Union II Offseason Recap: An Entire New Era Begins

After an incredible 2024 MLS Next Pro season, one in which Marlon LeBlanc’s side finished as Eastern Conference Champions and came so close to winning the entire league, it’s time for a new MLS Next Pro season to begin. On Sunday, Union II will begin their 2025 MLS Next Pro season, but it’s not just the start of a new season; it’s the start of a new era for the team. Here’s what happened during the team’s offseason.

Union II Stars Rewarded with Homegrown Contracts:

After Union II’s very successful 2024 MLS Next Pro Season, the club decided to reward some of the best players from that team with homegrown contracts. The four players to receive these contracts were defenders Frankie Westfield and Neil Pierre and forwards Sal Olivas and Eddy Davis III.

Frankie Westfield has been a legend for Union II over the past 3 years, pretty much playing every single game the team has competed in over that time, playing multiple positions at both left and right back, whilst also co-captaining the team alongside Kyle Tucker last season.

Neil Pierre is quickly becoming one of the best defensive prospects in the US, and the growth and improvement he’s experienced over the past 18 months have been incredible. He formed one of the best defenses in Next Pro last season alongside Westfield and center-back partner Olwethu Makhanya, and his name is one to remember for the future as he’s truly set for big things.

Sal Olivas and Eddy Davis III formed one of the most lethal partnerships in Next Pro last season, with Davis setting a club record for the most goals in a single season, with 13 goals. Sal Olivas played a big part in Davis’s scoring as many goals as he did, with incredible forward play that stats won’t pick up, but he also chipped in with four goals and an assist last season.

A New Manager Emerges

Over the past three years, Marlon LeBlanc has been the head coach of Union II and has been one of the biggest rising names in the NA coaching circle. So when Jim Curtin was surprisingly sacked last season from the senior team, there was serious talk that Marlon could land the senior team job.

Unfortunately for Union II, it pretty much meant that, either way, they were set to lose their manager, and that’s what happened. As we all know, Union’s senior team hired Bradley Carnell for the managerial role, and so Marlon LeBlanc left as Union II manager after an incredible three years in charge. It’s safe to say I’m still sad that he’s no longer with Union II because he was incredible, with both the players and the fanbase.

With Marlon LeBlanc no longer head coach, Union II had a vacancy they needed to fill. The team announced during the offseason that Ryan Richter would be the new head coach.

Ryan has worked throughout the Union organisation over a number of years, first starting out with the U8’s before moving through every age group in the academy. He then joined the senior team coaching staff in January 2022 where he served as an assistant coach until he took the role of Union II head coach. He was head coach of the U15s, who he took to their first ever MLS Next Cup Final back in 2021 and has also served as the Director of the Union’s Junior Academy.

Coach Richter played professionally and was drafted by Union in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft at 5^th overall. He also played for Toronto FC for 2 years and spent time during his career in the NASL where he was included in the All-Decade Best XI.

Union II Outgoings and Incomings

The best and worst times of the year for any player and supporter are when roster changes and incoming/outgoing transfers are announced. With the nature of how football academies work, it’s usually a chaotic time for everyone involved, and Union II made a number of changes to their roster.

Sal Olivas, Neil Pierre, Jose Riasco, and Frankie Westfield were all confirmed as under contract for 2025. Jose Riasco had a small stint with Union II last year during the playoffs, after his loan spell away from the club expired, but he’s since been sent back out on loan to Venezuelan Primera Division side Carabobo FC for the 2025 season.

Union II decided to exercise the options in goalkeeper Mike Sheridan’s contract, keeping him at the club, and forward Leandro Soria, also keeping him at the club. Sheridan put in some great performances when he was called upon during the season, and Soria grew into a very useful player for Union II as his debut season went on.

Union II declined the option in Randy Meneses’ contract, the option in Giovanny Sequera’s loan contract to make the move permanent, and the option in Carlos Rojas’ contract. Carlos Rojas’s release was a little surprising to me as he had turned into a very reliable option for Marlon LeBlanc last season and could play a number of positions to a decent level.

Giovanny Sequera is back at the club, and the team very recently announced that they’ve extended his loan for another season. He made 16 appearances for Union II last year and was a very useful rotation option for the team.

Union II has also made 4 new signings for the upcoming 2025 season, the first of which will be a familiar name to fans. Kellan LeBlanc was announced as a Union II signing back in late February. Kellan is the son of former Union II Head Coach Marlon LeBlanc, and Kellan developed into a really key player for Union II last season, especially towards the end of the season and during the playoffs. He becomes the 8^th Union Academy player to sign an MLS Next Pro professional contract.

The 2^nd signing Union II announced was another academy signing, this time being midfielder Willyam Ferreira. Willyam has been with the Union Academy since he was 7 years old and has impressed academy coaches at every age group since. While he hasn’t made his Union II debut yet, Willyam has been featured in multiple training camps with the US U16’s over the past year and was recently called up to the US U16’s Domestic Identity Camp that took place in late February in Florida.

The 3^rd signing Union II announced was another midfielder, this time a player they got for free after their release from a fellow MLS Next Pro team. The player is Oscar Benitez, who appeared in 14 games and scored 2 goals for St Louis City 2 last year in the MLS Next Pro. Benitez is a holding midfielder who adds a lot of cover and athleticism for both the backline and in midfield. He started his career at a youth academy in Colombia before moving to Brazil to play for Red Bull Bragantino’s U20s.

The fourth and final signing that Union II has made ahead of the 2025 MLS Next Pro season, although they seem to announce them every time I think I’ve finished this piece, is striker Stas Korzeniowski, one of Union II’s MLS SuperDraft picks last year.

Stas is a 6-foot-4 target forward who offers something unique for Union II, as their other forwards like Eddy Davis and Leandro Soria are smaller and quick players who like the ball played in behind to chase after. Stas had a fantastic college career at the University of Pennsylvania, where he scored 32 goals and assisted 17 times in just 54 starts, this led to a number of awards being won, like being named All-Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Ivy.

The new UII Season starts now!

The new Ryan Richter era for Union II, and their 2025 MLS Next Pro season, gets underway on Sunday afternoon as they travel up to Gillette Stadium to face New England Revolution II. It’ll be interesting to see how much the squad has changed, with a lot of the mainstay stars now featuring for the senior team on their new Homegrown contracts and also the new additions to the squad. You can keep up to date with everything Union II on here, throughout the season, and by following me on Twitter/X, @steveoo242, where I live tweet coverage of every Union II game.