New Union centerback Ian Glavinovich is dealing with a hamstring injury

New Union centerback Ian Glavinovich still isn’t healthy enough to start, manager Bradley Carnell said Thursday.

Glavinovich has been dealing with a hamstring issue and has been limited to just a six-minute cameo in the Union’s season opener. He didn’t play in last Saturday’s home opener.

Fortunately, the Union haven’t needed the 23-year-old Argentine much. Scoring eight goals in those two games took care of that, and Olwethu Makhanya played well as a starter — not perfectly, to be sure, but well enough.

“He’s day-by-day,” Carnell said at a news conference after Thursday’s practice, where Glavinovich worked off to the side. “We just did a bit of maintenance on his hamstring yesterday, and today, he had to take a break. So we’re just going to see how he responds over the next 24 to 48 hours.”

Right back Nathan Harriel is “feeling great, and he’s eligible,” Carnell said as he finished off rehabbing a thigh injury. But those words needed some clarification. Carnell said nearly the same thing last week, then left Harriel off the game day roster against Cincinnati.

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Carnell justified that after the game by saying: “We didn’t want to have too many players on the bench who I don’t think are 90-minutes ready — if something had to happen very early to one of our players in a key position, Nate can’t go 90 yet.”

Glavinovich and right-back Olivier Mbaizo were on the bench, and they seemed to fill Carnell’s allotment of players who couldn’t go a long way if needed.

Whenever Harriel is ready, Carnell will have a big decision to make. Rookie Frankie Westfield is playing well, and though Mbaizo signed a new contract in November, it hasn’t been clear what Carnell makes of him.

But with Harriel not yet at the level Carnell hopes for, that decision doesn’t have to be made yet.

“Missing five weeks of preseason and being in for four training sessions doesn’t really equate to being fit and ready, but he’s getting closer, for sure,” Carnell said.

Forward Markus Anderson is the only player fully out. He has an ankle injury.

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The Union’s next game is Saturday at New England (7:30 p.m., Apple TV), a team widely predicted to be among MLS’s worst this year. They have lived up (or perhaps down) to that reputation so far, with a scoreless tie at Nashville and a 1-0 loss at home to Columbus.

That said, a manager probably would look at the stats, see two shutouts, and take notice. At the other end of the field, the Revolution’s attack is still led by Carles Gil, the 2021 MLS MVP.

Their offseason additions included striker Leo Campana, who was a highly regarded young talent at Inter Miami but was stuck behind superstar signings, including Luis Suárez. The 6-foot-2, 24-year-old Ecuadorian will have fewer such concerns in his new home.

“I see his talent also against the ball,” Carnell said. “He’s relentless in chasing down and putting pressure on the opponents, and then when he comes to life in the box, he’s very dangerous.”

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The Union’s reserve squad, Union II, kicks off its 2025 campaign Sunday with a visit to New England’s reserves (3 p.m., Apple TV).

Along with a new crop of players on the roster, there’s a new coach in charge. Longtime Union assistant Ryan Richter was promoted after the Union didn’t retain Marlon LeBlanc because his son, Kellan, was on the cusp of receiving his first pro contract with the team.

There have been plenty of father-son coaching dynamics in pro soccer, with former U.S. men’s coach Bob Bradley and son, Michael, the most famous in this country. But managing a group of young prospects is different from the locker rooms full of veterans the Bradleys had, and the Union didn’t want a situation where anyone could accuse favoritism.

Sporting director Ernst Tanner didn’t have to look far for his hire. Richter, a La Salle product and native of Southampton, Bucks County, has worked in a variety of roles with the Union since 2018. Though it wasn’t pleasant to see the elder LeBlanc go, Richter’s promotion has been well-received.

As usual, Richter’s game day squads will be a mix of first-teamers eager for playing time, amateurs in the academy who move up, and a relatively small number of players on reserve team contracts.

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Some players came up through the academy, including LeBlanc, fellow midfielder Willyam Ferreira, and goalkeeper Mike Sheridan.

Others were signed from elsewhere, including Colombian defender Oscar Benítez and former Penn striker Stas Korzeniowski. The latter was a college draft pick in 2024, stayed in school, and signed his first pro contract this week.

Among the amateur prospects who might get playing time this year, three forwards already are getting attention among scouts: 17-year-old Diego Rocío, 16-year-old Jamir Johnson, and 15-year-old Malik Jakupovic.

Rocío has played for U.S. and Mexican youth national teams, and Johnson played for the U.S. at last month’s Concacaf under-17 championship. LeBlanc and left back Jordan Griffin also were on that squad.

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“The opportunity will certainly be there for them, and I think it’s an important message from myself and from our staff that those opportunities are earned,” Richter said. “It’s opportunities that are earned by their play, by their attitude, by their focus, and by their development through the year.”

Union II’s home opener is March 17 against the New York Red Bulls reserves. Tickets are $17 each, general admission, and Union season ticket-holders can pick two Union II games to attend for free.