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Building a new Union

Tuesday, 24 November 09, 11:04 AM · Comments (0)

Tomorrow is a significant day for those fanatical Philadelphia Union fans. Perhaps you've heard of the Sons of Ben, but if you haven't, they are a story worth checking out. Yesterday, MLS released a list of protected players -- 11 on each team -- that the new club can't pick as the roster-building process will begin, and 10 players will have to make plans to pack up and move the day before Thanksgiving.

From a European perspective, the task of explaining an expansion draft process must boggle the mind. A new club enters the league, and is allowed to take players from the existing teams? Talk about madness. Imagine Wolves, upon earning promotion, getting a chance to select from the Premier League clubs.

That argument can be left for another day, however. With the list of unprotected players hot of the presses, here's a wild guess as to who may end up representing Philadelphia:

Goalkeeper

Jon Conway, Chivas USA

Defenders

James Riley, Seattle Sounders

Aaron Hohlbein, Kansas City Wizards

Mike Chabala, Houston Dynamo

Anthony Wallace, FC Dallas

Midfielders

Andrew Jacobson, D.C. United

Amado Guevara, Toronto FC

Bobby Convey, San Jose Earthquakes

Forwards

Bryan Jordan, Los Angeles Galaxy

Jason Garey, Columbus Crew

A draft such at that one would ideally yield a modest salary intake (though Convey and Guevara will be on the higher end of the spectrum) and provide a solid foundation. Hometown heroes Jon Conway and Convey will be a part of the Union's inaugural season.

Younger player like Andrew Jacobson, Jason Garey and Bryan Jordan will challenge for starting roles, pushing players older players for a starting role. While Wednesday's draft won't look like this, Peter Nowak and his technical staff have a lot of talented players to choose from.

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Building a new Union

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