Ernst Tanner, Jim Curtin praise Union for strong 2021 campaign

The Philadelphia Union may have fell one match short of playing for the 2021 MLS Cup, but overall still delivered another strong season under head coach Jim Curtin. Now the goal for the club will be to refuel and prepare for a deeper run next season as the team aims to become a consistent contender for trophies.

Both Curtin and Ernst Tanner spoke to media on Thursday at their year-end press conference, providing updates on a wide-range of topics, including the current roster and possible inclusions this winter. The Union retained several key pieces of their roster including centerbacks Jakob Glesnes and Jack Elliott, as well as forwards Kacper Przybylko and Sergio Santos. While the club still possesses one of the growing squads in MLS, reinforcements could be coming at the forward position.

“We have our roster which is competitive, as long as we don’t lose someone,” Tanner said. “We might get 1-2 strikers to enhance our competitiveness. We are being patient right now, but who knows maybe in a few weeks we will have something to announce.”

“I am proud of our players for taking another step as a club,” Curtin said. “We were able to get back to the playoffs and reach an East Final for the first time. In the Concacaf Champions League we went toe-to-toe with the best team in our continent [Club America] and I thought made our fans and league proud for going farther than any other MLS club this year.”

A big boost to the club’s success in 2021 was the stellar play of several Homegrown players including Paxten Aaronson, Quinn Sullivan, Jack McGlynn, and Nathan Harriel. All four players saw time on the field this season, a major boost for their long-term futures as MLS players, or even as players in Europe.

All four players will hope to play continued key roles for the club in 2022, even with some possible roster additions coming into the squad. Aaronson, McGlynn, and Sullivan could be part of the U.S. under-20 men’s national team during the winter months, an added opportunity to continue their overall developments before the start of the new league season in late-February.

“We had a lot of young players play key roles for us this season and frankly they are ready to go when they come to us in the first team,” Curtin said. “We had Quinn Sullivan, who covered plenty of ground and got Champions League minutes, Jack McGlynn has one of the highest soccer IQ’s I’ve worked with, Paxten Aaronson dominated some MLS games and can play anywhere in the world. I think you’re just going to continue seeing these guys make an impact and the next crop of guys hopefully get their chances over the next season.”

“I’m absolutely proud of the homegrown development and the player development,” Tanner said. “This is our DNA, and this is how we emphasize on the future as well. And of course, I’m very proud of what happened after the regular season in the playoffs. Everybody could see that we are really competitive and would probably be possible to win the whole thing if everybody was here. The last adversity, we couldn’t overcome it.”

One young player who isn’t with the Union, but making headlines in Europe is Homegrown forward Jack De Vries. De Vries, who has four first team appearances under his belt, is currently with Italian Serie A club Venezia, and coming off his senior debut on Wednesday in the Coppa Italia competition.

De Vries, 19, has excelled on loan with the Venezia’s under-19, scoring seven goals in nine appearances, before earning his first opportunity with the senior team. His immediate future with the Union remains unknown, but Curtin and Tanner are pleased with his work overseas.

“The Venezia coaches are telling me that Jack De Vries needs to be patient, but will be earning minutes with the first team if he sticks with it,” Tanner said. “He’s in a good spot and I am happy to follow on his progress there. He is happy there.”

The Union will now head into their offseason break before kicking off training camp in February before the regular season opener on Feb. 26th at Subaru Park.