2016 Player review: Chris Pontius

2016 Summary: When Chris Pontius was signed, many fans (myself included) were wary of the signing. The Philadelphia Union after all had just signed a guy who had missed 51 games in the past three seasons to a contract worth $411,000 in Guaranteed Compensation.

It’s good to be proven wrong sometimes.

Pontius was by far the best player on the Philadelphia Union’s vaunted offense, leading the team with 12 goals, 66 shots, and 35 shots on goal. Pontius was also second on the team with six assists and two game winning goals.

What did he do right?: Perhaps more import than any statistical achievement, Pontius was able to play in 33 of 34 games for the Union and remained relatively healthy for the year. There were minor knocks along the way, but he was able to set career highs in games played, games started, and minutes played.

What did he do wrong?: Like most wingers, Pontius could disappear at times – but these times were few and far between.

Most memorable moment of 2016: It has to be scoring a goal against his old club, right? A great pass from Ilsinho set Pontius up for a great finish to put the Union up on D.C. United.