The Philadelphia Union are readying themselves for the 2025 season down in Clearwater Florida. The club is on its second leg of preseason there after the first leg in Marbella, Spain. As the club is preparing for a season that is considered to be a rebuilding one, the midfield is going to look different this season.
We have seen a few glimpses at how new head coach Bradley Carnell has set up his midfield, and the shape will likely look a little different than in years past, and so will the personnel. Jack McGlynn and Leon Flach are no longer with the team, and only one addition was made to the midfield in Jovan Lukić coming in. Let’s take a closer look at the Union‘s midfield to see how it’s shaping out.
Philadelphia Union Defensive Midfielders
Philly will likely utilize more of a defensive structure to their midfield under Carnell at times. In preseason, he has liked using a double pivot of defensive midfielders to ensure up the middle of the pitch. This means we will likely see players who are good at winning the ball and advancing it up the field in these spots. Here’s a look at the midfielders who could be classified as D-mids on the 2025 roster.
- Jesus Bueno
- Alejandro Bedoya
- Danley Jean-Jacques
- Jovan Lukić
- Nick Pariano
From this group of five players, it’s clear that Danley Jean-Jacques and Jovan Lukić are like the starting pair to open the season. Both are quick to jump into a tackle and to advance the ball up the field. Players like Jesus Bueno and club legend Ale Bedoya are likely the subs for those spots, while Nick Pariano will push for a spot on the bench this year
Philadelphia Union Attacking Midfielders
Now that we have seen the players who will hold down the middle of the field, it’s time to look at the ones who will try to create more of an offensive spark. The Union have six attacking midfielders on their roster for 2025, and it will be interesting to see where they line up for Carnell. The system of play could call for more width and not just a traditional number 10 or number 8. Could we see Philly use “wingers” for the first time since 2019? Here’s a look at the players.
- Daniel Gazdag
- C.J. Olney
- Jeremy Rafanello
- Cavan Sullivan
- Quinn Sullivan
- David Vazquez
We know players like Gazdag, Raffanello, and Vazquez prefer to be in the number 10 role. I’d expect Gazdag to hold down that spot yet again while the two homegrown battle it out to be his understudy. The case of the Sullivan brothers is interesting. Carnell has used them as pseudo-wingers. Could we see those two as starters on the team this year in wide positions? It’s more likely we see Quinn as a wider 10 and Cavan as the first player off the bench. Then there’s Olney; his creativity was key to Union II last season, but where will he fit in the first team this year? Can he push for minutes?
The Philadelphia Union midfield is stacked with young and hungry players who aren’t afraid of running to press their opponent or making box-to-box sprints on the counterattack. While this is a rebuilding year, this midfield is stacked with some diamonds in the rough, just the way Tanner and the Union front office like their teams. We’ll see what they can do once February 22nd rolls around!
Don’t miss out on our preview of the strikers coming out tomorrow, and the defenders and Goalkeepers which came out yesterday!
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