Key Dates For Philadelphia Union Fans To Pay Attention To During The Offseason
From Expansion Draft to SuperDraft: Navigating the Union's 2025 Roster Moves
With the conclusion of the MLS Cup on Saturday, which saw the LA Galaxy defeat the New York Red Bulls 2-1 to win their sixth MLS Cup, the 2024 MLS season officially concluded.
There are multiple key dates for Philadelphia Union fans to pay attention to as the offseason is now in full swing for the upcoming 2025 season, starting with tonight's MLS Expansion Draft.
Key Dates to Watch:
December 11 – MLS Expansion Draft
December 12 – MLS Free Agency Opens
December 12 – End-of-Year Waivers
December 13 – Re-Entry Stage 1
December 19 – Re-Entry Stage 2
December 20 – MLS SuperDraft
Expansion Draft
With San Diego FC joining MLS next season as the 30th team, they have the opportunity to select five players to bolster their roster ahead of their inaugural season. San Diego can select one player from any club that was left unprotected. Each MLS club can protect 12 players from their Senior and Supplemental Rosters. Homegrown Players 25 years old and under in the year in which the Expansion Draft takes place, who are on a club's roster at the end of the 2024 MLS Season, are automatically protected. If a player is selected, they will receive $50,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM).
The Philadelphia Union protected the following players:
Markus Anderson
Tai Baribo
Andre Blake
Jesús Bueno
Dániel Gazdag
Jakob Glesnes
Danley Jean Jacques
Olwethu Makhanya
Olivier Mbaizo
Oliver Semmle
Mikael Uhre
Kai Wagner
This means the following players were left unprotected:
Sam Adeniran (signed with LASK)
Alejandro Bedoya
Jamir Berdecio (loan expired)
Chris Donovan
Jack Elliott
Leon Flach (reportedly heading back to Germany)
Isaiah LaFlore
Joaquin Torres
The draft is set to begin at 10:30 PM EST.
Free Agency
The MLS Free Agency window opens on Thursday, December 12, with three Union players eligible: Alejandro Bedoya, Jack Elliott, and Matt Real. On November 26, the Union announced they were in negotiations with Bedoya and Elliott, but it remains unclear how talks are progressing.
MLS released the full list of eligible free agents on Wednesday morning, including these notable players:
Jesús Murillo (Center Back) – The former LAFC defender was earning $559,500 last season according to the MLSPA salary guide. The Colombian centerback appeared in 22 games last season in MLS for LAFC for a total of 1694 minutes.
Russell Canouse (Central Midfielder) – The former D.C. United midfielder underwent colectomy surgery last year and was limited to just two matches last year for United. Canouse was earning $650,000 last season. During his tenure with United, the Lancaster native played eight seasons for the club, making 136 appearances, scoring five goals, and assisting six in 10,662 minutes.
Dru Yearwood (Central Midfielder) – The former Nashville midfielder appeared in 25 games last season for the club, scoring once and assisting twice in 1528 minutes. He was earning $597,250 last season. Prior to Nashville, he spent four seasons with the New York Red Bulls, scoring three goals and assisting twice in 4,686 minutes.
While forwards Jeremy Ebobisse and Josef Martínez are intriguing options, it seems unlikely that either would accept the pay cut required to be a third-choice striker.
End-of-Year Waivers
The MLS End-of-Year Waivers process consists of players whose options are not exercised, who are not subject to the first right of refusal, and who are not eligible for Free Agency or the Re-Entry Draft.
The selection process is determined by the reverse order of the final standings in the 2024 MLS season, taking into account postseason performance. Expansion club San Diego FC gets the 30th pick, the final selection in each round. Once the MLS End-of-Year Waivers process is complete, those players who have not been selected may be signed by any MLS team on a first-come, first-served basis.
The only Philadelphia Union player that is eligible for the End of The Year Waivers is Brandan Craig, who the club announced on November 26th that they were in discussions regarding a new contract, but it remains unclear how those talks are progressing.
Re-Entry Draft
Similar to the End-of-Year Waivers process, the Re-Entry Draft is conducted in the reverse order of the final 2024 season standings, keeping in mind postseason performance. Expansion club San Diego FC will have the 30th selection.
During the Re-Entry Draft, MLS clubs can select players who are at least 22 years old, have a minimum of one service year, and who are not eligible for Free Agency. An out-of-contract player who has received a Bona Fide Offer from his current club will not be eligible for the Re-Entry Draft.
The Union have two players eligible for the Re-Entry Draft: Jamir Berdecio and Joaquin Torres.
MLS SuperDraft
The Philadelphia Union announced yesterday, December 10th, that they have agreed to a trade with the Colorado Rapids, which sees the Union trading every single one of their draft picks for the next three seasons to the Rapids. In exchange, the Union will receive a guaranteed $350,000 in GAM, with the GAM being allocated as follows: $125,000 in 2025, $125,000 in 2026, and $100,000 in 2027. If certain performance-based metrics are hit, the Union would receive an additional $250,000 in GAM, bringing the total to $600,000.
Under Sporting Director Ernst Tanner, the Union have rarely made selections in the MLS SuperDraft, with Tanner trading away picks to acquire players and GAM.
In 2019, the Union traded their picks to FC Cincinnati for $150,000 in GAM. In the summer of 2019, the Union traded their 2020 second-round pick to Columbus Crew for goalkeeper Joe Bendik.
In 2020, the Union traded their first-round pick and the No. 21 spot in the Allocation Order to D.C. United for their No. 17 spot in the Allocation Order. In rounds three and four, the Union passed on their selection. In the summer of 2020, the Union traded their first-round pick for 2021 to Orlando City for the Homegrown rights of defender Nathan Harriel.
In 2021, the Union traded their second and third picks to Nashville, as well as their 2022 first-round pick for $225,000 in GAM. In the winter of 2021, the Union traded their 2022 second-round draft pick in exchange for Julián Carranza on loan with an option to buy.
In 2022, the Union opted to make no selection in the third round.
In January of 2023, the Union traded their 2024 First Round Pick, $225,000 GAM, and the Homegrown rights to forward Shanyder Borgelin in exchange for defender Damion Lowe and a future sell-on percentage for Borgelin.
In the 2023 and 2024 drafts, the Union selected:
Holden Trent – 2023 (High Point)
Stefan Stojanovic – 2023 (Georgetown)
Stas Korzeniowski – 2024 (Penn)
Zachary Bohane – 2024 (Stanford)
Francesco Montali – 2024 (Boston)
Credit: MLS