Union Sign Forward Andrew Wooten
On Thursday, June 20th, the Philadelphia Union announced that they signed 29-year-old German-American forward Andrew Wooten using Targeted Allocation Money.
Formerly on German squad SV Sandhausen, he will be added to the active roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate when the July 9th Secondary Transfer Window opens.
After trading striker C.J. Sapong prior to the start of the season, dealing David Accam midseason and being without Cory Burke due to visa issues, the Union solidified the forward position with Andrew Wooten and added a scoring threat that will help the Union solidify a top spot in the East. Wooten will not be available in the team’s next four games against New England, New York City FC, at Orlando, and home versus Orlando but he will be fresh for the following games and ready to make an immediate impact for Philadelphia. Andrew Wooten will wear number 7 for the Union as he wore that same number for SV Sandhausen the past two seasons.
PLAYER NEWS ?: Union sign forward Andrew Wooten to the squad.
?Help us welcome Andrew to Philly!
Deets ? http://t.co/jYLWALfzBZ#DOOP pic.twitter.com/z8FSLIowNo
— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) June 21, 2019
Andrew Wooten is joining the Union following a spectacular 2018-19 season for SV Sandhausen in the 2. Bundesliga where he scored 17 goals and added on an assist in 31 appearances including 13 goals in the team’s final 18 games. He finished the season tied for fourth in the 2. Bundesliga in goals scored. Wooten began his professional soccer career with the Wormatia Worms in Germany in 2008 as he played for the club for two years from 2008-09. He then joined SV Sandhausen on loan in 2012 before playing for FSV Frankfurt for one season on a loan.
His next move included permanently transferring to SV Sandhausen before 2014-15 and he has not looked back since with eight, six, and nine goals scored over the next three seasons. He sat out most of the 2017-18 season due to an injury but quickly got back on track this season with his stellar performances and goal-scoring ability. Wooten played for SV Sandhausen from 2014-2019, FSV Frankfurt in 2014, SV Sandhausen from 2012-13, 1. FC Kaiserslautern from 2009-2014, and the Wormatia Worms from 2008-09.
?? Woot, there it is! – @SonsofBen
Let’s take a quick peek at our newest forward, Andrew Wooten ?#DOOP | @MLS pic.twitter.com/FqipaQDRsd
— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) June 21, 2019
Philadelphia Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner was very excited about the signing as he stated:
“We are delighted to complete this signing and we’d like to officially welcome Andrew to the Union. He is a strong forward who had interest from many teams around the world, so to have him choose Philadelphia as the next stop in his career is a tremendous compliment. We are all looking forward to integrating Andrew as quickly as possible and having him ready to play as soon as he is eligible following the opening of the transfer window.”
The Andrew Wooten signing was announced at a Men in Blazers live show in front of a sell-out crowd at the Theatre of Living Arts. Wooten then made a surprise guest appearance as he was introduced by co-hosts Roger Bennett and Michael Davies in a breaking news segment.
At the event, Alejandro Bedoya spoke on the Wooten signing as he stated: “I’d like for us to score more goals. It’s good that we have other guys coming in and scoring some but I want a guy that can score a lot of goals that we can rely on, that can make something out of nothing.”
Andrew Wooten has also earned one cap for the United States Men’s National Team as he made a substitute appearance against Costa Rica on October 13th, 2015.
Andrew Wooten talked about playing soccer in the United States as he stated, “I think it’s a great time to be a soccer player in the United States. I would love to play for the United States again but my focus is the Philadelphia Union.”
?Union insider @AdamTCann sits down to learn a bit about our newest player, Andrew Wooten, from who better than Andrew Wooten himself!
Head here for the FULL episode! ??http://t.co/EsN9tn0Uns#DOOP pic.twitter.com/CX6YOnPv0M
— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) June 21, 2019
Standing at 6’1” and weighing in at 187 pounds, Andrew Wooten plans to become the number one striker in the Union lineup and put the team on his back in terms of scoring goals and earning wins. Wooten’s talented ability up top will free up space for other attackers in the formation and will lead to many more chances in the final third for the Union. As a “box” player, Wooten believes he can put in the hard work and effort in order to dominate the field and earn his money with Philly.
Here’s hoping Andrew Wooten can prove to be the true striker which the Union have been missing all season and finish most of the offensive chances in the final third for the Boys in Blue when he is eligible to play on July 13th against Real Salt Lake. Wooten, there it is!
Featured image: philadelphiaunion.com
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