An analysis of the Union’s roster at the start of the 2024 season

As we do every year to start a new Union season, here’s a player-by-player look at the team’s roster. The list at each position is in order of what looks to be the depth chart heading into the campaign, which starts Tuesday with a Concacaf Champions Cup game at Costa Rica’s Saprissa (10 p.m., FS2, TUDN).

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He starts the list every time, and will keep starting it for as long as he’s here. At 33, he’s at the peak of his powers for the Union and Jamaica’s national team. He could have a big year for both, with the Reggae Boyz set to play in their first Concacaf Nations League final four, the Copa América, and 2026 World Cup qualifying.

And yes, he’s still the most important player in Union history. He’ll keep that honor for as long as he’s here too, and for a long time after that.

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The 25-year-old German was signed to be Blake’s backup, and with all those Jamaica games this year, Semmle should play plenty. He’s an interesting prospect: 6-foot-3, 13 shutouts for the USL Championship’s Louisville City last year, and an NCAA championship at Marshall before then.

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He’s still a prospect whom the Union like. He should get playing time with the reserve squad.

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It’s tempting to put Jakob Glesnes at No. 1 for the first time since 2021, but Elliott stays here for two reasons.

First is his experience: This will be his eighth year with the Union, after being the 77th overall draft pick in 2017. He’s as respected as it gets in the locker room, and in the Subaru Park stands. (Though maybe not those at the team store. You don’t see too many Elliott jerseys around.)

Second is his skill set. As talented as Glesnes is, Damion Lowe is stylistically similar as a backup. Elliott’s passing game is what sets him apart, at short and long range. Few of his colleagues over the years have matched it, and not many prospects have, either.

Brandan Craig is an exception. But the Union were understandably nervous about throwing the 19-year-old in the deep end this year, and just as nervous about him playing only against reserve squads.

So Craig went on loan to the USL Championship’s El Paso Locomotive, whose manager Brian Clarhaut happens to be a Medford native. Perhaps next year, Craig will officially become the understudy to as good a role model as there is.

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He’s a fan favorite for his crunching tackles, rampaging runs forward, and cannon-blast shots from long range. He’s also an iron man on the field, starting every regular-season game from the start of 2021 until a sports hernia sidelined him in September.

A day off here and there this season might not be the worst thing. But as long as he keeps delivering, he’ll be another reason why the back line is the least of the Union’s worries. And perhaps Norway’s national team will finally call him one of these days.

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Of the three intra-league signings the Union made last winter, he was the only one who hit. The good news is they hit the jackpot. Lowe was a perfect backup and rotation player, especially in Concacaf play when his street smarts helped as much as his skills.

He’ll be missed when he joins Blake with Jamaica, but expect the Union to make the most of him when he’s around.

» READ MORE: A look back at one of Damion Lowe's best games last year

The 19-year-old South African has raw tools, a high ceiling, and some charisma. Will that get him on the field beyond the reserves this year? If not, will the Union regret being unable to recall Craig from his loan while Lowe is gone?

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He’s still perhaps the best left back in MLS, because he’s still in MLS — and for a long time, that wasn’t the plan. But after a once-and-for-all try at moving to Europe as a free agent, Wagner decided to take what might have still been the best offer he had. So he signed a new multiyear deal, and seemed happy with it.

Wagner will have to win back the fans whose trust he lost when he was suspended for saying a racial slur in the Union’s playoff opener. He ended last year with one game to sit out, but MLS rescinded it for his participation in a restorative justice program. When he returns to the field, he should resume showing his talents.

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The 24-year-old Drexel Hill native has waited six years to be a starter with his hometown club, and still isn’t yet. If the Union rotate their lineup as much as they should this year, he should see more playing time, but he’ll still be a backup.

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We likely won’t see the 21-year-old newcomer at all this year because he suffered a torn ACL in the preseason.

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He keeps getting better, especially at the defensive end. Unfortunately, he seems to have fallen down the Cameroon national team’s depth chart. But one of these years, some team in Europe will realize it can buy him for a fair price. He has earned the chance.

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He also keeps getting better, especially at the attacking end. It doesn’t come as naturally as his great defensive work does, but he showed last year that he can pitch in — especially with a big vertical leap to get his head on free kicks.

In recent months, Harriel has earned call-ups to the U.S. under-23 team. Could he make the 18-player Olympic squad? It’s a great compliment that it’s even possible.

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A 21-year-old Bolivian prospect signed this winter. He’s got potential, but a long way to go.

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Every position on the field matters in the Union’s 4-4-2 diamond formation, but defensive midfield especially matters. You have to be not just a bulldog of a tackler but a skilled passer who can launch attacks in a hurry.

Every game Martínez plays, he shows how good he is at both. And every game he misses because his hot temper gets the better of him, he shows how much the Union need him. Can he finally dial down the yellow cards this year?

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Martínez’s fellow Venezuelan is the first name to look at as a backup. But they aren’t really the same player, and Bueno is just as likely this year to play farther forward.

They’re also both likely to be on Venezuela’s Copa América squad this summer, which means the Union will really have some thinking to do.

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He’s been Martínez’s backup before, and could be during the Copa. Unfortunately, he’s out for a few months with a torn pectoral muscle. It’s awful luck for a player who deserved a bounce-back after dealing with a sports hernia last year.

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How much will the Union’s longtime captain play in what’s likely to be his last season? The team knows it needs to be less than in past years. But only manager Jim Curtin can answer the question because he has to be willing to take the 36-year-old Bedoya off the field even when he doesn’t want to.

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Last year, you saw what all the hype was about. This year, cherish your chance to see him be even better. The 20-year-old’s left foot is a special thing, capable of exceptional passes and subtle moments of slowing a game down. He’s almost certain to go to the Olympics, and the Union are likely to cash in afterward.

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He started his pro career as one of Bedoya’s backups. Then he moved up to forward so he could play more, and delivered some clutch and pretty goals. Now he’s back in what should be his best position, and was one of the preseason’s standouts.

He needs to play. Quite a few people will say he needs to play as much as Bedoya. Whether Curtin will make that happen is one of this year’s biggest talking points.

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Perhaps the most talented of the offseason’s many low-profile arrivals. Scouts in Denmark, where he grew up and played professionally before now, have said lots of good things about his potential. We might not see it right away, but let’s see if we do in time.

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He owns the famed No. 10 jersey, and he fits it with goals and assists. It would help if more of them this year were from open play instead of penalty kicks, which he knows as well as anyone.

It might also help if he takes a day off on occasion. He played over 4,000 minutes in 48 games last year, and insists he’s happy to do so again this year. He’ll also likely go to the European Championship with Hungary’s national team, a big honor after missing the last Euros with an injury.

» READ MORE: Dániel Gazdag wants to be one of the Union’s iron men again this year

The Union don’t have a high-level backup for Gazdag, a problem that doesn’t get talked about much. Marquee academy prospect David Vazquez will be worth watching if he signs a first-team deal, but he hasn’t yet.

Rafanello is a 23-year-old Delran native and academy product with a thunderous shot, but he hasn’t shown enough else to play regularly with the senior team.

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The 20-year-old Philadelphia native grew up in the Union’s academy, then went to college at Duke. He turned pro in December. We’ll see what he contributes this year.

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Nothing would boost this season more than a scoring streak from the most expensive player in team history. After scoring 13 goals in his first year here, he had 11 last year — not bad, but far fewer than anyone wanted.

There’s little point in dunking on Uhre over it. He knows it plenty well, and isn’t afraid to say so. But he also knows it’s something that can only be put to bed by scoring.

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It’s remarkable that he’s still here, and not in a good way. He had multiple offers on the table from European clubs this winter, and turned them all down because he wanted other destinations. Alas, there were no offers from those destinations.

Now he’s in the last year of his contract, and no one expects him to sign a new one. So what will he do? The Union can only hope he scores enough to get a summer offer he does want, with enough cash attached to make it matter.

» READ MORE: Julián Carranza stays with the Union after Europe’s winter transfer window closes

There’s a long history of summer arrivals to MLS not taking off until the next year. If Baribo becomes the latest, it would be a huge help.

» READ MORE: It took Tai Baribo a while to adjust to his new life with the Union

It’s not often that a backup-at-best striker gets his new contract announced by the world’s most famous soccer transfer reporter, Fabrizio Romano. Hopefully whoever set that up got a nice dinner out — and hopefully Donovan can pitch in some goals this year.

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He’s an unknown to fans, but the Union’s scouts knew enough to want to sign the Brooklyn native from Spain’s lower leagues. He projects as a forward who can play off a big partner, such as Uhre or Donovan.

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