A perspective on 2025 for the Union from a (mostly) “Posidelphian”

As many followers of The One Team We Agree on know, I coach swim team. I work with many wonderful young athletes, and one in particular, a 6 year old girl, greeted me with enthusiasm last night at practice: “Coach Jillian! I’m so excited for the Lunar New Year- my family is having a party. It’s the Year of the Snake!” She and her family are Chinese-American, and she went on to tell me more about what her family does for the holiday. I’m going to be honest: I am not as well-versed in the the traditions as someone of mainly German/Scottish heritage, but have picked up on bits and pieces from knowing people who celebrate it, and was interested to know more. Year of the Snake definitely was intriguing to me. (I was born in the Year of the Rat, so I knew a little bit about that, but for obvious reasons the snake piqued my interest.)

According to Kimmy Yam of NBC News, the Year of the Snake is “all about shedding that bad energy.” I definitely suggest you read the whole article because it struck a chord, but one quote by Yam in particular stood out:

“Though the snake may get a bad rap across many Western cultures, the animal is actually a celebrated and revered sign across the Eastern hemisphere. And its year is expected to be one of positive transformation as people slither into new beginnings — if they’re willing to move on.”

2025 is certainly a year of new beginnings at the Union. The biggest of course is with Bradley Carnell as the new head coach, and Ryan Richter, while not new to the coaching staff, now will be leading Union II in place of Marlon LeBlanc. While the loss of Marlon is big in my opinion as he was so in tune with those players and developed them so well, Ryan is an internal hire who is not unfamiliar with the squad. After such a long run with Jim Curtin, though, there is the unknown of the new regime with the first team.

A few new faces have been added to the Union squad in Ian Glavinovich and several guys who spent their time with Union II that are getting a look with the first team. Jack Elliott and Leon Flach, two workhorses for the squad who had huge impacts over the last several years, and Sam Adeniran who seemed to be in Philly for a nanosecond, moved on in the off season. Competition-wise, the Union will not participate in Leagues Cup, but will return to the competing in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

With town halls, protests, and lots of feelings in 2024 amidst a very bumpy season, perhaps in 2025 we can all begin with a fresh approach. Jim Curtin was a very, very popular coach and still remains in a positive light with many. He embodied Philly and connected with fans and his players alike. Personally, I have tons of respect for Jim and could write a whole article about why (and it’s not just about his style). That being said, I am also willing to give Bradley Carnell a chance to see what he can do with the squad, and two preseason games in Spain are not enough for me to base an opinion on yet. I hope fans also will be willing to take a deep breath, give change a chance, and support the Boys in Blue. You can support the team, but still be critical. Yes, it is very easy to be negative, and the current situation is not without its issues. If we go back to what is said about the Year of the Snake, however, Yam noted in her article that the Year of the Snake is about moving on, and according to professor Jonathan H. X. Lee of San Francisco State University:

“It’s shedding the ego, letting go of the past, letting go of anger, letting go of love lost,” Lee said. “This is the year where that kind of growth — personal and macro, internal and external — is very much possible.”

To go along with the shedding of the past theme, the squad themselves get a new look with the “Voltage kit” that was announced today. This secondary kit will replace the “For Philly” kit ( aka the “Simpsons kit” or smoke and water) The Union will be holding a kit launch event on February 15th for fans.

Based on what has been shared about the time in Marbella, Spain (go watch the excellent feature by Sage Hurley), including training, team outings, and the matches, some quality team building was happening and there is a sense of optimism. There is also a lot of unknown, but more preseason is set to happen in Clearwater, Florida, so in the coming weeks the picture should hopefully get clearer. In the meantime, Philly… yes, we have the excitement of the Eagles heading to the Super Bowl and perhaps the Union are on the back burner for you at the moment, but perhaps consider looking at the upcoming Union season as a chance to grow, renew, and maybe even surprise. It’s more fun anyway (for now) than the alternative doom and gloom.

Main article photo credit: Philadelphia Union