The Union will host Germany’s Eintracht Frankfurt in an exhibition this summer
The game is expected to be a homecoming for Paxten Aaronson, the Medford native whom the Union sold to Eintracht at the end of 2022.
The Union will host German club Eintracht Frankfurt for an exhibition game — a friendly, in the soccer world’s language — at Subaru Park on Aug. 2.
It will be the first time the Union host a club from abroad for a friendly since 2022, when Mexico’s Pachuca visited. And this one will have some extra shine, as it’s expected to be a homecoming game for former Union midfielder Paxten Aaronson.
The Union sold the Medford native to Eintracht at the end of 2022, for $4 million up front and a lot of future incentive clauses. Aaronson hasn’t played too much for the club since then, but has been very successful in loan spells at Dutch clubs Vitesse Arnhem and his current home, FC Utrecht.
Eintracht has kept close tabs on the now-21-year-old, and last June signed him to a contract extension through 2028. Two months later, Aaronson earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
» READ MORE: A look back at the Union's sale of Paxten Aaronson to Eintracht Frankfurt
“Right now, we’re planning on bringing him,” Eintracht sporting director Timmo Hardung said in a news conference Wednesday at Subaru Park, with Frankfurt Mayor Mike Josef joining officials from both clubs.
“He’s doing very well in the Netherlands right now,” Hardung added, noting that he met with Aaronson when Eintracht visited Ajax of Amsterdam in the Europa League earlier this month. “The loan [to Utrecht] is going to end in June, so the plan for him is now to join us and start with us in preseason.”
Josef came to town not just for this, but for a World Affairs Council of Philadelphia event this week marking 10 years of Philadelphia and Frankfurt being sister cities.
“One important point of our agreement with our sister city is to develop the exchange between our cities, and I think that sports builds a very strong bridge between people,” he said. “I’m very delighted that Eintracht Frankfurt now supports us to develop the exchange, to have an exchange with the city of Philadelphia and also the Philadelphia Union.”
» READ MORE: Paxten Aaronson could have helped the U.S. men's soccer team in the Nations League final four
Eintracht and the Union have history beyond the Aaronson deal. In early 2019, the clubs agreed to the deal that brought Marco Fabián to Chester. At the time, it was the biggest signing in Union history.
A few months earlier, the club visited Subaru Park for a summer friendly that the Union won, 1-0. Derrick Jones, one of the club’s earliest academy products, scored the goal.
“We are good guests — we lost the game,” Josef joked. “So we have the rematch.”
At the time, Eintracht arrived as the reigning German Cup champions. In 2022, they won the Europa League, Europe’s second-tier club competition, and are fourth this season in the Bundesliga. If they stay there, they’ll play in the Champions League next season. The current squad includes German World Cup-winning playmaker Mario Götze, prolific young French striker Hugo Ekitiké, and former U.S. national team right back Timmy Chandler.
This summer’s match, with a 5:30 p.m. kickoff, will be included in season-ticket packages at no extra charge. Tickets also are on sale through the Union’s website.