The Union Academy/Union II striker from El Paso, Texas becomes fourth homegrown signing for 2025

Chester, Pa. — The Philadelphia Union announced today the signing of 18-year-old forward Sal Olivas to a four-year homegrown contract. The contract is guaranteed through 2028, with a club option for 2029.

In 2024 From the Union’s press release:

“Sal is an ambitious young striker who made significant strides in his development with Union II last season” said Philadelphia Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner. “He’s a high-pressing player who drives the ball forward and can create chances on the attack. His signing to the first team will provide him the opportunity to continue to develop and learn from our coaching staff and gain the necessary experience by playing alongside our veteran players.”

Olivas came through the Union Academy and signed an MLS Next Pro contract with Union II in September 2023. When we had him on our “The One Team We Agree On” podcast during the 2024 season, he noted that while there were other academies recruiting him, the Union stood out with the supports they provided. Olivas noted in the podcast:

“Coming here- it’s like a different environment here. They had specific teachers and all these other staff taking care of not only soccer but they take care of your mental health, your physical health. They really care about you, and so I was like, this is the farthest I’m going to be away from home, but it’s the best fit for me rather than just taking the easy way out… obviously it was the best academy in the nation.”

During the 2024 season with Union II, he played in 20 regular season games (1,265 minutes) and had four goals and one assist. He had a brace on June 2 at Subaru Park against Columbus Crew 2. He also appeared in all four of Union II’s playoff games, including coming on for the second half at the MLS Next Pro Cup. In 2023, Olivas was key in the U-17 squad’s Generation Adidas Cup run where the Union were victorious.

Olivas holds dual United States and Mexican citizenship, and was called by Mexico to their U-17 youth national team camp in 2023. When we asked him on the podcast which country he would prefer to represent, he was torn, but would be honored for either. Now that he has completed the pathway from academy to the pros, time will tell what sort of opportunities come his way. In this writer’s opinion, he has lots of room to grow but is an exciting player to keep an eye on. With the current abundance of forwards on the Union’s depth chart, Union fans could see him possibly with Union II a good deal to ensure he gets playing time to continue his development.

Want to know more about Sal? Check out our podcast from August 2024 when we chatted with him about his backstory, being in the Academy and with Union II, and aspirations for the future.

Main article photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union II