ST- Alejandro Moreno
A forward in his prime when Union selected him in the Expansion Draft on the back of two consecutive Supporter’s Shields and an MLS Cup in 2008 with Columbus Crew, the Venezuelan failed to reach the heights reached at his previous clubs, scoring just two goals while in Philly. Two more years with Chivas would follow before his retirement from soccer in 2012.
Since then, he has done commentary work in both English and Spanish for ESPN, primarily covering Liga MX games but also providing expert analysis on Union games.
ST- Danny Mwanga
Mwanga, the son of an adviser to Congolese dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who ruled the country then called Zaire at the time of the infamous incident at the 1974 World Cup in which a Zaire player booted the ball away while Brazil were lining up to take a free-kick, also happened to be a very talented soccer player, which prompted Union to select him first in their first-ever Superdraft.
This decision paid off handsomely in the first season with seven goals and an MLS Rookie of the Year Award. The 2011 season was another decent one for Mwanga in which he added 5 league goals to his career total, but he was traded to Portland in 2012. Since then, his career has fizzled out and he has struggled to make regular appearances in either MLS or the Minor Leagues, and he has been without a club since 2017.
Countless more players have turned out for Union since that day, with success that varies as wildly as the players in this starting 11. While writing this I couldn’t help but ponder what will happen to the Union’s current roster over the coming decade.
Photo Credit: Philadelphia Union
