As the Union begin their preseason in Spain, their roster is far from finished

The Union took 29 players to their preseason training camp in Marbella, Spain, a number that could pass for a full roster before looking at who’s involved.

In fact, five of the players on the trip don’t have first-team contracts. Goalkeeper Mike Sheridan, centerback Neil Pierre, leftback Frankie Westfield, and forwards Eddy Davis and Sal Olivas all played for the reserve squad last year, with Davis doing so (and scoring a team-high 14 goals) as an amateur from the youth academy.

Two first-team players also aren’t on the trip. Jack McGlynn is with the senior U.S. national team, the only Union player at the annual January training camp. It’s not in a FIFA window, so the Union weren’t obligated to release players, and there’s a widespread sense that U.S. Soccer may have wanted others. There’s also a U.S. under-20 team camp going on right now, and the Union didn’t release any players to that.

But having just hired a new manager in Bradley Carnell, it’s common sense that the club wanted most of its players to be with him in Spain to get to work.

» READ MORE: FIFA has temporarily banned the Union from registering new players

The other first-team absentee is forward prospect Nelson Pierre. A 19-year-old from Harrisburg, he signed a first-team contract in early 2023 but has yet to play at that level in an official game. In a Zoom call with the media on Thursday, Carnell was asked about Pierre’s absence — but he didn’t say much.

“As of now, we thought that this is the current roster to go into camp with,” he said, “and then at a later date, determine how and where Nelson fits in.”

But that’s just one piece of a puzzle still a way from being solved.

Subtract here and add there, and you get 26 players who we know will be on the team when the regular season starts on Feb. 22. Neil Pierre and Westfield are expected to sign first-team deals before then, so that’s 28.

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Are those 28 enough to field a competitive squad this year? It’s one thing to make room for marquee prospects like Neil Pierre, CJ Olney, and Cavan Sullivan, but this team clearly still lacks a legitimate third striker and third centerback.

Ian Glavinovich (whose first named is pronounced “Yahn,” for the record) seems to be a player with potential, but not starting-caliber right now. Jakob Glesnes is the only player who meets that bar, and he’s coming off a bad season.

Carnell said Glesnes had a “minor” procedure after last season to clean up scar tissue in his groin area. We’ll see if that helps the 30-year-old Norwegian return to his old form, or if Father Time stays unbeaten.

The good news is that the Union are out shopping for new signings.

“I wouldn’t say it’s clearly said and done,” Carnell said. I think we are always looking, and I think there are definitely positions that are still open where we could feel we might need to explore the market. And I know we are close in certain positions.”

» READ MORE: Ernst Tanner knows Union fans are frustrated, and promises improvement this year

Though FIFA has temporarily banned them from registering new players because of a past issue with a prospect signing, there’s a difference between signing new players and registering new players. The latter only applies to playing in official games.

That means the Union can sign anyone they want to, but those players can’t play until the ban is lifted. And while it isn’t Carnell’s job to do the paperwork with FIFA, he said that in his estimation, the ban shouldn’t last much longer.

“Ernst and I have caught up about it — not in great length, but yeah, it’s a minor issue,” Carnell said. “It’s pretty close to being resolved from what I’m hearing, and it won’t impact us going forward over the next couple [of] weeks.”

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