Philadelphia Union II head coach Marlon LeBlanc gets multi-year extension

Philadelphia Union II head coach Marlon LeBlanc has been signed to a multi-year contract extension ahead of the team’s second season in MLS Next Pro.

The upcoming Next Pro season will be LeBlanc’s fourth season at the helm.

The New Jersey native joined the organization initially as an academy coach in the Philadelphia Union Academy in 2020 after leaving West Virginia University and was promoted to Union II coach after head coach Sven Gartung was fired in August 2020. LeBlanc coached the team throughout the rest of the 2020 season, their last in the USL Championship and through a 2021 season of friendlies before the team was one of the inaugural members of Next Pro when it kicked off in 2022.

LeBlanc coached for 14 seasons at West Virginia, where Jack Elliott and Ray Gaddis both played college ball before being drafted by the Philadelphia Union. Prior to that he served as an assistant at his alma mater, Penn State.

His new contract was one of several technical staff moves announced by the team earlier this week.

Philadelphia Union First Team

• Max Lankheit joins the Union’s technical staff as Head of Performance and Innovation. Lankheit comes to the Union from the San Jose Earthquakes, where he was the Director of High Performance. Prior to that, Lankheit spent two years as Head of Developmental Performance for the Seattle Sounders. He was also a Strength & Conditioning Coach for the German 2. Bundesliga side 1. FC Nürnberg in 2017/18. At his time at 1. FC Nürnberg, Lankheit helped his team be promoted to the 1. Bundesliga by decreasing total missed days through injury by 80%, helped increase the average total distance covered per match, and increased velocity sprints and HSR distance compared to previous seasons.
• Brad Papson has been promoted from Physical Therapist to Head of Health and Innovation and will oversee the Athletic Training staff including Union II and Academy.
• Jay Cooney has been promoted from Video Analyst to Director of Video Coaching and Coaching Technology and will oversee all of video technology and enhancements for the first team, Union II, and Academy.
• Addison Hunsicker has been promoted from Data Analyst to Senior Data Analyst and will continue expanding the analytics department.
• Colin Campbell has been promoted from Academy Equipment Manager to Equipment Operations Coordinator.

Philadelphia Union II

• Philadelphia Union II has signed Head Coach Marlon LeBlanc to a new, multi-year contract extension. LeBlanc led Union II to a berth in the inaugural MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs with a 11-9-4 record, finishing the regular season in third place in the Eastern Conference with 40 points, winning the second most shootouts in the league with three. In 24 matches, LeBlanc has dropped the same lineup only twice all season and has never put out the same starting 11 in back-to-back matches played. LeBlanc joined the club in 2020 as head coach for the Philadelphia Union U-17 team, working with players and coaches throughout the academy system before becoming head coach of the Philadelphia Union II. Prior joining the Union, LeBlanc had a long tenure as the head coach at the University of West Virginia. In his 14 seasons as head coach, the Mountaineers won 138 matches and made six NCAA appearances, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2007.
• Christiana Orgera has been promoted from Academy Athletic Trainer to Lead Athletic Trainer with the Union II.

Philadelphia Union Academy

• Maria Mosquera joins the Union’s Academy as an Athletic Trainer. Mosquera comes to the Union from Sporting Kansas City, where she was the Athletic Trainer for the academy, SKCII, and SKCI.