Philadelphia Union: Fabian the necessary splash
It has not been the most noteworthy and positive offseason for the Philadelphia Union. Signing Mexican international Marco Fabian, then, would provide the necessary splash prior to the 2019 season.
2018 was a bright and burgeoning season for the Philadelphia Union youth project. They may have fallen short in the U.S. Open Cup final and failed to make much noise in the playoffs, losing to New York City FC in the first round, but there was plenty to be positive about.
A young and exciting side was beginning to come together. The lack of a centre-forward was a concern, but with a vibrant midfield and consistently improving defence anchored by Aaron Trusty, this was a season of progress and hope.
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And the presumed plan was to take this positivity into the offseason and supplement an already neat roster with some key players to take the team from good to elite. Sadly, though, the momentum has slowed substantially.
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Keegan Rosenberry was traded to the Colorado Rapids, Borek Dockal, the league’s leading assist maker and the crucial creative piece in the Union midfield departed with the expiration of his loan, and not too many acquisitions have been made to supplement the losses. While Sergio Santos could be a nice pick-up in the centre-forward position, the other additions made were not the most hype-worthy.
That was until reports this week surfaced that the Union are pursuing Mexican international Marco Fabian. The midfielder is seen as the perfect successor to Dockal, playing as the creative hub of the team, and brings with him substantial experience and quality that few expected the Union to be able to attract and actually acquire this offseason.
Fabian has 42 international caps with Mexico. He was a star creator in the Mexican league and has been playing in the Bundesliga more recently. His age, 29, and injury history is a little concerning, and the fact that no Mexican teams are interested him suggests that they may think he is finished as a peak performer.
Despite this gripes, however, it is undeniable that Fabian would be a thoroughly fascinating signing. He has the technical qualities to flourish in the attacking midfield position, but also brings a grit and bite that some attacking players do not play with. He is not afraid to battle his way to goal.
And this is the splash signing that many Union fans were waiting for. He could well be the biggest signing in the history of the organisation, and may certainly have the biggest impact should he provide the attacking craft that is expected of him to a team that is not all that far away from challenging for a title.
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The Union needed a boost. Fabian could be precisely that.