# 2022 Philadelphia Union season

The 2022 Philadelphia Union season was the club's thirteenth season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer. The team is managed by Jim Curtin, his ninth season with the club. The club's regular season began on February 26, 2022, and concluded on October 9. Outside of MLS, the Union also competed in the 2022 U.S. Open Cup, entering in the Round of 32.
The club finished second in the Supporters' Shield standings and first in the Eastern Conference. The Union appeared in their first MLS Cup, where they lost to Shield winners Los Angeles FC in a penalty shootout.

## Background

Ahead of the 2022 season, the Union saw major front office departures; technical director, Chris Albright was hired as the new general manager of FC Cincinnati, and later assistant coach, Pat Noonan was announced as their new head coach. In January, former player and academy coach, Ryan Richter was promoted to assistant coach of the first team under Jim Curtin.
By mid-January, the Union had announced new contract agreements for starting centerbacks Jakob Glesnes and Jack Elliott, keeping both with the club through the 2024 season.
Ernst Tanner identified that part of the Union's offseason priorities were improving the forward/striker position. The first move for a new forward saw Julián Carranza, a young DP from Inter Miami CF, to be signed on loan for the 2022 season. In January, the Union traded their leading scorer (and 2021 CONCACAF Champions League Golden Boot winner), Kacper Przybyłko to the Chicago Fire FC for $1.15 million in allocation money. The outbound Przybyłko made way for the Union's marquee offseason signing in Danish Superliga Golden Boot winner, Mikael Uhre, to a three-year contract as a designated player. Signing Uhre broke the Union's transfer fee record reportedly at $2.8 million. In February, the Union traded designated player midfielder, Jamiro Monteiro, to the San Jose Earthquakes for up to $450,000 and an international roster spot for the 2022 season.
The Union traded away or passed on all picks for the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, being the fourth consecutive season doing so. Continuing to sign young players through the Union's academy, left-back, Anton Sorenson, was officially signed to the first team as a homegrown player in January. Previously Sorenson had been granted an emergency hardship call-up for the 2021 Eastern Conference final in December.

## 2022 roster

    As of February 9, 2023
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | USA | Matt Freese (HGP) |
| 2 | DF | USA | Matthew Real (HGP) |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Jack Elliott |
| 5 | DF | NOR | Jakob Glesnes |
| 6 | MF | HUN | Daniel Gazdag |
| 7 | FW | DEN | Mikael Uhre (DP) |
| 8 | MF | VEN | José Martínez |
| 9 | FW | ARG | Julián Carranza (DP) |
| 11 | MF | USA | Alejandro Bedoya (Captain) |
| 12 | GK | USA | Joe Bendik |
| 13 | MF | USA | Cole Turner (HGP) |
| 14 | MF | USA | Jeremy Rafanello (HGP) |
| 15 | DF | CMR | Olivier Mbaizo |
| 16 | MF | USA | Jack McGlynn (HGP) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 17 | DF | GHA | Abasa Aremeyaw |
| 18 | GK | JAM | Andre Blake (GA) |
| 19 | FW | JAM | Cory Burke |
| 20 | MF | VEN | Jesús Bueno |
| 21 | MF | KEN | Richard Odada |
| 24 | DF | USA | Anton Sorenson (HGP) |
| 25 | FW | USA | Chris Donovan |
| 26 | DF | USA | Nathan Harriel (HGP) |
| 27 | DF | GER | Kai Wagner |
| 30 | MF | USA | Paxten Aaronson (HGP) |
| 31 | MF | USA | Leon Flach |
| 33 | MF | USA | Quinn Sullivan (HGP) |
| 34 | MF | USA | Brandan Craig (HGP) |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred from | Fee/notes |
| January 24, 2022 | 24 | DF | Anton Sorenson | Philadelphia Union II | Homegrown signing |
| January 27, 2022 | 7 | FW | Mikael Uhre | Brøndby | $2,800,000; signed as DP |
| June 17, 2022 | 25 | FW | Chris Donovan | Philadelphia Union II | Waivers |
| July 13, 2022 | 9 | FW | Julián Carranza | Inter Miami CF | $500,000 in GAM |
| August 2, 2022 | 21 | MF | Richard Odada | Red Star Belgrade | Free Agent |
| August 4, 2022 | 17 | DF | Abasa Aremeyaw | MŠK Žilina | $220,000 |
| August 23, 2022 | 14 | MF | Jeremy Rafanello | New York Red Bulls II | Homegrown signing |

### Out

| Date | No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred to | Fee/notes |
| December 8, 2021 | 7 | FW | Matheus Davó | Corinthians | Declined Contract Option |
| December 8, 2021 | 21 | MF | Anthony Fontana | Ascoli | Declined bona fide offer |
| December 8, 2021 | 25 | MF | Ilsinho | Retired | Out of contract |
| December 8, 2021 | 29 | DF | Alvas Powell | FC Cincinnati | Out of contract |
| December 8, 2021 | 78 | DF | Aurélien Collin | Retired | Out of contract, later retired |
| January 22, 2022 | 23 | FW | Kacper Przybyłko | Chicago Fire FC | $1,150,000 GAM |
| February 14, 2022 | 10 | MF | Jamiro Monteiro | San Jose Earthquakes | Up to $450,000 GAM, International roster spot |
| July 7, 2022 | 14 | MF | Jack de Vries | Venezia | Transfer |
| July 7, 2022 | 24 | MF | Matej Oravec | Železiarne Podbrezová | Mutual Termination |
| July 8, 2022 | 17 | FW | Sérgio Santos | FC Cincinnati | Up to $625,000 GAM |
| July 20, 2022 | 4 | DF | Stuart Findlay | Oxford United FC | Undisclosed |

### Loan In

| Date | No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned from | Fee/notes | Source |
| December 23, 2021 | 9 | FW | Julián Carranza | Inter Miami CF | Loan with option to purchase; signed as Young DP | |

### Loan Out

| Date | No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred to | Fee/notes | Source |
| April 21, 2021 | 24 | MF | Matej Oravec | FK Železiarne Podbrezová | Loaned out through summer 2022 | |
| August 31, 2021 | 14 | MF | Jack de Vries | Venezia F.C. | Loaned out through summer 2022 | |

## Competitions
### Preseason

The Union's preseason fixtures were announced in January to be held during their preseason training in Clearwater, Florida.

### Major League Soccer
#### Standings
##### Eastern Conference

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 19 | 5 | 10 | 72 | 26 | +46 | 67 | Qualification for the Conference semifinals & 2023 CONCACAF Champions League |
| 2 | CF Montréal | 34 | 20 | 9 | 5 | 63 | 50 | +13 | 65 | Qualification for the first round |
| 3 | New York City FC | 34 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 57 | 41 | +16 | 55 | Qualification for the first round |
| 4 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 50 | 41 | +9 | 53 | Qualification for the first round |
| 5 | FC Cincinnati | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 64 | 56 | +8 | 49 | Qualification for the first round |
* ↑ Canadian clubs cannot qualify for the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League through the MLS regular season or playoffs.

##### Overall table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Los Angeles FC (C, S) | 34 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 66 | 38 | +28 | 67 | Qualification for the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League |
| 2 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 19 | 5 | 10 | 72 | 26 | +46 | 67 | Qualification for the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League |
| 3 | CF Montréal | 34 | 20 | 9 | 5 | 63 | 50 | +13 | 65 | |
| 4 | Austin FC | 34 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 65 | 49 | +16 | 56 | Qualification for the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League |
| 5 | New York City FC | 34 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 57 | 41 | +16 | 55 | |
* ↑ As 2022 MLS Cup champions and 2022 MLS Supporters' Shield champions (USA1)
* ↑ As 2022 Eastern Conference regular season champions (USA2)
* ↑ Canadian clubs cannot qualify for the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League through the MLS regular season or playoffs.
* ↑ As highest-ranked U.S. based Division I club (based on 2022 MLS regular season record) not already qualified (USA3)

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
| Pld | Pts | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD |
| 34 | 67 | 19 | 5 | 10 | 72 | 26 | +46 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 49 | 9 | +40 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 23 | 17 | +6 |
Source: MLS (p. 22) Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
| Stadium | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H |
| Result | D | W | W | W | W | W | L | D | D | D | D | D | W | D | D | W | L | D | W | W | W | W | W | L | W | L | W | W | W | W | W | D | L | W |

#### MLS Cup Playoffs
##### MLS Cup
### U.S. Open Cup
## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

    Last updated February 9, 2023
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | MLS | MLS | USOC | USOC | MLS Cup Playoffs | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | USA | Matt Freese | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | GK | USA | Joe Bendik | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | GK | JAM | Andre Blake | 37 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | USA | Matthew Real | 10 | 1 | 2+6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Jack Elliott | 36 | 4 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | DF | SCO | Stuart Findlay | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | NOR | Jakob Glesnes | 38 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | CMR | Olivier Mbaizo | 23 | 0 | 14+5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | GHA | Abasa Aremeyaw | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | USA | Anton Sorenson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | USA | Nathan Harriel | 25 | 1 | 20+5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | DF | GER | Kai Wagner | 37 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 6 | MF | HUN | Daniel Gazdag | 38 | 24 | 34 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 8 | MF | VEN | José Martínez | 34 | 0 | 29+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | USA | Alejandro Bedoya | 31 | 6 | 27+3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | MF | USA | Cole Turner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | USA | Jack de Vries | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | USA | Jack McGlynn | 27 | 1 | 9+14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | KEN | Richard Odada | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | SVK | Matej Oravec | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | MF | USA | Paxten Aaronson | 23 | 1 | 2+19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | USA | Leon Flach | 38 | 1 | 33+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 33 | MF | USA | Quinn Sullivan | 18 | 1 | 1+16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | MF | USA | Brandan Craig | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 7 | FW | DEN | Mikael Uhre | 30 | 13 | 21+6 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | ARG | Julián Carranza | 35 | 15 | 28+3 | 14 | 0+1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 17 | FW | BRA | Sergio Santos | 12 | 1 | 8+3 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | JAM | Cory Burke | 37 | 8 | 8+25 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0+3 | 1 |
| 19 | FW | USA | Chris Donovan | 7 | 0 | 1+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
Source: Player Stats and Match reports in Competitions
* 1 2 Transferred out during the season
* 1 2 Loaned out during the season