The Philadelphia Union are worse this week than last. That’s the unavoidable conclusion after Monday’s trade of Jamiro Monteiro to San Jose, returning cash and an international spot, neither of which will suit up in the season-opener in 10 days.
Manager Jim Curtin didn’t hit back at that assertion Wednesday, as the Union enter their final week of preseason preparation in Florida.
“We have good, decent depth, but certainly when you lose a player of Jamiro’s quality, we’re not better,” Curtin said via Zoom. “That doesn’t make us better. He’s a guy that meant a ton to the club, won a ton of games for us, and certainly now it will be an opportunity for others to fill in in his absence.”
With Monteiro, the Union would’ve had five certain starters for four positions, plus a handful of rising young Homegrown talents. The deal, netting up to $450,000 in allocation money divided between the next two years and an international spot (going rate: $250,000), yields no immediate return. Instead, it ships one of the club’s best players the last three years, with his nine goals and 21 assists (fourth-most in franchise history) west.
From a front office standpoint, cashing in a surplus asset makes sense. But as Curtin argues, the field-level impact is less rosy.
It comes wrapped in ifs. If the Union fill that empty designated player spot and international spot with an in-kind replacement, maybe someone younger and with a higher ceiling. If young players like Quinn Sullivan and Jack McGlynn make good on their eased path to playing time toward an eventual European sale. If the Union stay healthy and don’t feel a sudden need for midfield depth.
There are, as Curtin said, “a million different things that go on” in a transfer. One in this case was the Quakes’ willingness to offer the 28-year-old term, offering what Curtin called “maybe longer-term stability for him and his family.” Another was Monteiro’s request of a transfer last summer, a demand that was assuaged for the Union to make a run to the Eastern Conference final.
To get something down the road, you often have to give something up. But unlike the trade of Kacper Przybylko to Chicago, the Union didn’t get all that much back. So the benefits wait for another day.
“First and foremost, I want to thank him for the years that he gave the Philadelphia Union, three of the best years, certainly, in our club’s history,” Curtin said. “A player that you guys have heard me gush about in every press conference, just how special and talented he is, among the top players I’ve ever worked with in my short coaching career. So a thank you to Jamiro for raising this club to another level, winning us our first trophy here and being just a great player and a special person.”
• • •
Speaking of guys not in a position to make the Union better, Mikael Uhre remains in Europe, “less and less likely” that Curtin will have the offseason signing for the opener against Minnesota.
“Frustrating situation for all,” Curtin said. “Mikael just wants to be here helping the team. I just want him to get integrated with his teammates, but things that are out of our control have made that take longer.”
The Danish club-record signing was acquired Jan. 27. He’s dealing with delays in his visa paperwork.
• • •
In the last month, two Union Academy products have made the jump to Europe, with Auston Trusty acquired by Arsenal and Anthony Fontana signing with Ascoli. That adds the English Premier League and Italy’s Serie B to the leagues sporting a Union alum.
The Union will profit directly from both – Trusty via a sell-on fee from when he was traded to Colorado in 2019 and Fontana via solidarity payments as the club of his development. But the value to the Union’s emphasis-on-youth brand is even more pronounced.
“That makes us proud,” Curtin said. “It’s part of our DNA as a club. Any time players move on to reach their, I’ll call it, potential or maximum, it makes us happy. A lot of work goes on from our sports performance department, our academy coaches, our academy staff, our academy teachers, we all share in that victory and it makes us happy.”
Curtin’s press availability occurred just before Brenden Aaronson’s Red Bull Salzburg squared off in the Champions League Round of 16 with 2020 champion Bayern Munich. Aaronson assisted on Salzburg’s opener in a 1-1 draw, as the number of suitors for his services increases and the reported transfer fee now starts in the $20 million neighborhood.
“There’s no better advertisement for the Philadelphia Union than what’s going to happen at 3 o’clock when people tune in and see Brenden on the field, playing against the best team in the world on the biggest stage,” Curtin said. “That is so powerful. Every young American kid, we want them to look up and say, ‘I want to play in Philadelphia because they give young players a chance, they put them on the field and push them to create an environment that reaches their maximum as players.”
• • •
NOTES >> The trade with San Jose and Jakob Glesnes’ acquisition of a green card means the Union have two open international spots. It could be three if Cory Burke obtains a green card, which he’s finalizing. The last time this was attempted was May 2019, when an error left him stranded in Jamaica for six months and unable to return to the Union until late 2020, after loan spells in Jamaica and Austria. … Stop traffic, Sergio Santos is hurt again. The striker has a foot contusion that Curtin thinks is not serious but will keep him out of the exhibition finale against Nashville SC. … Olivier Mbaizo has been back with the group for a week after the Africa Cup of Nations. While he played sparingly in the tournament, Curtin was happy to see the right back log 90 minutes in the third-place game, which Cameroon won. “That shows you a lot of where you’re at,” Curtin said. “He’s been able to train with us four or five times, which is good. He looks the same, looks fit and we’re happy with where he’s at.”
