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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I did learn a lot from the Seattle game last year. I thought we were a fresh team going into it, but we did play a lineup that kind of was repeated and played again in the final. So, I won’t have any regrets this year. I’ll play a fresh team, completely fresh team, in the final.

- Jim Curtin, Sept. 16

We’ll find the right balance of lineup to give guys the proper rest and proper confidence going into a final. I’ll tell you there will be no regrets in terms of whether we are fresh or not in terms of the final. We will be fresh for sure.

- Jim Curtin, Sept. 20

Often without much provocation the last two weeks, Philadelphia Union manager Jim Curtin has been forthcoming with his vision for how the final days of September should play out. With the playoffs falling out of view, all of the squad’s efforts have been geared to one solitary date: The Sept. 30 U.S. Open Cup final against Sporting Kansas City.

Curtin is a manager that you can often take at his word. Judging by the above quotes, he’ll dial up massive changes for Saturday’s trip to New England, a game in which the Union’s hope of a result would be remote, regardless.

Here’s what the Union did last season, playing New York Red Bulls at PPL Park Saturday before entertaining Seattle at home Tuesday in the cup final.

Union lineups vs. New York Red Bulls Sept. 13, 2014 in MLS play (left)
and vs. Seattle in the Open Cup final Sept. 16, 2014 (right). (Via MLSsoccer.com)

That’s 6.5/7 changes, depending on how you look at it, with Ray Gaddis and Maurice Edu each changing positions but playing in both games. That’s a fairly fresh team, you’d think. But the result against Seattle, with the Sounders looking far stronger in extra time, may indicate that more rest is required. The term “fresh” is inherently ambiguous, and for some players, getting a half or 90 minutes is preferable to a weekend off in terms of their sharpness, though the three subs limit how many can follow that tack.
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I took the drive up to scenic Exeter High School Tuesday evening primarily to work on something from the Reading United side, a feature on former Union U-18 product and Haverford School grad Brett Campbell, a junior at Georgetown who has had a torrid start to the summer.

There was more to see than just the handful of Reading standouts, though, in the Union’s 1-0 friendly win at Don Thomas Stadium. A few observations from the game:

- We have an Andrew Wenger goal sighting. It took Reading’s third goalie of the night crashing into a defender as he tried to collect a header by Steven Vitoria off a free kick, but hey, Wenger kicked a ball into the back of the net and then the ref blew the whistle and the scoreboard changed. That should be a win for Wenger considering how his season has gone, plus there’s the added bonus of doing it against his former team. It goes without saying how badly the Union need him to get going.

- The Union started the same lineup as Saturday (with the exception of John McCarthy in for Bryan Sylvestre), which was essentially the same lineup as last Wednesday (minus CJ Sapong for Fernando Aristeguieta), which was the same lineup as the previous Saturday. For nine outfield players, that’s four starts in 11 days. Granted, most only played for 30 minutes or a half in a glorified practice session, plus it’s a bit of a reward for the 1,200 Reading fans that showed up, one of the biggest crowds for a friendly in the teams’ partnership that created a really great atmosphere.

- Only two players went 90 minutes Tuesday: Richie Marquez and McCarthy. Remember that McCarthy must be the Union’s goalie in next Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup match with Rochester since Sylvestre is Cup-tied.

- Tuesday was the first match in a Union kit for rookie Eric Bird, who started the season injured. More on that in Thursday’s paper. Read more »

New Union striker Fernando Aristeguieta, left,
is one of two designated players on the Union's
2015 roster to start the season. (AP file)

Despite a lot of disagreement at the bargaining table, MLS’s 2015 season will begin in a matter of hours Friday. While details of the new collective bargaining agreement have leaked out, there hasn’t been much concrete info on the topography of the new CBA’s budgetary structure, with only figures and dollar amounts trickling out thus far.

In the absence of major alterations, it’s likely that the new arrangement will look a lot like the old one, which is what many MLS clubs were forecasting in the days and weeks before Wednesday’s pact was finalized. Union technical director Chris Albright offered Tuesday that, “Everybody’s got their guesses” about the roster ramifications that will emanate from the new CBA.

Regardless, the Union have a more-or-less finalized roster. In addition to their acquisitions in February, the Union this week announced the signing of Dzenan Catic (though that was actually old news) and came to agreements with trialists Eric Ayuk Mbu and fourth-round SuperDraft pick Raymond Lee. 

Those moves indicate that clubs likely have been given a good idea of how to prepare for the new season. As a guide, let’s utilize last season’s roster rules, which is likely what most clubs have done.

As a reminder, here’s what MLS’s Roster Rules and Regulations say about the composition of a roster:
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There’s always a debate around this time of year as to how to handle midseason friendlies within the grind of an MLS season. Add competition on another front for the Philadelphia Union in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and it’s even more complex.

That’s the conundrum Jim Curtin faces this week as his team prepares to take on English Premier League side Crystal Palace Friday night at PPL. There are so many factors – the tactical, between the physical need to rest regulars and the mental need to get those on the fringes of the squad some action, plus the pride aspect of wanting to put on a decent show for the fans while not rolling over to opposition from a superior league – for Curtin to manage.

“I always think anytime you’re representing your league, you should put your best effort out there,” Curtin said Wednesday at PPL Park. “Too many times you see in these games, whether it’s against a club from Mexico or England, they won’t get our best punch so to speak because we’re in the heat of the season. It’s tough. There’s is the business side where they do make a lot of money off the games, so I get that part of it. … Say you’re juggling an Open Cup game with a league match and then they also throw in a friendly, it becomes this, ‘how much do you want to kill your team for a result against a team that’s in the preseason and doesn’t really have their legs?’ It’s a tough one to answer because you’re torn either way.”

Curtin said Tuesday that there would essentially be two shifts of players logging 45 minutes each, which makes sense to give the entire roster a nice run out. Curtin also hinted that a couple of guys might get around the 90-minute mark.

So here’s my two cents on what the Union should (not necessarily will) do, gleaning a little from what Curtin said Wednesday and the team’s current needs:

First half
Blake

Gaddis-Edu-Berry-Fabinho

Lahoud-Okugo

Wenger-Nogueira-Le Toux

Brown

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Somehow, thoroughly uninspiring just doesn’t quite say it all. Let’s put it this way: The Union were lucky that Columbus didn’t put up a football score – American football, mind you – Wednesday, such was the disparity between the two sides in the Crew’s 4-0 win at the Disney Pro Soccer Classic.

Some observations:

- OK, no one go for the lifeboats just yet. Manager John Hackworth had reason to field a young side (essentially the third team on the depth chart) in the first of three games in four days. But the Crew also didn’t play their first-teamers, and the result was still unduly lopsided. For guys fighting for possible MLS contracts, it was a disappointing, unspirited performance.

- Let’s get the positives out of the way quickly. Leo Fernandes was lively in the midfield, though he needs to work on hitting the target with greater regularity. Don Anding sent in a few dangerous crosses in the second half that no one seemed to get on the end of. And Roger Torres again sparked strong play when introduced in the second half. Yeah, that’s it.

- Now for reality. Another defensive unit, another poor showing. Eric Schoenle and Greg Jordan were burnt twice before Damani Richards came on to pair with Schoenle … and get burnt twice. They were completely overmatched. Eddie Gaven must have been salivating like a dog in a butcher shop when he entered at halftime, and he helped create two goals inside of eight minutes. Schoenle and a nothing-to-write-home-about Chase Harrison were beaten on the first goal by Ryan Finley, and the fourth goal was scored by Aaron Schoenfeld, left in acres of space at the far post on a cross. Poor. Read more »

(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.

The Union scored first, endured an equalizer and buried an 88th-minute goal to defeat Schalke 04, 2-1, Wednesday night in a friendly at PPL Park.

Here are two storylines worth looking into from tonight's game:

1. Carlos Valdes played 90 minutes.
With defensive depth lacking, as Danny Califf and Chris Albright were missing in action per Peter Nowak's doing, someone was going to have to bite the bullet and play 90 minutes. That ended up being centerback Carlos Valdes, who never left the pitch.

That's what Union assistant John Hackworth told reporters afterward.

“The reason was, we only had a limited number of substitutions, so we knew we had to have a couple guys go the full distance for us," Hackworth said. "We wouldn't have done it unless he was (up for it). Carlos is a true professional. He told Peter yesterday, 'I feel fine, I'm fully recovered from Seattle so no problems.'”

Still, why risk injury to one of your finest players in a meaningless game?
 

2. Chris Konopka has a sense of humor.
The Union's third-string goalkeeper, Chris Konopka doesn't get interview requests all too often. So when he was asked to speak following their win over Schalke, Konopka opened up.

He tied his tie while giving an interview, then teased rookie teammate Jimmy McLaughlin for being unable to do the same. Konopka told reporters McLaughlin, his roommate, often leaves the PPL Park locker room before the game ends "to go home and do his tie in the mirror, because he can't do it."

Then, Konopka explained who from the Union inspired him against Schalke. Read this:

“Yesterday in training, literally the first five minutes of a short-sided game, I let a ball go in and (Zach) Pfeffer scored on me," Konopka said. "I basically curled up into a ball. I made myself small. The first thing I had to get into my head was to keep myself big. I'm a big guy – 6-foot-5. The more I make myself big, the less they have to shoot at the goal."

# # # # # # #

A couple odds-and-ends notes from the game:

• Danny Mwanga might have a future as a broadcaster. He eavesdropped on interviews with Konopka and Chase Harrison, sticking his iPhone over reporters' shoulders and up to the goalkeepers' mouths. 
• Game-winning goal-scorer Chandler Hoffman swapped jerseys with Schalke's Jermaine Jones, of the United States national team, in the moments after the match. 
• Though it hit the crossbar, Harrison had Schalke's PK sniffed out from the start. Harrison said Kai Herdling, a German who's quite familiar with Schalke's Lewis Holtby's tendencies, told him Holtby goes "down the middle" on penalty kicks. Trouble averted. 
• PPL Park security wouldn't allow Pfeffer -- by this time, wearing a button-down and a blazer -- into the mix zone area afterward...at least not until Pfeffer pleaded with the guard, saying, "But I'm a player." The guard took Pfeffer at his word, and let him in.
• The "official attendance" released by Union officials was 7,464. Sorry, but there's no way 7K were at PPL Park. Don't buy it.

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.