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Union land Brazilian midfielder Fred through waiver draft

Fred Philadelphia Union (Philadelphia Union)

By FRANCO PANIZO

After some uncertainty, the Philadelphia Union have landed the midfielder they were hoping to acquire.

The Union announced on Thursday that they have brought back Fred, the 34-year-old Brazilian who last played for the club during its inaugural season in 2010. Fred was acquired via an MLS waiver draft and will join Philadelphia upon the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate.

“We’re glad to have completed this signing and have Fred on our squad this year,” Union head coach John Hackworth said. “He spent the whole preseason with us and is already very familiar with our team, coaches and entire organization. With as much experience as he has in MLS and other leagues around the world, he adds quality veteran depth to our roster and is also going to be a strong addition to our locker room.”

In his lone season in Philadelphia, Fred scored four goals and had one assist in 25 appearances (24 starts). He most recently played for Australian club Melbourne Heart, and also has previously spent four seasons with D.C. United.

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What do you think of the Union landing Fred? How deep do you consider Philadelphia’s midfield to be now? Think he will make an impact this season or will his age prevent him from contributing?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

    • Not to be confused with the super draft, the pseudo draft, the allocation draft and the supplementary draft.
      Try to keep up, man.

      Reply
    • MLS is not owned by WNBA (I know you are referring to having lower ratings in 1 season on ESPN). However, if it was, it would be because of “fans” like you, not because of a waiver draft (which exists in other American leagues).

      Reply
  1. It’s hard to believe Philly Union is still only in it’s fifth season. Seems like they’ve been around a lot longer. Time to win something!

    Reply
  2. I get confused, there’s two Brazilians named ‘Fred’, right? When did this one last play with the Brazil National Team?

    Reply
    • He’s not coming as a DP or with the expectation of being anything more than roster depth, so having him as a 34 year old doesn’t bother me. While I agree that the trend to get younger players with things to prove in their career is a good general trend, I have nothing against signing a few veterans here and there to fill out rosters.

      It’s also worth considering the Union could benefit from adding players with a little more experience given the makeup of their roster. They were one of the younger teams in the league last year, and one of the team’s veterans has been traded. The majority of the Union’s player acquisitions have been young to youngish players, even guys like Edu, Maidana and Nogueira are in their mid 20s. Among the major contributors only Casey, LeToux and Carroll are on the wrong side of 30, and a reasonable case could be made that the Union can field a close to a best XI with none of the three starting. Adding Fred can’t really hurt.

      Reply
      • No problem with guys that have seasoning. The team I support (Seattle) has guys like Djimi Traore who not only can still give a solid contribution but help youngsters as well. I know Traore can be a liability but he has experience that so few in this league have.

        Solid acquisition by the Union. Best of luck and Im still jealous that you got Andre Blake. I think he will be a stud and relatively soon (when it comes to keepers).

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