Open International Slots could benefit the Union

One of the obstacles any MLS club faces is the international player limitations. Every club has eight slots when they start out. Some use them wisely, and in the case of Real Salt Lake trading a slot permanently to the Colorado Rapids for Adolfo Gregario (a player so utterly unremarkable that you probably didn’t realize his name was actually Adolfo Gregorio), they use them unwisely.

The Union seem to be using their slots wisely. At current count, they have seven international slots filled our of their eight, as the one that was sent to Houston in 2015 as part of the Sheanon Williams deal came back to Philadelphia on January 1. The seven players currently occupying slots could be changing however, as Union manager Jim Curtin hinted that two players might be getting green cards. Who could those players be? Let’s take a look at the seven international players and see who the most likely candidates are.

The Union’s one open spot will provide them real flexibility in the transfer market, not limiting them to American players. With multiple open spots, the flexibility is increased. Not only can they look toward a greater player pool to choose from, but these slots can be turned into draft picks, allocation money, or players – as long as it’s not Adolfo Gregorio.