Philadelphia Union go young with first draft selections

Expansion franchise Philadelphia Union have decided to go young with their first 10 selections they picked up in Wednesday’s Expansion Draft.

Despite the fact they recruited veterans Alejandro Moreno, 30, and Stefano Miglioranzi, 32, the rest of the Union’s selections were under the age of 25, indicating that coach Peter Nowak is keen to build a squad that has a good mix of experience and youth.

"We believe they have a lot to prove," Nowak said. "We have a couple of veterans in this player selection, which is going to give us, from the start, a good line for the youngsters we have all around them and are going to provide some leadership from the beginning."

Nowak added that it was a daunting task picking the first few players that will form the basis of a brand new football team.

"It was not an easy process to select this team," Nowak said. "The war room was really, really hot. . . . At some point, we had some very tense moments, but we all had great ideas, and we were all just trying to find the right formula."

The Union step into the cauldron of MLS next season but before that, they need to work on putting together a competitive playing roster and from their initial selections, it seems they will be able to achieve that.