The Philadelphia Union selected the first 10 members for the league expansion of its initial roster which was headed by the experienced forward Alejandro Moreno, midfielder Stefani Miglioranzi and eight young players. Moreno played for the Colombus Crew while Stefani was from the Los Angeles Galaxy roster. The Union is set to debut at the Seattle Sounders on March 25 and will have their first home game against DC United on April 10 at Lincoln Financial Field.
Soon after the draft was announced at Union’s offices in Chester by the team’s coach and general manger Peter Nowak, there were reports by the Washington Post that Chris Seitz had been acquired by the team. The Real Salt Lake goalkeeper was reported to have been exchanged for the allocation money. Seitz was apart of the U.S. under-23 national team that participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Brad Knighton of New England Revolution was also drafted by the Union. Expansion teams receive the highest amount of money from Major League Soccer to get their hands on players.
The draft had one player selected from 10 of the 15 MLS rosters with the average age of the Union Selection being 25 years. Nowak reiterated the fact that the selection of the team was not an easy process and things got really hot at times. The Union has the freedom to negotiate the contracts with the drafted players. However, they do not have the authority to divulge the financial details. The salary budget of an MLS team is just a shed more than $2.3 million if a league source is to be believed.
