Potential breakout stars, the Union’s championship window, and more from Jonathan Tannenwald’s AMA
The World Cup, Julián Carranza, and transit to Subaru Park all came up during our Reddit AMA.
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Ahead of the start of the Union’s season, fans had a lot of questions about the team as it aims to get over the top and win the MLS Cup two years after a heartbreaking loss in the final. Inquirer soccer writer Jonathan Tannenwald took to Reddit for an AMA in which he answered those questions — as well as some about the 2026 World Cup coming to Philadelphia.
You can check out the whole thread on Reddit, but here are some highlights …
Q: Other than Jack McGlynn, who is the top breakout star candidate for the Union this season?
A: Jesús Bueno. He can play multiple positions in midfield, and he has really grown in confidence in recent months. I would have said Quinn Sullivan, but I don’t trust yet that he’ll play enough to reach breakout status.
Q: I’m wondering if you have any insight into plans the Union have going forward in Chester. Is there any hope of improving transit access to the stadium? Any whispers of stadium expansion/modifications?
A: I wish as much as anyone that there was better transit access to the stadium, but it’s still a huge headache and I don’t see it changing any time soon. I haven’t heard anything about stadium expansion or modifications, but the Union know they are way behind other MLS team in terms of luxury seating and other high-end stuff that makes big money. They need to do something about that.
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Q: The perception is the Union are a low-income club in the league that makes spending heavily on players somewhat prohibitive for them. What is the honest answer for how the Union do financially? Do they have the means to spend more or do they have legitimate constraints compared to other teams?
A: There’s no real honesty out there about how the Union or any other MLS team does financially, because there’s no really thorough, independent accounting. Forbes’ latest MLS franchise value report estimated that the Union lost $7 million last year, but that’s just an estimate. I think they have some legitimate constraints, both from the ownership group’s relative wealth and the lack of luxury seating — and overall seating, these days — at Subaru Park. But I think they can spend more on big-time players if they want to.
Q: All last year people were saying that the window was closing on the Union’s chance to win something. Do you agree with this sentiment and what is the general plan for the organization’s future domestic success since we don’t seem to hold onto young talent long after they make it into the first team?
A: I don’t think any team’s window in MLS is ever fully closed, because it’s built like the NFL — you can rebuild pretty quickly if you want to. As for not holding on to young talent, I’ve said this for a long time and I’ll say it again: Selling players is a good thing. Every team in the world does it, even the big ones like Real Madrid and Manchester United. The key to selling players is to get the most money you can, then spend that money on the big-time attacking talent that will win you trophies. That’s a step the Union haven’t taken enough. I think if they’d sold Julián Carranza this winter — well, if he’d accepted any of the big offers that were on the table — we’d have seen that in motion. I’m sure we will down the road, because it’s one of Ernst Tanner’s specialties. But it’s fair to say it’s not happening right now.
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Q: Is the Union youth pipeline still that good? It seems like there hasn’t been an impact homegrown signing in years, and the highly touted ones keep signing elsewhere or flame out.
A: Yes, I think it is still that good. David Vazquez is a serious talent whom the Union spent real money on to bring in from Los Angeles. C.J. Olney and Neil Pierre are major prospects, too. And of course, there’s Cavan Sullivan, if the Union can convince his family to let him start his pro career instead of going straight to Europe. It will be a big black eye if Sullivan turns them down. But there are many other talents in the pipeline, and I expect that to continue.
Q: What positives and negatives do you foresee coming to soccer in the area by hosting World Cup matches in Philly?
A: I really think Philadelphia is going to benefit the most of any 2026 U.S. host city in terms of what it will mean for the city’s reputation on the global stage. People are going to come here who’ve never been, and maybe never would have come, and they’re going to see all the great things the city has: restaurants, parks, monuments, neighborhoods, walkability. Does it mean soccer will be treated as a truly mainstream sport here? Who knows. But I think there will be a lot of benefits. I’ll leave the Negadelphia side of the conversation up to the rest of you.