Union opt Out of MLS SuperDraft Again
Philadelphia Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner has made it clear from the beginning he doesn’t really want to be involved in the yearly MLS SuperDraft. 2021 is no different.
The Union have acquired up to $225,000 in General Allocation Money from Nashville SC in exchange for 2 picks in the 2021 Draft (numbers 46 and 73) and the Union’s first-round pick in the 2022 SuperDraft. The Union are guaranteed at least $50,000 of the GAM and can see an additional $175,000 should the players chosen by Nashville meet performance-based metrics.
Ernst Tanner stated “Our philosophy is, and continues to be, focused on our academy pipeline as a source for cultivating young talent for our first team. As we see two homegrown players continue on to European leagues and ten total homegrowns on our 2021 roster, we’ve proven that our model and allocation of resources works.”
Tanner is right. The Union have mastered the process of creating a deep academy that can continuously roll out and develop new players year after year. There is no reason to mingle with the SuperDraft. This doesn’t mean that good players don’t come out of the SuperDraft, the Union selected GK Andre Blake number 1 in 2014 and we all see how that worked out. The Union bring in as many as 5 rookie players every year as homegrown players, drafting anymore wouldn’t make much sense, so getting a profit of GAM from the picks is the best-case scenario. When your academy is producing talents such as Brenden Aaronson and Mark McKenzie, it makes sense to put as much as you can into it.
This philosophy about the draft isn’t new from Tanner. The Union have not drafted a player from the MLS SuperDraft since 2018 when they selected Matt Danilack in round 4. It has worked for Tanner and the Union so far, there is no reason to believe it won’t continue to work.
Featured Image: Wes Shepherd/PHLSportsNation
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Categorized:Union