It should come as no surprise that current Philadelphia Union manager, and former United States men's national team assistant Piotr Nowak, is building the newest MLS franchise with a concentration on youth. Nowak , who previously managed the United States U-23 team and the United States in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has selected a wide variety of players through both the MLS expansion draft and 2010 SuperDraft. Six of the Union's ten selections in the Expansion Draft were under the age of 25. In addition Nowak and his staff made a number of moves leading up to the SuperDraft, eventually giving the club three of the top seven selections in the first round. The Union also acquired Goalkeeper Chris Seitz from Real Salt Lake, who was apart of the United States team coached by Nowak in the Olympics. Currently 12 of the Union's 17 rostered players are under the age of 25, certainly making them one of the youngest teams in the league.
The Union have also began a partnership with local USL Premier Development League team Reading United to have them serve as their exclusive minor league affiliate. The club has emphasized the importance of being able to develop home grown talent through youth programs, preparing them to advance to the Union and Major League Soccer. Youth Developmental systems have been a vital part to the successful European leagues, but are still in the begining stages for Major League Soccer. Currently the league relies heavily on the SuperDraft and the development players who have gone through the college ranks.
While a team can not rely on youth alone to have success, Nowak and the Union have certainly placed an emphasis on building the franchise from the ground up. With the acquisitions of Veterans Danny Califf, Alejandro Moreno, and Stefani Miglioranzi, the Union hope to find the right combination of both youth and experience to have both immidiate and long term success in the league.
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