Union Sign Paxten Aaronson to Homegrown Deal
On the morning of August 14, sources told MLSsoccer.com that the Philadelphia Union signed 16-year-old attacking midfielder Paxten Aaronson to a Homegrown contract.
Paxten is the younger brother of Brenden Aaronson, who played phenomenally well and impressed scouts in Europe during the MLS is Back Tournament, as he earned a spot in the ‘MLS is Back’ Best XI.
Brenden is currently in his second season with the Union after he made his way through the YSC Academy and Union II.
The Aaronson brothers of the @PhilaUnion are having a breakout 2020:
? Brenden (19)
?? First cap
? Named to ‘MLS is Back’ Best XI
? Heavily scouted by ?? Bundesliga teams? Paxten (16)
☝️ Debuts for @PhilaUnionII
✍️ Reportedly signs homegrown dealYou love to see it. ? pic.twitter.com/X3RQX5A2zO
— Football Wonderkids (@fbwonderkids) August 14, 2020
Paxten earned his USL Championship debut for Union II on July 22 as a 67′ substitute in the team’s 5-1 loss against New York Red Bulls II.
Aaronson recorded his first professional start on August 5 in Union II’s 3-2 victory over Red Bulls II.
May I add that it is pretty ironic how he made his debut and first pro start against the Red Bulls, the Union’s biggest rival.
The Medford, New Jersey native has logged a total of 181 minutes in four appearances for Union II. It is also important to note that he has made an appearance in every match that he has been available for Union II. His quality as a midfielder allows him to make a difference in the game, both on the ball and his movement off of it.
In an interview with Joe Tansey, Brenden spoke highly of his brother and stated, “Having my brother and Dad help me is huge for my development.
I’ve said it a lot in the past, the play that I’ve had with my Dad and brother has been huge. My brother pushed me every single day. It’s not easy playing him 1v1 at all. He’s so quick and he’s such a good little player and the 1v1s that we play is huge. I think that has a lot to do with it and our competitive nature with each other. I think we pushed each other a lot over the break and he’s doing really well with [Union II]. I want to keep hearing what he’s doing. It was a really big break for me and I feel like I put a lot of work in.”
Paxten will look to complete the same path as his brother Brenden, making his way up the ranks with YSC Academy, Union II, and now the Philadelphia Union. Before the Aaronson brothers joined the Union Academy, they both played for Real Jersey FC in 2015. Paxten now joins the ladder of players to graduate from the academy and onto the first team as he followed the likes of his brother Brenden, Mark McKenzie, Matt Real, and Jack de Vries.
Stay tuned for details of the deal, but it may be a similar one to his teammate Nathan Harriel, who also recently signed with the first team. If all goes to plan, these two could be on the first team roster come January.
Keeping in mind the transfer rumors and teams linked with Brenden, it very well looks like one Aaronson may be out the door and another one on his way in.
Featured Image: Philadelphia Union II
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