Philadelphia Union Year in Review Part 3: A Changing of the Guard for 2024?

The Philadelphia Union is at a crossroads. They finally hit their ceiling in 2023; the next step for this team was to win the MLS Cup, and they fell short of that. While this may seem like a harsh expectation, the trajectory of the team was on an upward trend from 2019 to 2022; the only way for that to continue this past year was to win the Cup. Philly failed to do so, and now the team is in flux heading into 2024. There could be a changing of the guard for this team next season; can the front office keep the core of this team together while adding new talent to stay competitive in 2024?

How many Important Players from 2023 will return?

We all know that Kai Wagner and Alejandro Bedoya have been key players for Philadelphia. One is considered one of the best left-backs in the league, and the other is a club legend and captain whose leadership has helped this team grow from mediocre to a contender. These two are out of contract and have felt spurned by the club for the lack of engagement about their want to stay in Philly. The front office has sent new contract offers out to both players, but there have been no updates on the situation since the beginning of December. Will either of these important players return in 2024?

Other key players are rumored to be leaving Philly. Olivier Mbaizo has asked the club for a transfer due to the struggles his family is having getting visas to be in the United States. Julian Carranza has been the player talked about the most when it comes to a January transfer but there has been little movement on that front. Could Philly lose four starters from their team last season?

No matter what happens, whether Philly keeps these important players, loses them, or loses even more players due to offers that were too good to refuse (the latest report is that Leon Flach is drawing interest from Werder Bremen,) this team is about to conclude an offseason that could be a frantic couple of weeks.

A busy January is about to begin

We are only five days from the new year, and the Union needs to begin to gear up for their preseason. The 2024 MLS season kicks off in nine short weeks. With so much being up in the air around this team, I’d expect some clarity to come soon in terms of players returning and new signings coming in as well.

We have seen in past years what can happen when this team fails to get players into the team for the majority of preseason. It takes a good amount of time for teams to gel and for players to get acclimated to playing in MLS. Tanner and the rest of the front office need to get some business done. Whether that’s business that the fans like or not is irrelevant at this point.

The direction of the club needs to be one that is forward-facing. Getting the roster in order is the first step. Then the preseason preparation will tell how this team will get along and how they will play. Right now there are still questions about how the team from 2023 can be upgraded enough to keep their contender status in the upcoming season.

Can the Union still be a contender in another 50+ game season?

This is the question that is engulfing this team at the end of 2023. The ambitions of the Union will still be to play in 50+ games across all competitions (MLS, MLS Playoffs, Concacaf Champions Cup (CCC,) Leagues Cup, and maybe even US Open Cup.) Can they put together a team that can be competitive and possibly even win something?

Time will tell; however, the lack of noise around big moves either incoming or outgoing is showing just how hectic the month of January is going to be for Philly. The winter transfer window is just about to open, and when it does we should begin to see who is coming back, who isn’t, and which new players the Union will bring in.

Will the strategy around the team be the same, or will we possibly see some tactical flexibility from Tanner, Curtin, and the Union? Maybe we’ll see the club overhaul the squad and bring in different types of players, like less central midfielders and some wingers to change the game. While that may be some wishful thinking, we will see very soon how the Union deals with its first year of plateau that came in 2023. Will they begin a new upward trajectory trend, stay the same, or fall below their expectation in 2024?