December 17, 2016
Friday afternoon is usually a time to unload negative news when no one is paying attention.
Yesterday, however, was not the case.
For starters, it looks like at least two Union players will receive national team call ups in the coming days. Speaking during a Facebook live chat, Bruce Arena said Chris Pontius and Keegan Rosenberry will head to Carson, California for the looming January camp.
This camp generally provides an opportunity for fringe American players to earn national team experience. Jeff Parke, for instance, took part in the 2013 camp after moving from Seattle to Philadelphia. C.J. Sapong's lone U.S. call came as a member of Sporting Kansas City, also during the January camp.
Rosenberry and Pontius have a chance to earn a cap on the 29th of next month, when the Americans host Serbia at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium.
This will be Rosenberry's first appearance with the national team. Pontius received call-ups in 2010 and 2011 but did not appear in friendlies against Chile, Costa Rica, or Belgium.
Alejandro Bedoya, who appeared frequently for former national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann, may or may not take part in the January camp. Veteran Americans and consistent starters are usually given the month off.
Getting traded to @PhilaUnion appears to have been the best thing that ever happened to Chris Pontius #USMNT #ComebackPlayer
— Tim Sosar (@SoB_Tim) December 16, 2016
Are you keeping track of these drafts?
We've already completed the waiver draft and the expansion draft. The SuperDraft takes place next month.
Friday was round one of the "Re-Entry draft". Per MLS rules, "players who are out-of-contract or had their options declined and are at least 23 with a minimum of three years of MLS experience or are at least 25 with a minimum of four years of league experience are eligible for Re-Entry".
Got it? Good.
The Union passed in round one of re-entry, which requires teams to pick up a player's contract option or extend him a bona-fide offer relative to what he made with his prior team.
In round two, which takes place next Thursday, clubs are free to negotiate new contracts.
Most of the selections are made in round two, but Philly generally avoids this mechanism entirely. Conor Casey and Corben Bone are the Union's only re-entry selections in franchise history.
It's generally a good thing to see re-entry inaction. Free agency has watered down this mechanism a bit, and the Union now have a legitimate Sporting Director in Earnie Stewart who has strong international connections. The club is also producing through the academy in 2016, so there are better avenues to explore for player acquisition.
But I do like a few names in this year's draft.
The first is Michael Stephens, the 27-year-old midfielder who won a pair of championships in Los Angeles before joining Bob Bradley at Stabaek. He played the last two years with the Chicago Fire.
Stephens is a solid ball-mover who can cover nicely at the number eight spot, or in wide positions. He earned $105,000 as a base salary in 2016 and would not the break the bank.
The second player is Damion Lowe, the former Reading United defender who was drafted by Seattle in 2014. Philly's disappointment over Lowe going to the Sounders was publicly documented in an excellent, in-depth piece by Andrew Wiebe written after the SuperDraft.
Lowe is a 6'3" center back with one cap for the Jamaican national team. He played the 2015 season for the Sounders second team, then went on loan this year to Minnesota United, who are leaving the NASL and joining MLS in 2017. I would expect United to take a shot at Lowe if possible. For the Union, he would be a nice first-team backup, or a guy who could continue to develop at Bethlehem Steel, which is run by his former Reading coach, Brendan Burke.
The third player is Steve Neumann, another Reading product who escaped Philly in the draft. Neumann is a midfielder who found himself stuck down the pecking order in New England, and could also be a nice signing for the Steel.
As far as Union contributions to the re-entry list, only Leo Fernandes was available for selection, meaning that the player and the club are no longer in contract talks. Charlie Davies' name was not on the list, which means that he either opted out of the process or is currently discussing a new Philly deal.
