Stuart Findlay will leave the Union later this month

Stuart Findlay will leave the Union after this week, manager Jim Curtin announced Monday, a few days after reports surfaced that the centerback will join England’s Oxford United.

“It’s positive on both sides,” Curtin said. “Obviously, there’s always complications and different things that go on, but he’s been an absolute professional. He’s great in our locker room, the players love him — he’s just in a situation where [he] wants to play minutes consistently, and here in Philly, he hasn’t gotten that opportunity.”

Findlay has been No. 3 on the Union’s centerback depth chart since arriving here before the start of last season. He hasn’t played as much as many people expected him to, as Curtin has stuck with the centerback pair of Jack Elliott and Jakob Glesnes for just about every game.

As a result, Findlay has played just three games for the Union this season, after playing nine last year. The 26-year-old Scotsman’s most prominent outings will have been last year’s Eastern Conference final, when he stepped in at the last minute amid the Union’s COVID-19 outbreak; and this year’s U.S. Open Cup round of 32, when he scored his only goal for the club in a loss at Orlando City.

Findlay was never pleased with his lack of minutes, and reports started surfacing last winter that he might leave. He told The Inquirer last December that he wanted to fight for more playing time, and Curtin said after that Open Cup game that Findlay’s “stock was already high, and it got higher.”

But Findlay has played just twice since then. He was a spectator at Friday’s win over D.C. United, getting dinner in the Subaru Park media dining room before kickoff.

» READ MORE: Julián Carranza’s hat trick powers historic night for the Union against D.C. United

Might he suit up for the Union one more time? It can’t be ruled out, with the Union visiting Inter Miami on Wednesday (8 p.m., PHL17) and hosting the New England Revolution on Saturday (7:30 p.m., PHL17).

“Sometimes it’s the coach’s decision, sometimes it’s some breaks that have gone against him, some decisions that have gone against him,” Curtin said. “He’s a great player, he’s a starting-caliber centerback in this league. He’ll be with us for the next two games, and we want to make six points out of that and send him off the right way.”

A move from MLS to an English third-tier club isn’t much of a move, and whatever transfer fee Oxford United pays likely won’t be much either. But if Findlay can use Oxford as a launching pad to his next destination, it will pay off — and could get him back to Scotland’s national team for the first time since October 2019.

After Findlay leaves, and the Union will have two midweek games left in the regular season: at FC Dallas on Aug. 17 and home vs. Atlanta United on Aug. 31.

So there’s some time coming up for the Union to prepare Brandan Craig, an 18-year-old academy product from Northeast Philadelphia who shone with the U.S. under-20 team this summer. Craig made his first team debut Friday when he subbed in the last few minutes, and Curtin believes he’s ready for a step up.

“Yeah, Brandan is ready to be that that third guy to help us,” Curtin said.

Curtin said he believes the Union can keep winning with the team as it stands. But when asked if it would be prudent for the team to have a fourth centerback on the roster — in case of emergency, or to try a three-back lineup again later this year — Curtin was equally clear.

“We’re always looking to add pieces and strengthen the squad and upgrade,” Curtin said “We have a good, stable chest of money, we have some roster spots open, so when the right move comes along, I’m sure we’ll pull the trigger. … We’ll see how the transfer market goes — it’s still early in that regard — so if the right move is there to be made, we’ll do it. If nothing comes up, we won’t do anything stupid.”

The Union’s Julián Carranza won MLS’s Player of the Week award for his hat trick against D.C. United. He’s the first Union player to get the honor since Sergio Santos in 2020.

» READ MORE: The Union’s young prospects starred in Olympics qualifying. Will Jim Curtin play them now?