CHESTER — The Philadelphia Union’s run to the Supporters’ Shield in 2025 was powered by three All-Stars. By the time the Union opened 2026 training camp this week, all three had new employers, the Union retained only two players over the age of 30 and a delayed rebuild seemed to be well in pro gress. All part of the plan, then? For a front office relying on a by-committee approach while Ernst Tanner remains on administrative leave pending an MLS investigation into his workplace conduct? “We’re not changing just for change sake,” Director of Academy and Professional Development Jon Scheer said Friday at a season-opening press conference. “We’re changing because we have belief that with the assets we’re able to acquire with our current roster and with our philosophy and the development that Bradley (Carnell) and his staff bring every single day, the pieces can help ultimately add to that. But certainly the process is our foundation and the strategy kind of aligns it all.” There’s faith in that process, one that led the Union to a trophy in 2025, one that replaced longtime coach Jim Curtin last January with 2025 Coach of the Year Bradley Carnell, one that has consistently allowed them to turn players into assets and those assets into new players that repeat the cycle. So there’s precedent for Scheer believing in what he called a “busy but very intentional offseason,” one that was “business as usual” even without Tanner’s hand on the tiller for the first time since 2018. Whether deals that sent to Jakob Glesnes to the L.A. Galaxy and Tai Baribo to D.C. United were expected or adaptations to offers the Union couldn’t refuse, the Union felt ready to react to the business presented to them in a way that they hope will benefit in 2026 and beyond. “Our process gives us confidence,” Scheer said. “Just like our game model is one that’s brave and trusting the instincts and the principles, it’s the same thing with our scouting process and how we approach the windows. We have to be brave in terms of having the belief that we’ve valued the work that we’ve done, but also in what we see.” It was a bold move to let go of Glesnes, who was under contract but turns 32 in March, an MLS Defender of the Year runner-up in 2025 in rebounding from an awful 2024. It was bold to part ways with Baribo, the team’s leading scorer last year at 16 goals, though the Union weren’t going to more than double his salary as D.C. did. It was bold to bid farewell to the club’s all-time assist leader in Kai Wagner, though his move to Birmingham City in the English League Championship both takes him out of MLS and helps fulfill the German’s long-term aspiration to return to Europe. On paper, that looks like a lot of loss. But the Union pride themselves on depth and development. So while it’s early in the latest cycle of develop-sell-reinvest, the talent to develop is there, as are assets for “a lot of optionality and flexibility as we go about approaching 2026,” in Scheer’s words. That isn’t just organizational spin, though theirs is some of that. As Carnell highlighted, no one expected at this point last season that Olwethu Makhanya, who hadn’t played an MLS minute in more than a year with the club, would emerge as not just a starter but one of MLS’s best young center backs. No one expected Frankie Westfield to hold down the right back job in his debut season. The vision wasn’t clear when Carnell took the job on Jan. 2, 2025, the first person not named Jim Curtin to lead the Union since 2014. Yet it resolved into an Open Cup semifinal, the Eastern Conference semifinals and a trophy. A year later, it opens space to believe in possibilities. “The preseason can tell a lot,” Carnell said, a day before the group departs for camp in Marbella, Spain. “So I’m excited, because every year we look, players have had a year’s development playing in the system that now should be accustomed to everybody. We’re getting new players in. So you get to feel the room a little bit, who’s presenting themselves in what manner, and how can we utilize the formations, the tactics, the player personnel in different key positions.” Questions remain. One is the leadership void, the Union having hollowed out the midcareer portion of the roster. Players like Quinn Sullivan and Nathan Harriel, still in their early 20s, are now among the most tenured. Replacing 31-year-old Mikael Uhre with 20-year-old Ezekiel Alladoh and Glesnes with 25-year-old Japhet Sery Larsen is a significant youth shift. But Carnell points out that Sery Larsen is a 25-year-old with captaincy and European experience, the same profile as when Glesnes signed in 2020. “It’s already in process,” Carnell said. “Where there’s opportunity, players are eager to step up. Players are eager to learn. Players are developing. So some of our guys have had a year of development with us, if you think of contributions that players have made throughout the last year. And I’ve heard different voices in the training environment already, which is a great sign for me.” Scheer strongly hinted that the team is not done shopping. They’ve been connected to another center back in Colombian Geiner Martinez. Left back is an area of potential addition with the Wagner deal coming later. There’s also a likelihood of Homegrown additions, to the first team or Union II. “We just want to make it very, very clear: While we’ve made a few signings, we aren’t done,” Scheer said. “We’re very active in the transfer market. We look forward to continuing to attack it so that our club is in the best possible position come 2026 as the season starts.” Carnell held high regard for the performance of his team in the first week of in-market training in Chester this week. Almost all of the group was available, and he’s starting to see dynamics at play. The Union played 41 games in all competitions last year. With CONCACAF Champions Cup, which kicks off their season Feb. 18 in Trinidad and Tobago, that number is likely to be much higher this year. That offers plenty of opportunity for a younger group to play and grow. The Union are skipping the Open Cup in favor of Leagues Cup, which has a revamped format. “I’m always eager and brave to give opportunities,” Carnell said. ...read more read less