An analysis of the Union’s roster at the start of the 2025 season

As we do every year to start a new Union season, here’s a player-by-player look at the team’s roster. The list at each position is in order of what looks to be the depth chart heading into the campaign, which starts Saturday against Orlando City (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).

The most straightforward words to write here are always at the top. This will be season No. 10 for the 34-year-old as the starting netminder for the only club he has ever called home.

Blake is the most important player in Union history and will keep that title for a long time to come — including through the 2026 FIFA World Cup, thanks to a contract extension he signed last year. With Jamaica on an easier-than-usual qualifying path this time, he will likely be the first active Union player to play on the sport’s biggest stage.

Unfortunately, he faces questions this year, because of his groin and knee injuries in recent years. But the questions are only about his health, not his talent. That is still beyond doubt.

» READ MORE: Why Andre Blake is the most important player in Union history

A 19-year-old academy product, he wasn’t supposed to earn the No. 2 spot last year. He did because he stepped up after Oliver Semmle didn’t, and now there’s no going back.

» READ MORE: Andrew Rick proved his potential in his first MLS win last September

Moving up from the second-tier USL Championship to MLS proved too much of a jump. This is the last guaranteed year of his contract, and it’s hard to see him staying in town past it.

» READ MORE: Ernst Tanner knows Union fans are frustrated, and promises improvement this year

Had any team been willing to trade for him, he’d be gone, and Jack Elliott would still be here. But all those teams saw the same thing Union fans did: a 30-year-old who couldn’t run back fast enough to defend counterattacks after pushing high up the field — often with the ball at his feet.

Manager Bradley Carnell has repeatedly praised Glesnes’ preseason form and said the Norwegian looks more like he did when he was named MLS defender of the year in 2022. By the end of 2023, Glesnes wasn’t just a year older, he was recovering from sports hernia surgery.

If Carnell is right, nothing would be a more significant help to a team that gave up 55 goals in last year’s regular season — two years after yielding a league-record 26. But we won’t know for sure where Glesnes is until the games count for real.

» READ MORE: Jakob Glesnes' struggles last year were a bigger problem than Andre Blake's backups

The newest member of the unit goes here by default because the drop-off to everyone else is vast. A 23-year-old Argentine, he fits the bill athletically for a good signing but is unproven.

Glavinovich spent just a year with the first team of his native country, Newell’s Old Boys, before moving here.

» READ MORE: The Union’s new alternate jersey is a nod to one of the best they’ve ever had

Signed in the summer of 2023 with a unique (and coveted) under-age-22 salary cap designation, he has yet to play a second for the first time. Now age 20, the South Africa native has played 31 games for the Union’s reserves but hasn’t yet shown he can make the next step up.

» READ MORE: The Union have taken care of most of their offseason needs, but still lack centerback depth

From Mark McKenzie to Auston Trusty to Elliott — who was a fourth-round college draft pick in 2017, remember — the Union have a great history of developing centerbacks. So it’s not said lightly that Pierre is the club’s best prospect yet at the position.

But it’s said, and it’s true, and you need only look at him. He’s 6-foot-5 at age 17, with not just good defensive instincts but outstanding passing skills. Though he isn’t ready for the first team yet, his time will come, and when it does, he’ll be a must-watch.

» READ MORE: Bradley Carnell isn’t going to rush much-touted Union prospect Neil Pierre into action

Now in his seventh year with the Union, the 28-year-old German should remain among MLS’s best at this position — one that’s always among the hardest to find good talent at.

He signed a new long-term contract last winter, and it would have been nice if that had ended the annual circus of transfer rumors around him. Alas, it didn’t, and that became a new frustration.

» READ MORE: MLS considers a big bang: Flipping its schedule from summer to winter

Because he missed last year with a torn ACL, we don’t know how good he is. Though Wagner plays pretty much every game, perhaps we’ll find out sometime this year.

The 19-year-old from Northeast Philadelphia’s Morrell Park neighborhood reached the first team this year, after rising through the Union’s youth academy and backing out of a college commitment to Penn State. He wasn’t always seen as a big-time prospect, but he worked hard to get here — and has been rewarded.

Westfield can also play right back, and that versatility could earn him minutes. He lands below LeFlore on the depth chart only because it’s hard to put a rookie above an incumbent.

» READ MORE: MLS knows its Apple package needs to reach more people, even if it isn’t putting more games on TV yet

Though he didn’t play much in preseason because of an injury, he gets the top nod here on the assumption that Carnell will prefer his defense over Olivier Mbaizo’s offense.

» READ MORE: What Nathan Harriel learned playing for the United States at last summer's Olympics

It was a bit surprising that he signed a new contract this winter, after being in the final year of his previous guaranteed one in 2024. Though his talent got him to the World Cup in 2022, his defensive limitations kept him off the field at Subaru Park afterward. But then that new deal came, and one could conclude the Union wanted him to stay. Now to see what comes next.

» READ MORE: MLS knows its players are playing too many games, and thinks it has a ‘sensible solution’

After arriving in town last August, the successor to José Andrés Martínez showed in 10 games that he’s a worthy heir. That said, the 24-year-old Haitian might not finish the season where he starts it on the depth chart. If Carnell sticks with a 4-4-2 diamond formation, Jean Jacques might move to the left central midfield spot.

» READ MORE: Bradley Carnell has a world of soccer experience, but with the Union, he’s focused on now

The bet here is that while we might not see the best of the 23-year-old Serbian right away, the Union did not buy him to stash him behind Jean Jacques. As such, the question is how we see both on the field.

Will it be in the diamond, as mentioned above? Will it be a change to a box-shaped quartet with Jean Jacques and Lukić as dual-holding midfielders? Or will it be something else entirely?

» READ MORE: The Union will play in the U.S. Open Cup and not the Leagues Cup this year

It’s easy to forget that the academy product is just 21 since he spent three college seasons at Duke before turning pro. It’s harder to figure out what his ceiling with the Union will be as he enters the last guaranteed year of his contract.

» READ MORE: MLS and U.S. Soccer make progress toward peace over the U.S. Open Cup

Last year, he became the first Union Academy product to reach 10 career goals and 10 career assists for the first team. More important, he finally locked down a starting central midfield spot after years of bouncing around other positions. Now the right-sided spot should be his to keep for a while — especially with Jack McGlynn gone, and a more defensive-oriented player likely to play on the left.

» READ MORE: Quinn Sullivan shines for the Union while younger brother Cavan commands headlines

The Union’s longtime captain is in for another year, even as we wonder again if it will be his last. Carnell likes his leadership, as any manager should. But the question, as ever, is how much playing time that will lead to — and how much will come at the expense of younger players.

» READ MORE: Here’s how the Philly region became home to America’s ever-growing pro soccer pipeline

It would be nice if this is the year when the 25-year-old shows his full potential on the field. We’ve seen it in flashes, but Bedoya has been above him on the depth chart for a while, and now Sullivan is too. If Bueno gets there, a return to Venezuela’s national team could follow, and at a great time with the World Cup on the horizon.

» READ MORE: When a Union fan needed a life-saving kidney transplant, another Union fan he didn’t know stepped up

Right now, it’s tough to judge how much we’ll see the 18-year-old this season. But there should be no doubt that he’s got lots of talent. Indeed, it’s fair to say that he, Pierre, and Cavan Sullivan are the Big Three of the current crop of academy products. When Olney’s time comes, it should become a lot easier for fans to stomach McGlynn’s departure.

» READ MORE: Why the Union traded Jack McGlynn to the Houston Dynamo

He isn’t the kind of No. 10 that some Union fans would like to have, but with all due respect, the idea that he hasn’t produced is simply wrong. You’d really argue over 19 goals and 7 assists last year, and a team-record 70 goals in 155 all-time games? Even if he scores a lot of penalty kicks, someone earns them before he shoots, and his ability to remain calm under pressure is a monster asset too.

That the Union could do with more than one style of attacking midfielder is a different story. They have that now, and they didn’t have to go anywhere to sign him — and to finish the points made by Gazdag’s critics, that’s why the club didn’t.

» READ MORE: Dániel Gazdag is fully deserving of the Union’s all-time scoring record

You know about the hype by now: the viral highlight videos, the photos with Lionel Messi, and the praise from English soccer legend Ian Wright in Adidas’ latest flashy marketing. Now it’s time for him to play, and he will this year.

Sullivan probably won’t start, but being Gazdag’s chief backup should bring him plenty of playing time — especially under a manager who will sub Gazdag out more than former boss Jim Curtin did. If the Union had signed another central attacking midfielder, it would have taken that time away.

And by the way, giving Gazdag breathers in games will benefit him, not just Sullivan. Perhaps the social media crowd will appreciate that too, if they’re willing to notice.

» READ MORE: Cavan Sullivan is the Union’s biggest story this year, whether that’s fair or not

For a team that insists it doesn’t play with wingers, the newest addition looks suspiciously like one. The 24-year-old played a few attacking positions with St. Louis City SC — with Carnell as his manager — including wide ones on a regular basis.

A Savannah, Ga., native, he grew up in the youth academy of English Premier League club Aston Villa. Inter Miami brought him to MLS in 2021, then he moved to St. Louis in 2023. Along the way, he played for many U.S. youth national teams and made his senior-level debut last month.

» READ MORE: Union alum Brenden Aaronson could gain a lot from USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino

Curtin often raved about the Delran, N.J. native’s work ethic in practice, but rarely took Gazdag off the field for long enough to let the rest of us see it in games. Though he could probably easily find more playing time elsewhere, he has chosen to stay home, agreeing to a new contract through 2026 last October.

» READ MORE: Ventnor City native B.J. Callaghan is ready for his first full year as a MLS manager with Nashville SC

The 18-year-old Los Angeles native has heaps of creative talent and has shown it in great performances with U.S. youth national teams. Alas, it’s hard to see when he will show it with the Union’s first team. Though he bulked up some this winter, he still might not be built physically enough to handle the rigors of MLS. Let’s hope he gets there, because he’s been fun to watch at lower levels.

» READ MORE: Inside the Union’s controversial recruitment of top prospect David Vazquez

Just because Cavan Sullivan is the Union’s biggest story right now doesn’t mean he should be. What about a player who has scored in double digits all three years he’s been here so far, and now is in a contract year?

That’s Uhre, for all his critics, including those within the Union’s walls. He isn’t perfect, and he’s undoubtedly streaky, but no one should turn down his big-picture accomplishments. Though he might lose his starting spot to Bruno Damiani, it could also light a fire in him — along with no longer being the most expensive purchase in Union history.

» READ MORE: After three consecutive double-digit scoring seasons, Mikael Uhre faces a contract year and his critics

It took too long for Curtin to turn him loose, but now that’s finally in the past. Sixteen goals in 26 games last year earned him the prestigious No. 9 jersey this year. Let’s see what he can do for an encore.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia now feels like home for Tai Baribo in his third year with the Union

The Union have a history of signing players without much name recognition and of waiting until late in the preseason to make big-money moves. Their newest designated player checks both boxes: a 22-year-old Uruguayan with just two years of top-flight play under his belt, but a team-record $3.4 million transfer fee.

In business, you have to spend money to make money. In soccer, you have to spend money to make goals. The Union have finally done so, even if it’s just the going rate for a serious signing in MLS.

Now to see if Damiani delivers.

» READ MORE: The Union wanted Bruno Damiani for more than a year. Now he's the team's new record signing.

He ranks here by default compared with who’s below him, but that’s not a huge endorsement. Though the 24-year-old Paoli native and Drexel product is a hard worker, his skill set is limited. This year will be the last guaranteed one of his current contract.

» READ MORE: Tai Baribo's breakthrough last year sent Chris Donovan down the depth chart

Demoted after a game-losing turnover in Cincinnati last June, he put in work with the reserves and delivered four goals and three assists in 12 games. Though the demotion was fair, so is giving him a new chance with the first team this year.

» READ MORE: Markus Anderson helped Union II reach last year's MLS Next Pro title game

An 18-year-old Los Angeles native, he led the reserve team last year with 14 goals while playing as an amateur in the youth academy. That deservedly earned him a pro contract, and the fact that he jumped straight to the first team is a sign of his potential.

» READ MORE: One of Eddy Davis' mentors, Union youth team coach Bradford Jamieson IV, was once a young MLS starlet himself

For all the Union Academy has done over the years, there’s one position where it hasn’t produced many first-teamers — and it’s the most important one of all. It’s also the most difficult one to produce elite talent at, and those superlatives are, of course, connected.

Standing 6-foot-3 at age 18, Olivas is the third striker to rise all the way through the Union’s pipeline. The Union recruited the El Paso, Texas native from his high school, where other pro teams hadn’t noticed him. He scored four goals for the Union’s reserves last year and helped the Union’s under-17s win the Generation Adidas Cup in 2023 just a few months after coming on board. Along the way, he’s been invited to both the U.S. and Mexican under-17 national teams.

» READ MORE: The Union traded another young forward, Anisse Saidi, to San Diego FC last month

Before Davis and Olivas came up, Pierre was the first striker prospect to reach the first team. But in the two years since then, Pierre hasn’t played for the first team in anything more than an exhibition. He’s gone on two loans elsewhere instead, and could soon move on for good.

» READ MORE: A look back at Nelson Pierre's one shot with the Union's first team so far