The Union bid farewell to Homegrown player Zach Pfeffer
after five seasons Friday in a deal with Colorado. (Times File)

An era ended Friday for the Philadelphia Union.

It wasn’t directly related to coaches or management or anything like that.

What ended Friday was the age of affixing outsized significance to the on-field actions of Zach Pfeffer on his narrow shoulders.

A bunch of other switches flipped with the trade of the 21-year-old midfielder to Colorado as the player to be named in the deal that landed the Union the No. 2 pick in Thursday’s SuperDraft and defender Joshua Yaro.

Pfeffer’s departure marks a clear end of what we can call the Nowak/Hackworth era of Homegrown signings, Pfeffer joining fellow honorees Jimmy McLaughlin and Cristhian Hernandez in the hallowed ranks of former Union members in a campaign that has been an unabashed failure. Pfeffer’s trade kicks out the crutch that often buckled under the weight of the Nick Sakiewicz regime that trumpeted commitment to Homegrown players out of one side of its mouth and whose only recourse was to point to Pfeffer in a desperate act of HG tokenism. (“See, we’re committed to Homegrowns. Look how Zach Pfeffer almost played last week.”)
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Conor Casey's day with the Union may be done
after the team declined his option Monday. (AP)

At long last, the Philadelphia Union have announced some action this offseason, declining options on five players.

Those not returning are midfielders Corben Bone and Fred, and forwards Conor Casey, Brian Brown and Cristhian Hernandez, while the Union also announced that Brian Carroll is out of contract.

Bone, who spent four largely indifferent seasons with Chicago, was drafted by the Union in Stage One of the 2013 Re-Entry Draft. He made just two MLS appearances totaling 13 minutes, capped by a red card after just one minute May 14 against Kansas City. The 26-year-old spent the end of the season on loan with USL Pro side Wilmington Hammerheads.

The 35-year-old Fred was signed via a Waiver Draft in late March after training with the club through most of the preseason. Fred appeared in 11 matches in his second stint with the Union, scoring the game-winning goal against New York July 16.

Hernandez was signed as a Homegrown Player before the 2012 season. He played in two matches, totaling 26 minutes in 2012, then spent most of the last two seasons with Harrisburg City. This year with the Islanders, he was limited to just 15 minutes while floating around several positions.

Brown spent the last four months of the regular season on loan from Jamaican club Harbour View FC. He played in eight games (one start) and scored twice, notching the game-winning goal against Kansas City Aug. 1, then scoring against SKC in a 2-1 win Oct. 18.

Casey, acquired via Stage Two of the 2012 Re-Entry Draft, scoring 18 goals and seven assists in 56 matches with the Union. Casey scored six of his eight MLS goals this season in a six-match stretch from May 31-July 16.

The Union’s roster stands at 24 players ahead of this week’s Expansion Draft (Wednesday) and the two phases of the Re-Entry Draft (Friday, then next Thursday).

Declining options doesn’t close the door to returns for any of the players, though it would be on renegotiated deals. Casey made $192,000 last year. Carroll raked in $185k, while Fred made $65k and Hernandez made $74k.

With the close of the MLS transfer window comes the inevitable move from the MLS Players Union to release salary figures for all players and teams in the league. The figures for the Union are listed below, the three summer transfer window signings’ totals in bold.

A few takeaways from the numbers (and if you want a more league-wide perspective, check this entry at The Goalkeeper blog):

- The Union haven’t done a whole lot in the summer transfer window. But what they have done, it appears, are solid pieces of business. Fabinho is only counting $78,000 against the salary cap for someone who has played in all four – likely five by Saturday – games for which he’s been available. He’s more expensive than the starter, Ray Gaddis, but then not many teams have regulars playing at that high of a level for league minimum. It’s possible that Oka Nikolov may not play this year in a meaningful match. If he doesn’t, the fact that he’s making the league minimum makes it almost inconsequential. And then there’s the future project that it appears Gilberto is destined to be. His base salary is less than that of Cristhian Hernandez, so let’s control the expectations.
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(Times staff/JULIA WILKINSON)

In preparation for Monday's MLS Waiver Draft, the Union emitted a subtle, "My bad," when they cut ties with three players.

On their way out the door are D Porfirio Lopez, MF Gabriel Gomez and FW Krystian Witkowski.

Lopez, a 27-year-old Costa Rican, was brought in by ex-Union boss Peter Nowak as a sure-fire back with as good a left foot as any. It turned out his left foot was non-existent. He started the first four matches of the season, subbed on for 12 minutes May 19 and never saw the pitch again.

Gomez, a 28-year-old Panamanian, did his part with six goals in 24 matches, including 18 starts. But the Union routinely played him out of his natural position. He was brought on board to be an attacking midfielder who, instead, found himself in the central midfield more often than not. Sure, he had a heck of a free-kick delivery from inside 25 yards, but he was otherwise a bust.

Witkowski, a 22-year-old rookie out of Marist, never really got his shot. He picked up a concussion in reserve-league duty and the 26th pick in the supplemental draft never saw action with the first team.

In terms of a re-do, the Union are looking toward 2013. These three releases are the first in a series of what should be a roster roller coaster this offseason.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

In other news, the Union added three names to their traveling cavalcade this offseason.

FW Freddy Adu left Monday for a two-week training stint with Galatasaray, a club in Turkey's Premier League. MF Michael Farfan and D/MF Amobi Okugo will train for an undisclosed stretch with SC Freiberg, of Germany's Bundesliga.

Also on the road this offseason are:

• GK Zac MacMath, who spent time with English Premier League side Everton
• FW Cristhian Hernandez, who was with Real Sociedad, of Spain's La Liga
• MF Jimmy McLaughlin, who is currently training with TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, of Bundesliga

Looks like the Union are loaning (Read: sending down) rookie midfielders Greg Jordan and Jimmy McLaughlin to USL Pro club Harrisburg City Islanders.

It's a move that had to be made. Here's why: They need playing time.

The Union took 22-year-old Jordan out of Creighton with the 32nd overall pick in January's SuperDraft. Earlier in the offseason, in December 2011, the Union made 19-year-old McLaughlin their second Homegrown Player. The only problem was the two have played with the first team in only one match --- Wednesday's loss to Aston Villa in a friendly.

There's only so much young players can soak up from MLS Reserve League matches, international friendlies or -- let's face it -- practice cones for the regulars. McLaughlin will be a better player because of this arrangement. So will Jordan. They'll play regularly with the Union's affiliate club.

Here's something else that can be gleaned from this personnel move: The Union have faith in Cristhian Hernandez and Zach Pfeffer. Both the forward and the midfielder have gotten similar amounts of playing time, yet remain with the big club. For depth? Hardly. It's probably a combination of two things -- a show of good faith by the technical staff and a statement that Hernandez and Pfeffer are closer to contributing than Jordan and McLaughlin.

(Associated Press)

There was no point to Wednesday's match. That is, because there were no points at stake. Therefore was no point for Union interim manager John Hackworth to start his regulars.

And he didn't, going with a starting XI that featured the likes of Zach Pfeffer (pictured), Cristhian Hernandez, Jimmy McLaughlin and Roger Torres. The average age of Hackworth's starters was 21.5 years.

Hackworth would disagree, that this game actually carried some merit.

“It's a great way for younger players to test themselves to see if they're ready to play at this level and, more importantly, to see if they're ready to play the kind of soccer we're going to represent every time we step on the field,” he said. “That's a hard thing for young guys to understand, and especially harder to go do. It's the toughness, the physical preparation that has to go into playing the way that we saw our team play those last 30 minutes. That's the expectation and I'll never drop that. The first time I sat up here as the interim team manager, I said, 'We're going to play the way that the fans deserve to see the game of soccer played.'”

Due to popular demand, here's a quick-hitting synopsis of how the Union's youngsters performed at PPL Park against Aston Villa:

ZACH PFEFFER
The midfielder, who had not featured with the first team all season, got 77 minutes and the start. Looking timid at times, the 17-year-old made a few connecting passes with ease … and then others that looked amateur.

“I was super excited,” said Pfeffer, who looked it. “I got a start, I got 75 minutes and it's always great to get as much game time as possible.”

CRISTHIAN HERNANDEZ
The 19-year-old forward, who has gotten two MLS appearances this season, played 60 minutes. Without registering a shot on goal, Hernandez did as much to stay involved in a Union attack that lacked any sort of firepower in the first half.

“I was just trying to see where I was, from a soccer standpoint, playing against an EPL opponent,” he said.

JIMMY McLAUGHLIN
The 19-year-old Great Valley High product, like Hernandez, picked up 60 minutes. McLaughlin's greatest contributions were a pair of first-half runs, carrying the ball from the midfield into the Union's offensive third. But once he got there, McLaughlin looked lost.

Still, he picked up Hackworth's praise.

“Jimmy McLaughlin is a young guy who we have great hope for and we feel that he can really play,” Hackworth said.

ROGER TORRES
The 21-year-old midfielder, who's recently returned from in-season left knee surgery, got his first real test since the injury with a 60-minute showing. And Torres played absently, failing to connect on a handful of passes and not properly anticipating where his teammates would be when he had the ball.

“Look, I love Roger Torres. I've loved him since the day he got here. But I just don't think he's ready physically or mentally to play the kind of soccer we're trying to play,” Hackworth said. “He's a fantastic, technical player, but he has to understand when to make decisions on the field. Those decisions turn out to be everything in professional soccer. He's got so many great qualities, but we still have to push him along, for sure.”

ANTOINE HOPPENOT
The 22-year-old forward played all 90 minutes, recording a shot on goal for the Union. The sparkplug to the Union's offense in a reserve capacity, Hoppenot could be angling for more playing time based on how well he's featured of late, said Hackworth.

“Antoine is certainly one of them,” Hackworth said, of the youngest guys who are on the rise. “He's come off the bench, but we want to see if he can now take his game to the next level.”

So what can we take from all of this? Hoppenot is going to get a chance to start in the near future, Torres isn't nearly as close to becoming a breakout player as anticipated, and Pfeffer, Hernandez and McLaughlin are better than a 'long-term project' label, but aren't going to get minutes overnight.

(Times staff / JULIA WILKINSON)

Remember this guy?

That's Zach Pfeffer, who will make the start in tonight's friendly with Aston Villa. He hasn't appeared with the first-team at any stage of the season --- not against MLS competition, not in U.S. Open Cup play, not even in friendlies.

Until tonight.

Here's the rest of the Union starting XI:
GK MacMath
DF Gaddis; Okugo; Valdes; G Farfan
MF Gomez; Pfeffer; Torres; McLaughlin
FW Hoppenot; Hernandez

And the Union (expanded) bench:
GK Harrison
DF Williams; Albright; Lopez; Jordan
MF Carroll; Lahoud; Daniel
FW Pajoy; Martinez

Some observations about tonight's lineup:

• Careful with the starters, Hack. Union interim manager John Hackworth values Saturday's league match with rival New York over tonight's friendly. So why start so many of the regulars? Perhaps Hackworth feels a commitment to Aston Villa, which precludes him from starting an all-reserve lineup. In any case, the Union cannot afford an injury setback to any of their starters. So if we see Zac MacMath in goal, All-Star Carlos Valdes, Amobi Okugo or Gabriel Farfan on the backline, or Gabriel Gomez in the midfield for any more than 45 minutes, that could be a problem.
• No place like Home(grown Players). Tonight, Pfeffer and Cristhian Hernandez get their chances to show what they can do. Pfeffer, as previously mentioned, hasn't seen the pitch with the Union first-teamers this season. Hernandez, at least, has played twice in the MLS slate.
• Where's Jorge? Anyone seen Jorge Perlaza lately? The guy for whom the Union traded Danny Mwanga, Perlaza didn't even make the 18 (err, 21). How far has the guy fallen on Hackworth's depth chart? While Mwanga entered tonight's MLS match against Chivas USA as a reserve, and has scored since joining the Portland Timbers, Perlaza has been a ghost. He's gotten 72 of 540 possible minutes in MLS play, compared to Mwanga, who's gotten 336 of a possible 630 minutes with the Timbers.

(Associated Press)

Saturday night, the Union are going to be without Lio Pajoy.

While basic logic would dictate that new-guy Jorge Perlaza, pictured, would get the nod to start against D.C. United, Union manager John Hackworth said the other day, 'Hey, not so fast.'

Hackworth said he and the technical staff haven't had too much time to watch Perlaza, for whom the Union traded last week with Portland, and he added the opportunity to play Saturday is up for grabs.

“We got to see (Perlaza) for the first time earlier this week and (Tuesday in a friendly with Harrisburg)  for a half," Hackworth said Wednesday, after his hire as the Union's interim boss. "We're going to go through the next two days and see if he's the best option for us to put on the field. If he is, he'll get that opportunity, but there are some other guys in there that certainly are fighting for that spot."

Pajoy, who has three goals, will serve a one-game suspension for what the MLS Disciplinary Committee deemed a reckless tackle against Toronto FC. So if Pajoy is unavailable, and Perlaza isn't an automatic starter, that means one of the Union's younger strikers could get a shot to crack the starting XI.

Among those who could get the nod are:

• Jack McInerney, 19, the third-year forward who has played all of 93 minutes this season and who last fall was rated as one of MLS' top 24 under 24.
• Cristhian Hernandez, 18, a Homegrown Player who has made two MLS appearances in cleanup time.
• German import Kai Herdling, whose loan expires June 30. 
• Chandler Hoffman, 21, the first-round SuperDraft pick whose MLS playing time has been limited but has impressed in friendlies.
• Antoine Hoppenot, 21, the supplemental-draft choice who netted the game-winner against D.C. in a fourth-round U.S. Open Cup match.

If not Perlaza, who do you think has earned the chance to start Saturday at forward? Let the debate begin.

Califf (Associated Press)

Angel (Getty Images)

As Sunday creeps closer to Monday, the rumored trade taking Danny Califf to Southern California seems to strengthen.

The latest word on the Web has Califf heading West, with Jack McInerney, for Chivas USA's Juan Pablo Angel. Early Sunday afternoon, we didn't even have that much detail.

Union boss Peter Nowak confirmed Sunday, following their 3-2 loss to New York, what had been kicked around online for nearly a day: That the Union, teetering on the brink of relevance, are listening to a trade offer for Califf.

But is this the right decision for the Union?

From Nowak's standpoint, it seems like an easy decision. The Union's strength is, and has been for two seasons, on the defensive side of the ball. So Califf, the 32-year-old captain of the Union, becomes expendable, especially when Chivas is waving Angel, a 36-year-old striker with a proven track record for scoring goals in bunches, in the Union's faces.

From the fans' standpoints, it's not so clear. The supporters of the Union see their team casting off another fan favorite – like when they traded Sebastien Le Toux Jan. 31 and released goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon a day later.

There's also the dollars-and-cents angle of this.

The Union, at 2-6-1 and closer to the Eastern Conference's cellar than its surface, are pointed toward a losing season. Through nine games, they've made the leashes for SuperDraft picks Chandler Hoffman and Raymon Gaddis longer than most of their untested rookies in previous seasons. And the Union's technical staff has made it clear that, if provided the chance to play Homegrown Players Zach Pfeffer and Cristhian Hernandez, they are more apt to take those opportunities than pass on them.

So trading Califf seems like a natural fit for a team that, on the surface, looks like it wants to get younger while shedding salary in the process. Win-win, right? Not necessarily. Califf made $250,000 in base salary in 2011, as reported by the MLS Players Association in September. And Angel? He made $1.25 million according to the same report.

According to MLS Pressbox, Angel is a former designated player, which means his salary has drastically decreased. Only $350,000 of a DP's salary counts against his team's cap. So if Angel's DP tag has been removed, his salary might be comparable to, if not lower than, Califf's.

That makes acquiring Angel appealing to Nowak and the Union. That is, before you allow the opinions of Califf's teammates to factor in. Califf is “the good guy” in the locker room who always “looked out” for the younger guys on the team, according to Sheanon Williams. Fellow centerback Carlos Valdes, the captain of the Union in Califf's five absences this season, called Califf “the leader inside the field.”

It's a toss up. Just depends on which side of the coin you stand.

Courtesy: Getty Images

Wednesday night, in a game looking like it was pointed toward a draw, the Union had an 18-year-old lining up to take free kicks and corners.

Granted, Wednesday's game was a friendly, thus ensuring there was less at stake than a league match. But Cristhian Hernandez was the man called upon by Union assistant John Hackworth.

Hernandez didn't deliver the game-winning goal, or the helper that led to it, though his effort in a 2-1 win over FC Schalke 04 provided a glimpse into how the Union technical staff view the future career trajectory of the 5-11 forward.

“Ever since I was young, I was the guy behind the ball," Hernandez told me the other day. "I got used to having the pressure of delivering a nice ball. From that pressure, I got the confidence of Coach Peter (Nowak) and going out there tonight having corners and free kicks. Having no other guy responsible to take it, I was willing to step up to the challenge."

The franchise's second Homegrown Player, and a mere 17-year-old when he netted the game-winner against EPL side Everton FC, Hernandez has gotten 26 minutes -- largely garbage time -- in two home losses. So, at the very least, the PPL Park fans have gotten a glimpse at him.

He said he's confident in the future the Union have promised him, in giving him a pro contract last offseason, even if he wishes he'd play more. Until then, it'll be games like Wednesday's that motivate him.

“It's difficult because, going out there is a whole different level," Hernandez said. "Everyone's a lot faster and a lot stronger. It's all about confidence. And I have it right now."

# # # # #

As of 5 p.m. Friday, MLS had yet to update its injury report.

That left the status of Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath up in the air. MacMath was listed in Tuesday's report as 'OUT' with concussion-like symptoms, after taking a knee/shin to the back of the head in the first half of last weekend's loss at Seattle.

Backups Chase Harrison, 28, and Chris Konopka, 27, played well in the friendly, but have combined for one appearance (Konopka's start last season with New York) in their MLS careers.

It should almost go without saying, but don't expect Union boss Peter Nowak to go with his usual lineup Wednesday in a friendly with Schalke 04.

Nowak said Tuesday that he'll more than likely favor giving a few of his reserves opportunities to play against the German Bundesliga side.

“We've never been shy, over these two-and-a-half years, to give (younger players) a chance," Nowak said during a presser at PPL Park. "It's a good chance to gain experience, a good chance to see first-hand what those teams are all about – from Chivas, Celtic, Real Madrid and Schalke."

Consider:

• In 2010, against Celtic FC, Nowak had reserve goalkeepers Brad Knighton and Brian Perk split time between the posts. He gave Knighton minutes against Manchester United, as well. 
• In 2011, eventual Homegrown Player Cristhian Hernandez scored the game-winning goal against Everton, during which teenagers Zach Pfeffer and Jimmy McLaughlin also appeared. 

While the starting lineup remains uncertain, Nowak went as far to say the following five will not play: Danny Califf, Zac MacMath, Chris Albright, Freddy Adu and Gabriel Gomez.

Nowak confirmed that reserve goalkeeper Chase Harrison will start between the posts.

We're less than a half-hour removed from kickoff at PPL Park, and here are some observations on the Union's lineup tonight against the San Jose Earthquakes:

Califf's in, Carroll's out. Centerback and captain Danny Califf returns to the pitch for the Union after missing two matches with a hamstring tweak. Ironically, that's the same ailment keeping Brian Carroll out. The defensive midfielder is missing his first match of the season.

Where's Porfirio Lopez? The Union invested a lot of energy and money in securing Lopez to bolster a backline weak spot, on the left side. What does it say about Lopez if the Union value the play of rookie Ray Gaddis and the fitness of veteran Chris Albright over him?

What's up, Kai? The Union welcomed German import Kai Herdling Thursday, 10 days after signing the forward/midfielder to a contract. He's in the starting XI. Let's see what he brings to the offense.

Homegrown kids. Cristhian Hernandez, who has played all of 18 minutes this season, and Zach Pfeffer, who hasn't played at all, are subs on the gameday roster. I'm not saying you have to play the kids, but if you show them a commitment, you better get them minutes at some point. Otherwise, what good is it for their progress?

ON THE WEB: Check out my feature, in Saturday's Delco Times, on goalkeeper Zac MacMath. The second-year pro hasn't permitted a goal in 332 minutes, a franchise record.