The Union loan centerback prospect Brandan Craig to Austin FC

It's a clear sign that the 19-year-old centerback, a high-profile product of the Union's youth academy, wasn’t going to factor in for the Union this season.

Brandan Craig working out at a Union practice last year. He'll spend the rest of this year on loan at Austin FC.Read moreJOSE F. MORENO / Staff Photographer

by Jonathan Tannenwald

Published July 5, 2023, 4:39 p.m. ET

The Union answered the conundrum of what to do with getting young talent Brandan Craig more playing time on Wednesday. But it wasn’t the answer that a lot of people expected, and around here, that a lot of people hoped for.

In a clear sign that Craig wasn’t going to play first-team minutes for the Union soon, the team loaned the 19-year-old centerback to Austin FC for the rest of the year.

The timing is notable. Wednesday was the first day of Major League Soccer’s summer transfer window, but the Union are currently shorthanded at centerback with Damion Lowe playing for Jamaica at the Gold Cup. Nathan Harriel filled in at left centerback in a 3-5-2 setup to start a 2-0 loss Saturday at Atlanta.

The Union are also heading into a three-game week, starting with Saturday’s visit to the Los Angeles Galaxy (10:30 p.m., Apple TV, free). Then comes a Wednesday game at second-in-the-East Nashville SC, followed by a home game on July 15 against rival New York City FC. A slate like that should have opened the door for Craig to get some playing time.

A product of the Union’s youth academy, Craig was outstanding at the Under-20 World Cup in May and June, helping the U.S. post four straight shutouts before a loss in the quarterfinals. He drew lots of attention from fans and scouts, and when he returned there was widespread hope that he’d play for the Union. That 3-5-2 setup also seemed to provide a way to get him on the field.

There’s also the Leagues Cup coming up this month, with the Union and the rest of MLS facing teams from Mexico’s Liga MX.

But the native of Northeast Philly’s Morrell Park neighborhood hasn’t seen the field, and now he won’t here for the rest of the year. It remains the case that Craig has played just once for the Union’s first team since moving up at the start of 2021: a three-minute cameo against D.C. United last year. All of his game time this season has come with the Union’s reserve squad.

Austin made sense as a deal partner because the team needs centerback help. Usual starter Leo Väisänen is out injured, backups Amro Tarek and Kip Keller have platooned next to starter Julio Cascante, and the team has shifted outside back Nick Lima and defensive midfielder Alex Ring into the spot at times. So there seems to be a path for Craig to play there.

That need was also shown by Austin giving the Union a third-round draft pick in the deal, and the team will also pay up to $125,000, depending on performance incentives.

“I’m happy to join Austin FC and look forward to doing whatever I can to help the team for the remainder of this season,” Craig said in a statement. The Union’s announcement had no quotes from anyone; manager Jim Curtin will hold his weekly news conference Thursday.

There are undoubtedly differences between playing against fellow teenagers and playing against older veterans in MLS. When Craig takes the field in Austin, we’ll finally get our first sense of how big the difference is for him.