CHESTER, Pa.— A new academy season is underway at the Philadelphia Union, one of the top youth academies in the nation. Coming off a season that saw the U-18s win the inaugural Snow Bowl and the Dallas Cup in dramatic fashion, and strong seasons for the younger squads as well, they embark on a new season that has seen several changes in leadership and new faces looking to make an impact.
Leadership changes
Along with many new and returning faces to the squads, there was also a domino effect with leadership changes in the first and second teams, leading to new roles within the academy.
With Ryan Richter being promoted to interim head coach of the first team, several Union II and academy coaches joined him as assistants. This includes Fred Da Silva and Henry Apaloo (Union II) and Ben Moane (U-15). U-18 coach Chris Harmon is currently the interim head coach of Union II. Nick Bibbs has joined the Union II staff as well, and will be involved in the academy as I understand it. He previously coached with the Union Academy, and was most recently with Sporting AC and has been involved with The SWAG.
The departure of U-16 head coach Peter McDonnell, who left for new ventures, also left a void in that role. Over the summer, a lot of movement happened in the coaching ranks, and as of now, these are what I understand the head coaching assignments for the academy to be:
James Barnes, who has been the Union Juniors Director/U-12 coach and coach for The SWAG, leads the U-18s. Bradford Jamieson IV, previously an assistant coach, is in charge of the U-16s. The head coach of the U-15s is Alex Ainscough, previously the U-13 head coach. Phil Karn returns to his position as U-14 head coach, while James Garces, who was previously an assistant coach at Gonzaga, joins as the head of the U-13s. Finally, Thiago Evangelista, who has been an assistant coach, takes over the U-12s.
Additionally, as Jon Scheer is now the sporting director of the first team, Paul Killian has taken the reins as the Academy director, and Chris Mannella is head of Academy scouting. Chad Balback is now the head of Academy goalkeeping after the departure of Jamie Cleland.
Opening matches
The MLS Next season kicked off at home for the U-18, U-16, and U-15 squads against DC United at home on Saturday, September 5. The 18s came away with a 2-1 win with goals by Timoni Gbalajobi and Chuka Ebo. The 16s suffered a 2-1 loss, while the 15s had a rough day with a 4-0 loss.
Union III, formerly called the Union Development Squad (UDS), competes in the UPSL and is generally comprised of U-18s and allows more players to get opportunities. They fell 3-2 to PA Prime on September 5, with goals from Ebo and Miles Smith. It is worth noting that some players got minutes in the morning match for the 18s, and then went up to Allentown to play in the UPSL match.
A full slate of home matches
Sunday, September 13 brought a full day of competition at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex with the 13s through the 18s playing against Real Futbol Academy. I was on hand to see some of them, and conveniently, all matches were streamed. It ended up being quite the winning day for Philadelphia teams in general, with the Eagles, Phillies, Union, and Union II all winning, and the Union Academy squads were not to be left out of that.
The 18s, out on the turf field, were victorious 4-1. Timoni Gbalajobi got the scoring started after he converted a first-half penalty kick. Early in the second half, keeper Matthew White was taken down in a collision that saw RFA score. However, the Union did not allow the level score to remain for long. Mateo Gallegos sent a fantastic ball to Chuka Ebo, who finished it to make it 2-1. Ebo followed that up with a goal from the top of the box, and Liam Holtzman scored the final goal via another assist from Gallegos.
The 16s were up next, and put up a four-spot by halftime. The first goal came off a header (I am unsure who scored it), which was followed up by a goal by Troy Raneses, assisted by Filipe Cruz. Jayden Staines scored a banger, assisted by Ryan Tamm, and Jacob Mays scored right before halftime. The 16s added one more goal in the second half, winning 5-0.
The 15s unfortunately were the only team to not pick up a win on the day, falling 2-1. The Union scored early, but that lead did not last as they gave up a PK in the 4th minute, and then another goal in the second half. The 14s and 13s played in the indoor facility, winning 2-0 and 2-1, respectively.
The day was capped off by a throttling in UPSL action, as Union III beat Cumberland Valley SC, a team that has struggled mightily, 13-1. Gbalajobi scored four goals, Chris Thompson scored two, and Holtzman, Javi Linares, Ebo, Elijah Tulleners, Daniel Sullivan, Sean Corbett, and Landon Mulvenna each scored one goal.
Notable new additions
While there are a lot of returning players that I rate highly, and I will definitely talk about them in the future, the Union have brought in some new additions to their rosters.
This author has observed several with the Union Academy even last season. Will Mihelic, who joins from Beachside in Connecticut (where Paul McGlynn—Jack’s dad—is a coach and director), featured in the Snow Bowl with the U-16s last February and looked impressive. Another exciting prospect is Almamy Barry (2013), who comes highly touted. He played with the U-15s in the Snow Bowl and in the spring.
Tommie Wysong, a UVA commit, joins the U-18s from Baltimore Armour. The Union seem to be getting a good amount of recruits lately from the Maryland area, including Javier Seymour from Coppermine, and Jacob Mays, who joined last season from Pipeline.
And I would be remiss if I did not mention there is a new recruit from my hometown of Lancaster in Redemptus Igiraneza, joining from PA Classics. He took a penalty kick in this past Sunday’s match against RFA.
Be sure to check out the livestreams that the Union makes available or go watch them in person. We will provide periodic coverage of the Academy squads throughout the season, so keep checking back for more content.
Main article photo by Jillian Almoney.
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