Jakob Glesnes signs a new deal that keeps him with Union through 2025

The 6-foot-2 Norwegian could also return on a team option in 2026. The centerback has played 105 games for the Union, and was last season's MLS defender of the year.

Jakob Glesnes (right) is a stalwart of the Union's back line.Read moreTyger Williams / Staff Photographer

by Jonathan Tannenwald

Published March 21, 2023, 12:44 p.m. ET

The Union announced Tuesday that reigning MLS defender of the year Jakob Glesnes signed a new deal with the team, guaranteed through 2025 with a team option year for 2026.

Glesnes, 28, joined the Union in 2020. The 6-foot-2 Norwegian centerback has played 105 games for the club since then, scoring five goals — including some epic long-range blasts. Last year, Glesnes helped the Union break a 10-year-old MLS record for the fewest goals conceded in a 34-game season.

“Since arriving in MLS, Jakob has been a critical piece of our backline’s strong defensive record,” Union sporting director Ernst Tanner said in a statement. “Jakob has proven not only his sporting value but also as a leader on and off the field. We’re happy to have reached an agreement to extend his stay in Philadelphia.”

When he signed his previous contract here at the end of 2021, it was announced as running from 2022 through 2024, with no detail of whether 2024 was an option year. It’s traditional in MLS for teams to offer deals with two years guaranteed and one optional, and for teams to negotiate new deals in the second guaranteed year.

Glesnes will presumably get a raise, too. Last year, he made $739,063, above the Designated Player threshold, but his cap hit was paid down with Targeted Allocation Money (TAM). With the Union already carrying three DPs in Mikael Uhre, Dániel Gazdag and Julián Carranza, expect the Union to continue using TAM on Glesnes’ contract.