Philadelphia Union Re-Sign Casey, Carroll and Fred
The Philadelphia Union have brought back three of their veterans to help aid with the development of some of their younger players. Conor Casey, Brian Carroll and Fred were all not brought back for the 2015 season on their old deals, meaning a new contract had to be agreed upon.
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On Friday, the Philadelphia Union announced that all three men have agreed to a new contract with Fred’s contract being a player-coach deal. The three veterans will definitely bring that presence to the locker room and give the younger players a mentor.
Conor Casey has been the starting striker for the Union for the past two seasons, but injuries and age have caught up with him. He can no longer go a full game and be effective. His wealth of experience and knowledge though is worth a lot to players like CJ Sapong and Dzenan Catic. Casey is known for his bruising mentality on the opposing defenses so he can guide someone like Catic into using his size to be effective.
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While Brian Carroll is on the back end of his career, he still offers fantastic leadership for the team. Carroll has played in Major League Soccer his whole career so he has a lot to offer in terms of his knowledge of the league and sport in general.
Carroll may not be the starting defensive midfielder anymore, and he really shouldn’t be, but he still can come on late in games to help close them out. Carroll is best when he can sit right in front of the defense and intercept passes and step in and make tackles. That is still very valuable for a Union side who has trouble closing out games.
Of the three players re-signed, Fred will probably see his minutes reduced the most this season. He will be a player-coach which is a good role for him as he a lot of experience and can mentor some of the younger players. Fred did not play a whole lot last season as well, but he will probably only be used this season in the case of an injury or two.
While all three of these players will not be the number one starters next season, they all have a lot to contribute to the team, especially off the field. What do you think of the Union re-signing these veterans? Let us know below in the comments section.