‘We aren’t done:’ The Union contends there are still more additions to come as preseason begins

Union manager Bradley Carnell addressed the media for the first time in 2026, as the club prepares for its preseason camp next week in Marbella, Spain.

Carnell was accompanied by Jon Scheer, the Union’s director of academy and professional development, and, in the absence of sporting director Ernst Tanner, who has been on administrative leave, is part of a collective braintrust on sporting direction that includes Carnell, assistant sporting director Matt Ratajczak, and chief scout Chris Zitterbart.

The two spoke on the Union’s approach to what was an eventful winter transfer window, one that saw the departures of all-star-caliber players from the club’s Supporters’ Shield-winning campaign last season in Tai Baribo, Jakob Glesnes, and Kai Wagner.

But the Union were also active in acquiring players to retool its roster. The club spent a record $4.5 million to acquire Ghanaian striker Ezekiel Alladoh in December and made another deal to acquire centerback Japhet Sery Larsen for around $938,000.

Even with the changes, Scheer said the club has some more shopping to do.

Alladoh was the most significant of the Union’s acquisitions this offseason. The club paid a record fee for the 20-year-old striker, topping the $3.4 million fee it paid for striker Bruno Damiani last winter.

The Union sold Baribo, last year’s leading goalscorer, to D.C. United and allowed Mikael Uhre to leave in free agency, clearing the way for Damiani and Alladoh to begin the season as the first-choice strikers.

“[Alladoh’s] rise has been phenomenal,” Carnell said. “He’s been a target of the club upon my arrival, for example. So to get this acquisition, we’re incredibly excited about continuing his growth and development with us.”

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The Union shored up their attacking line with Alladoh, but they also sought reinforcements on the backline after trading Glesnes to the Los Angeles Galaxy and sending Wagner to English Championship side Birmingham City.

To help fill Glesnes’s spot at centerback, the club brought in 25-year-old Sery Larsen from Norwegian side SK Brann. Sery Larsen, a Danish national, made 80 appearances in three seasons with Brann. Carnell compared Sery Larsen’s arrival to Glesnes’, who joined the Union in 2020.

“[Sery Larsen] is of a caliber of a young leader,” Carnell said. “Jakob came into this environment, I think at a similar age to Sery Larsen, at the age of 25, and developed into a real good leader in and around the locker room and the team. Sery Larson comes in from a caliber and a quality level that almost commands respect in and around teammates. But, you know, the performance has to fit.”

While a few of the team’s more vocal leaders have left, Alejandro Bedoya returns for his 11th season with the Union. Carnell said that he and Tanner met with Bedoya to discuss the captain’s future prior to Tanner being placed on administrative leave, and left the decision up to Bedoya.

“Knowing the impact that Ale’s had at this club, and knowing how important he is, in and around here, from setting the tone, the standards, the locker room, the leadership, we totally left it open to Ale Bedoya, if he would like to continue,” Carnell said. “Knowing the changes that happened in 2024, the conversation was so enlightening and so rewarding because, you know, he felt surprised that we were willing to bring him back.”

Bedoya’s on-field role has diminished in recent years, though the 38-year-old made 10 starts for the Union last season.

“I’ve seen what Ale does on the training field,” Carnell said. “I’ve seen what he does in games, the commitment, the bloody nose on the shield game. I know exactly what kind of person Ale is. When he reached out to us in the offseason to say he’s still chasing the cup and he wants to come back, doors opened, conversations happened, and we were so happy to bring him back.”

In addition to his playing roles as team captain and versatile midfielder, Bedoya will also continue his front office responsibilities as a player development and front office specialist.

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The Union are shopping for a new starting-level left back to replace Wagner. For years, it was no secret that Kai Wagner wanted to go to Europe. It came up seemingly every offseason, even after the left back signed a new long-term contract with the Union in early 2024.

At a certain level, that part of Wagner’s tenure in Chester will not be missed. But his contributions on the field obviously will be, as statistically one of the best left backs in MLS for many years. His departure ended up coming at a time when the Union’s depth chart at the position isn’t great.

Frankie Westfield and Nathan Harriel can play the role, but neither is a natural. So it will come as a relief to fans that the club’s brass made it clear Friday that they’re shopping for a new left back, presumably one who can start.

“While we’ve made a few signings, we aren’t done,” said Scheer on Friday. “We’re very active in the transfer market. We look forward to continuing to attack, so that our club is in the best possible position come 2026 and the season’s start.”

“Kai is a player that has had a lot of interest over the years, and has had ambition to go across to Europe as part of his career,” Scheer said. “He’s been an important part of the team and certainly brought a lot of key characteristics. But certainly we feel like we’re in a position where this is something we’ve been planning for just in case, and it’s really important that Bradley has a lot of tools at has disposal.”

Carnell said that, along with Westfield and Harriel, attacking midfielder Ben Bender has been training at the position in case of emergency.

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“If we had to play a game tomorrow,” Carnell said, those three names would be the depth chart.

“Like John mentioned, we’re always also looking,” he continued. “And we feel we’re not done in terms of our scouting and process to see what’s on the market. But we don’t want to make a rush purchase where it doesn’t make sense, or a rush purchase where we feel under pressure just to make an acquisition.”

The Union finalized its preseason schedule on Friday, with five games on the calendar. The team will leave for Marbella, Spain, on Saturday night, and will play three games there: Jan. 20 vs. Czech club Sigma Olomouc, Jan. 23 vs. Demark’s Nordsjælland, and Jan. 29. vs. Montenegro’s Budućnost.

The Nordsjælland matchup could see Milan Iloski play the club he came to MLS from, moving first to San Diego FC before joining the Union in the middle of last year.

After returning to Philadelphia on Jan. 31, players will get a few days off before the team heads to Clearwater, Fla. They’ll play the second-tier USL Championship’s Tampa Bay Rowdies in St. Petersburg on Feb. 7 and CF Montréal on Feb. 10 at the Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex in Clearwater.

The Tampa Bay game will be open to fans. It’s not clear yet if the Montréal game will be, or if any of the five games will be broadcast.

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