Breaking down the Philadelphia Union’s three draft picks

News rocked the Philadelphia Union-related world Tuesday afternoon during the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, as the club used three separate selections in the draft. Ernst Tanner and his group didn’t even trade any picks away on draft day, though we can’t be sure they didn’t try.

With three new players now tied to the Union, even if they don’t all come to the club immediately, we took a look at what they could each bring to Philadelphia.

Zach Bohane
The Union selected Bohane after just his second year in college, which means that it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he’d return to Stanford for another year or two. Still, for a guy his age, Bohane looks solid. He started in 21 games over the last two seasons for Stanford across 35 appearances, scoring nine times and registering 13 assists. In 2023, he led the Cardinal in goals (eight), assists (11), and was named All-Far West Region by United Soccer Coaches.

From his highlights on YouTube, Bohane seems to have a lot of upside. He’s got a nose for goal with solid accuracy. He had one goal that stood out, where he was able to place his near-horizontal shot in a near-perfect fashion to get a nice goal. He also seems to have some decent crossing ability and his aggressive defensive style sets up transition moments well. He doesn’t exactly curl free kick shots into the top-right corner, but he’s notched a few goals and assists from set pieces.

Francesco Montali
Montali is the second goalkeeper whom the Union have drafted in as many years. With Joe Bendik’s recent retirement, it seems safe to say the Union feels Holden Trent, last year’s draftee from High Point, is ready to step up into the backup role. Unless Trent is moved, Montali is likely a third option for the club.

Still, Montali comes to Philadelphia with a nice resume. He was named the Patriot League’s best goalkeeper in each of the last two seasons and was a 2023 All-Atlanta Region selection by the United Soccer Coaches in addition to a slew of other awards.

The Boston University goalie looks decent on film (which includes some very soothing music). He’s tall, which allows him to cover the net with some relative ease. That being said, he gets to the ball when needed. He’s comfortable with the ball at his feet and has good control of his box. Admittedly, it appears that he likes to stay close to his own goal rather than come out too far for challenges, but he has his moments where he reaches the 18-yard line with the ball in his hands.

Stas Korzeniowski
Somewhere out there, Jonathan Tannenwald is kicking his feet and giggling.

The Union picked up Korzeniowski from Penn, and while Korzeniowski doesn’t have a recent highlight reel, the numbers speak for themself. The 20-year-old appeared in 50 matches for the Quakers, scoring 20 times and putting up 15 assists. He was named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Ivy League, and a few other notables. Sources (PSN Managing Editor Matt Ralph) also said he’s a “goal-scorer.”

Korzeniowski’s also a local kid. He got his academy minutes playing with PDA out of New Jersey and won a USL2 championship with Ballard FC. He might return to Penn to develop a little bit, but it’s hard to build on 35 g/a in 50 appearances.