Philadelphia Union Getting Ready for Life Without Okugo?

Sep 20, 2014; Chester, PA, USA; Philadelphia Union defender/midfielder Amobi Okugo (14) greets a young fan after the match against the Houston Dynamo at PPL Park. The match ended in a 0-0 draw. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

Per a report on mlssoccer.com by Dave Zeitlin, head coach of the Philadelphia Union, Jim Curtin, seems to believe that Okugo will give Europe a try this offseason. This does not come as a surprise to many people, but it is something else the Philadelphia Union will have to deal with this offseason.

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Amobi Okugo is the last player left on the roster that has been with the Union since their inception in 2010. He is a fan favorite around Philadelphia, and there is no doubt that fans will be sad to see him leave. It won’t come as an unexpected move though as Okugo has been hinting at wanting to give Europe a shot for a while now.

Now that Amobi Okugo is out of contract, that makes him that much more appealing to a European team. They will not have to fork up a transfer fee therefore getting him on a free transfer. He has already been garnering at least a little bit of interest from oversees according to Kevin Kinkead.

This year, the Philadelphia Union seemed to have a surplus of defensive midfielders. They had Vincent Nogueira who liked to play deeper. Amobi Okugo and Maurice Edu were both starting quality holding midfielders. They also had Brian Carroll and Michael Lahoud on the bench eagerly awaiting their chance to play.

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Now that surplus may turn into a need. Okugo looks set to play abroad while Jim Curtin would like Edu to play as a center back. So who steps in to fill that true defensive midfielder role for the Union then? Brian Carroll may not even be back with the Union, and even so he should not a starter. Could Lahoud get the chance to start in 2015?

I would not be opposed to Lahoud getting a chance, but I believe the Union will look to find another defensive midfielder in this offseason, and there will be plenty of opportunities to find one. The Union could look to sign one, trade one, or even look into these upcoming drafts as a way to find someone to compete with Lahoud for job.

Obviously this all depends on one, if Okugo does in fact leave which I believe he will and two, if Edu commits to playing center back on a regular basis. This could just add to the list of things the Union need to solve this offseason, but I believe this won’t be that big a problem to solve. Either way, I am looking forward to see how this develops.

Let us know what you think of the Okugo situation and if Lahoud could be the starter come 2015!