The Union’s latest low-profile signing is a Brooklyn-born forward from Spain
Markus Anderson could be Julián Carranza's long-term successor. But Carranza still hasn't been sold yet, in part because he has turned down offers from European clubs he doesn't want to go to.
There are a lot of Americans playing soccer in Europe these days. But even people who follow them closely might not have heard of the Union’s latest signing.
Markus Anderson is a 20-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., native who has spent the last year and a half in Spain. He was brought there by Rayo Majadahonda, a Madrid-based club that has spent most of the last 10 years in the country’s third tier.
Anderson stands 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds. He played for Majadahonda as a left winger, which makes him an unusual fit for a Union organization that doesn’t use wingers. The team’s announcement Monday morning called him an “attacker,” while sporting director Ernst Tanner’s statement called him a striker.
That points to Anderson’s role in the Union’s 4-4-2 system being a forward who plays off a target man such as Mikael Uhre or Chris Donovan.
“After initially playing in the fifth division in Spain, he was able to quickly progress to the third division where he has been performing well at a very young age,” Tanner said in the release. “He is another great example of how adept our scouting department is at identifying talent and we look forward to integrating him as quickly as possible with the team.”
» READ MORE: Jim Curtin believes Alejandro Bedoya will be back with the Union soon
The Union certainly have endorsed Anderson’s potential, giving him a three-year contract through 2026 with team options for 2027 and 2028.
They might not be the only team to have done so. Spanish media outlet Relevo — the one that brought down disgraced Spanish soccer chief Luis Rubiales last year — reported in October that Real Madrid was scouting Anderson to potentially sign to its reserve team.
In the longer term, Anderson could be the successor to Julián Carranza. But that would require the Union to sell Carranza first. A source with knowledge of the matter told The Inquirer that the Union have had multiple potential deals in place with notable European clubs this winter but that Carranza and his agent rejected them all. Germany’s Werder Bremen is known to be one of those clubs.
The transfer window in most of Europe’s major leagues closes at the end of Thursday, with a few open through Friday. Carranza, 23, is entering the last year of his contract with the Union, and the longer he waits to move, the more his potential transfer drops.
The Union are in the midst of a few days off at the moment. They will return to work Thursday in Chester before heading back to Florida for a few weeks, then on to Costa Rica for their Concacaf Champions Cup opener on Feb. 20.
» READ MORE: Julián Carranza is still a Union player, but for how long?
Brandan Craig loan, take two
Marquee Union centerback prospect Brandan Craig is going out on loan again, and hopefully this one will work.
The Morrell Park native is heading to El Paso Locomotive of the second-tier USL Championship, a source confirmed after the Athletic first reported it Monday.
The Union want Craig, 20, to play regularly, but it will be hard for him to get minutes in MLS when he’s behind Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, and Damion Lowe on the depth chart. The USL Championship is a higher level than MLS Next Pro, where the Union’s reserves play other MLS clubs’ reserve squads.
Craig was loaned to Austin FC last July, but the club signed another centerback at the same time. So he ended up not playing a second in the Texas capital, not even for the club’s reserve team.
» READ MORE: Apple is still keeping secret how many — or few — people watch its MLS telecasts
He had a trial at English Premier League club Everton earlier this month, but it didn’t produce an offer. That might not be a bad thing, as prestigious as moving there would have looked.
Everton was deducted 10 points earlier this season over its disastrous finances and is at risk of a second 10-point deduction before the season ends. A potential sale to new American-based owners is ridden with controversy.
When Craig gets to El Paso, he’ll find another Philly-area native. Manager Brian Clarhaut grew up in Medford, Burlington County, and went to Bishop Eustace and Shawnee high schools. He was an assistant coach with Temple’s men’s team from 2012 to 2015, then spent six years coaching teams in Sweden. Clarhaut returned to the United States at the start of last year to take the El Paso job.