On Friday afternoon, the Philadelphia Union were part of a Bog-bomb as Tom Bogert from GiveMeSport reported Philly is set to sign 26-year-old American striker Milan Illoski from FC Nordsjælland. Illoski may be a name that MLS fans are familiar with, as he was on loan with San Diego FC earlier this year. Iloski returned to the Danish in early July after having a crazy June for San Diego, scoring 10 goals in just 472 MLS minutes, most of which came in a five-game stretch in June.
Union reportedly signing 26-year-old American Striker
Ernst Tanner’s Philadelphia Union rarely leaks information about players the club is interested in. This was the case with the reported signing of Illoski. This signing is out of the blue but very on-brand for Philly. Over the last few years, Philadelphia has used the summer window to plan for the future while trying to strengthen its current team. Iloski fits the bill for both of these mindsets.
We know Philly is atop the Supporters’ Shield standings with nine games. Adding a striker with an amazing conversion rate, who is familiar with MLS, and an American to boot, is an excellent bit of business. The club now has another super-sub off the bench. As for the future, this signing would mean that we will likely see the departure of Mikael Uhre after this season, as he is out of contract, but let’s discuss that later. Let’s look closer at Iloski and how he will fit in Philly.
Iloski was on a heater in June
Many in MLS were indeed talking about Illoski back in June, as he scored eight goals and notched an assist across five MLS matches for San Diego FC. The striker showed his lethal ability to finish at will in different ways. He was able to combine with the players around him, was a fox in the box on rebounds, could finish with both feet, and his head as well. He looked like a real asset, which prompted the termination of his loan, but now, about a month later, he’s returning to MLS in Philly.
Now, Iloski will join a Union striker core full of DPs who are firmly planted in the team; however, we have seen how Philly at times needs a creative spark off the bench. Iloski could be just that in the 2025 home stretch. Iloski’s ability to perform in different ways is a massive positive for Philly. He can play in the middle and out wide, which could change how Philadelphia plays. We’ll see when this move becomes official, and how Milan adjusts to this team moving forward!
What will this mean for the future of the Philadelphia Union striker core?
Of course, the Union makes summer moves thinking about the future, and while we don’t know how long Iloski will be in Philly, it does likely mark the end of the tenure of a mainstay over the last few years. Mikael Uhre is out of contract after this season, and while he has been a crucial part of this team’s ability to attack, he has been mostly relegated to a super-sub role this year. While it doesn’t mean Uhre will be transferred out, it could mark the end of an era for Philly.
Hopefully, this move does not significantly change the striker position so quickly. With Iloski’s addition, Philly has four great attacking options to play up top. This could be the first time ever that they have this much quality goal-scoring on the roster. Let’s hope the boys in blue can use the momentum they have to keep the pedal to the metal to win a trophy this year; Iloski may be the guy to help secure that.
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