Leon Flach is heading to MLS, the St. Pauli midfielder a target of the Philadelphia Union in a deal that could be announced in the coming weeks. Flach has seen some playing time in the 2. Bundesliga this season.
Per a source close to the situation, the 20-year old, who has played for the United States and Germany at the youth national team level, is in “advanced negotiations” with the Union and “a contract for him is being finalized.” Flach has been with St. Pauli of the 2. Bundesliga since 2016. Born in Houston, Flach has called Germany his home since 2018.
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He has a pair of appearances with the German U18 national team as well as the United States U20 national. The source said that the contract for Flach will be for multiple years.
Flach is versatile, capable of playing as a deep-lying midfielder or an outside back.
He has made nine appearances in Germany’s 2. Bundesliga, scoring a goal. It was quite a goal too.
The addition of Flach adds even more depth in the midfield for the Union, who already boast a young and talented group in the center of the pitch. The deep midfielder pool remains deep, even as that group took a hit in recent days with a potential long-term loss for one of the lynchpins of the team.
The addition of Flach, while in the works for several weeks, is certainly timely. Three days ago, José Andrés Martínez, who plays deep in the midfield for the Union, suffered a serious leg injury. A Venezuelan international who is set to turn 27-years old this summer, Martinez was pivotal for the Union a season ago with 14 appearances (all starts) and 1,148 minutes played.
The emergence of Martinez, in his first season in MLS, is a major reason why the Union won the Supporters Shield last year. It represented the club’s first major trophy in franchise history.
No timetable was provided by the source about the signing of Flach other than a deal should be completed in the coming weeks. St. Pauli currently sit eleventh in the 2. Bundesliga on 35 points.
Follow Kristian Dyer of ‘MLS Multiplex‘ on Twitter @KristianRDyer