The Boys in Blue return to action Saturday in what is a bit of a double feature for Union fans as Union II kick off at 7:00 PM at Crown Legacy FC, the affiliate of Charlotte, and then the Union play at Houston Dynamo at 8:30 PM ET. This, of course, means there is less flexibility with the roster, but with Academy players with the squad and the health of the team looking good, Ryan Richter had no concerns about player availability and said the squad practicing out there on Thursday when I spoke with him was pretty much who was going to be a part of the squad- which should be a strong one.
Union II are coming off a 3-3 draw last Sunday against Chattanooga FC in which they secured two points via a penalty shootout win, and currently sit in second place in the East and third overall at 33 points and 7-1-7 (ironically, also an elite area code- Neil Pierre would probably agree). They have been excellent on the road at 3-0-3. Crown Legacy is in ninth in the East at 4-5-8, and their home record is 2-2-4. Most recently, they bested Inter Miami II 4-3 on the road.
The last time Union II and Crown Legacy met- June 15 at Subaru Park- Union II were victorious 3-0 via a CLFC own goal and goals by David Vazquez and Stas Korzeniowski, and it was a match that was scoreless until the 75th minute. It also featured a plethora of yellow cards. Crown Legacy did not manage a single shot on goal during the match, making Pierce Holbrook’s debut in goal for Union II a fairly easy one for the clean sheet.
Roster-wise, expect to see roughly the squad from the previous match, except probably not leading goal scorer Cavan Sullivan or Andrew Rick as I expect they will probably be with the first team. Oliver Semmle, Pierce Holbrook, or Mike Sheridan will probably get the nod at keeper, but to Union II’s credit, despite having had four different keepers this season, they boast (by far) the best goal differential and fewest goals allowed in MLS Next Pro. Players that straddle the two squads like Markus Anderson, David Vazquez, Eddy Davis, Sal Olivas, and Neil Pierre were training with Union II on Thursday, so they will likely be in the roster.
There were plenty of learning moments in the match against Chattanooga as they went down 3-1 at one point, which was uncharacteristic of the squad as they do not concede many goals, and Richter mentioned areas to improve that led to that.
“The goals that we conceded, I thought was a lack of focus, a lack of responsibility in set pieces, and you know, not professional goals that we conceded,” Richter shared. “To be fair to our team, we have not conceded many goals like that where we just completely lose control of our organization, we have no communication in these moments. So it’s just one thing you have to learn, and the way we started the second half was not with the right intensity.
“It’s like, ‘Guys, the game is never gonna be easy. I don’t care what the half of soccer looks like, what 20 minutes looks like. It’s never easy. And once you change that in your mind that it’s going to be easy, that’s what it looks like.’ You take it for a little while, but again, fair play to them for getting the energy back, getting the momentum back, and then scoring the two goals to tie the game.”
One thing is clear from watching training, matches, and how the coaching staff and players interact, is this: the squad is bought in, they have belief, and seem to really connect well with each other and with Richter and the staff- mirroring the first team in more ways than just the successes they are seeing. They clawed their way back to tie the match last weekend, and it will be interesting to see if any lessons learned will be apparent in this upcoming match.
“Yeah, I want to see a response for what we talked about last week and just 90 minutes of focus from our team,” Richter noted about facing Crown Legacy. “And then the way that we play, keep the intensity that we’ve been in the last few weeks, I think, we can be successful again, but we have to start with- we have to win the fight, be aggressive, be fully focused, going into the game and understand that it’s going to be another difficult game for us.”
One key player who will no longer be around this season, who in many people’s opinions has outgrown the Next Pro level while waiting to get a chance with the first team, is CJ Olney. Loaned to Lexington SC of the USL Championship for the remainder of 2025, he will have a chance to further his development and hopefully return to the Union next season where he can break into the first team squad.
As someone who has coached the first team, second team, and Academy, Richter is well versed in the pathway and what it looks at different levels, and was glad for Olney to get the opportunity for more challenge. “It’s good for him,” he related. “ You know, I think he’s been performing at this level for two and a half years now, so not really quite ready for the first team. So he needs another challenge, and he needs to step up to that. So I think it’s… he was doing well with us, and I saw him getting better every day. But you know, everyone’s path is a little bit different, and for him, hopefully this is a successful step that leads to him getting into the first team here and pushing on in his career, growing as a player and person.”
Another player who has trained with Union II and was out at training Thursday, but has not appeared yet with the squad, is Andrew Craig. He is a rising senior at YSC and part of the U-18s, and, of course, former Union homegrown/current CF Montreal center back Brandan Craig’s younger brother. He recently announced his commitment to University of Michigan. Richter has worked plenty with the Craigs, and discussed both of them at training on Thursday.
“Yeah, that’s awesome for him [Andrew], for the family. I mean, you know, amazing people and happy for him. You know, watching Brandon start last night was pretty cool. And, you know, some of the, it’s a good reminder how hard this game to be, but him the bounce back on his feet and now he’s starting, doing well in MLS. And now for Andrew, going to Michigan- I mean, it’s a great school and a great opportunity for him. So we’re we’re proud of him. We’re excited for him and it’s a great accomplishment for him first, for his family, and for YSC and for the Union Academy.”
Whether it is moving on to the first team, competing collegiately, or signing elsewhere, the Union Academy and Union II continue to be the springboard for many in their soccer career, and the investment the club has in them was on full display as they officially unveiled the WSFS Bank Sportsplex at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday. In addition to the playing fields and indoor turf field, the complex boasts brand new locker rooms, weight training/performance facilities, and more. In the near future, Union II will be playing matches at the complex, so stay tuned for more about that.
As for now, Union II will be away from the friendly confines of their campus in Chester as not only do they travel to Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews, North Carolina, but will then face NYCFC II and Carolina Core on the road before returning for their next home match on August 3 against FC Cincinnati 2. Catch the match against Crown Legacy on Saturday, July 19 at 7:00 PM ET on AppleTV/MLS Season Pass.
Main article photo credit: Philadelphia Union II
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