Union sign Anton Sorenson, a promising left back prospect from the team’s youth academy

After a fast move up the youth ranks, Sorenson will compete with Matt Real to be Kai Wagner's backup this year.

Anton Sorenson, a product of the team's youth academy, poses after signing his first Major League Soccer contract.Read morePhiladelphia Union

Published Jan. 25, 2022, 4:30 p.m. ET

The Union’s promotion of academy-bred left back Anton Sorenson to the senior squad became official on Tuesday after being expected for some time.

“Anton is a promising young player and a natural left-footed defender that will be a valuable addition to our backline,” Union sporting director Ernst Tanner said in a statement. “He is an attacking-minded outside back who looks to play forward quickly in transition. His mentality, aggression, and physical skills provide a platform for Anton to become a valuable player as he develops further.”

Sorenson, who also celebrated his 19th birthday Tuesday, was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and grew up in Ann Arbor, Mich. He joined the Union’s academy at the under-17 level in 2019, and didn’t take long to make an impression. In August 2020, he made his first of 12 appearances that year for the Union’s reserve team in the second-tier USL Championship. The following month, he scored his first goal on a pretty counterattack.

Last August, SBI Soccer reported that the Union had signed Sorenson to an MLS deal, but there was never an official announcement. It was no secret, though, that Sorenson was playing for the Union’s reserve team as it lived a nomadic existence while waiting for MLS’s new reserve league to launch this year.

When the MLS Players Association released a round of leaguewide salary data in October, Sorenson was one of three reserve team players on the Union’s payroll. And when the Union were granted emergency hardship call-ups for the Eastern Conference final in December, Sorenson was one of them.

After the season ended, Tanner confirmed that Sorenson would be on a first-team contract this year, and manager Jim Curtin spoke highly of the prospect.

“It’s a tough skill set, it’s a unique skill set that he has,” Curtin said. “When you talk about talent and engine to get up and down, he certainly has that. ... If you made a checklist of qualities of a left back, they’re all there.”

Now it’s time for Sorenson to experience life as a true pro. His contract is guaranteed through next year, with team options for 2024 and 2025. He will compete with Matt Real to be Kai Wagner’s backup, and will have a chance for more playing time if the Union sell Wagner to a European bidder at some point.

As Curtin also said: “What we’ll work with, with Anton, is doing it every day — what does it really mean to be a professional. Because once you get to this level, your talent only gets you so far. And he has talent, no question.”

Monteiro out of Africa Cup of Nations, Mbaizo still alive

Jamiro Monteiro’s Cape Verde was ousted from the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday by star-studded Senegal, 2-0. The game had quite a bit of controversy, as Cape Verde had two players sent off for fouls that brought lengthy video reviews. The ejections came in the 21st and 57th minutes, and Liverpool star Sadio Mané opened the scoring in the 63rd minute. It was the first open-play goal of the tournament for Senegal, one of the favorites to win the title. Marseille’s Ahmadou Bamba Dieng finished things off in the 92nd.

Olivier Mbaizo’s Cameroon will play Gambia in the quarterfinals on Saturday after ending Comoros’ Cinderella run with a 2-1 win on Monday. Unfortunately for Union fans, Mbaizo did not make the host nation’s game-day squad for the second time in the tournament. His only appearance so far was as an 87th-minute substitute in the group stage-ending 1-1 tie with Cape Verde.

Comoros, by the way, was quite a story. The island archipelago off Africa’s east coast was in the tournament for the first time, and its group-stage finale upset of traditional power Ghana brought the nation’s first win and first goals in the tournament. But in the days afterward, the squad suffered a big COVID-19 outbreak that sidelined 12 people, including all three goalkeepers on the roster.

So Comoros had to start 30-year-old left back Chaker Alhadhur in net, as he was the only player available with any prior goalkeeping experience. On top of that, Comoros’ Nadjim Abdou was sent off just seven minutes in. Alhadur made four saves, including a double-stop that went viral. But the team’s valiant effort came up short in the end.