Union Front Office Busy Early in Offseason
On November 20th at 2:30PM EST, the Philadelphia Union traded defender Auston Trusty to the Colorado Rapids for up to $750,000 in Allocation Money.
The Union will receive $600,000 in guaranteed allocation money and an extra $150,000 in additional allocation money pending certain incentives.
In 2020, Philadelphia will receive $300,000 in Targeted Allocation Money and in 2021 they’ll acquire $300,000 in General Allocation Money.
Auston Trusty was signed as a Homegrown player in August of 2016 and made 56 appearances for the squad in three seasons. In the 2018 season, Trusty was the only player on Philadelphia to play every minute of every regular-season game which set a new MLS record for the youngest field player to accomplish the feat over a 34 game regular season. Trusty tallied two goals and one assist in his short time with the Boys in Blue.
Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner spoke about the move by stating…
“On behalf of the organization, we want to thank Auston for his hard work and contributions to the team. Auston has been an integral part of our defensive line since signing with the club in 2016 and his efforts helped lead the team to consecutive playoff appearances. With the depth of our defensive roster, we believe this is the best move for both the club and Auston. As one of our homegrown signings, we are proud of his accomplishments and wish him the best of luck in Colorado.”
Auston Trusty will now rejoin his former teammate and defender Keegan Rosenberry, in Colorado. Trusty was not seeing the field towards the latter of last season and this move solidified the team’s stance on the 21-year-old defender. The front office must have felt content with the current backline and felt as if they did not need Trusty any longer.
Earlier in the offseason, the Philadelphia Union picked up the options of goalkeeper Joe Bendik, striker Cory Burke, midfielder Warren Creavalle, midfielder Anthony Fontana, defender Olivier Mbaizo, defender Mark McKenzie, forward Michee Ngalina, and defender Matt Real.
A Bonafide offer was extended to midfielder Ilsinho and the team also submitted offers to defender Aurelien Collin, and midfielder Jamiro Monteiro. Then on November 20th, Philadelphia announced that they declined the contract options of defender Fabinho, midfielder Marco Fabián, and defender RJ Allen.
On November 25th at 3:07PM EST, FC Cincinnati selected midfielder Haris Medunjanin with the first pick of the 2019 MLS End-of-Year Waiver Draft. Medunjanin was on the Union for three seasons as he made 98 appearances while scoring five goals and adding 17 assists.
On November 26th at 6:15PM EST, the Union traded forward Fafa Picault to FC Dallas for up to $375,000 in General Allocation Money. In 2020 Philadelphia will receive $300,000 of general allocation money and in 2021 an extra $75,000 in additional Allocation Money pending incentives.
Fafa Picualt was signed by Philly in February of 2017 and recorded three seasons with the club, as he made 89 regular-season appearances for the Union. Picualt notched 21 goals and 12 assists in his time with Philadelphia and was a key member of their historical 2019 season.
“We thank Fafa for his time served with the Philadelphia Union,” said Ernst Tanner. “His charisma on and off the field produced many notable moments for the club. Given our confidence with our roster at the position, this is the best move for the club and a great opportunity for the player.”
This was a surprise move to some fans since Picault was a speedy player that could change the dynamic of a game. The front office decided that it was best for the team to deal Fafa and go from there.
With all of the allocation money recently acquired, be on the lookout for Ernst Tanner to make a big move soon.
Featured Image: Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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