja, who says he wants to change the Rapids’ ugly style of play into something actually worth watching. Pareja previously led the FC Dallas academy, which has produced more home-grown players than any team in MLS.