Youth/High School Soccer
Bangers & More: Roland Alberg Reliving Memories at Snow Bowl
Former Philadelphia Union midfielder Roland Alberg has been retracing some of his old steps and exploring new environments that were only a dream during his playing days in his return to Chester this week with his Alberg NexGen Soccer for the 2026 Snow Bowl.
“When we drove here from the city center everything was so familiar,” Alberg said Tuesday after his U-18 NextGen team played Lyngby Boldklub. “And then getting here you walk past places you walked by a million times and we’re next to the stadium where I scored some bangers.”
Alberg, whose academy program is based in South Africa, spent two productive seasons in Chester, scoring 19 goals in 58 appearances for the Blue and Gold. And while he had longer tenures with other teams his time here was a highlight in his 12-year professional career.
“I played in some clubs three, four years,” Alberg said. “But if you ask me and ask my family and ask my friends, if there is one country and one club, it’s Philly and the USA.”
When the Netherlands native and Suriname international arrived in Chester in 2016, the team was still getting its sea legs, the much ballyhooed academy was still in its early days fine-tuning its process at YSC Sports and the second team was just launching. A decade later, the academy has produced players playing at big clubs across the pond and representing the U.S. on the grandest stages.
The inaugural Snow Bowl this week has served as both a showcase for the new indoor facility completed last year at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex and for the kind of pull the team’s youth development has in the global game now, bringing in squads from the likes of Manchester United, Benfica, PSV, Borussia Dortmund and others.
While Alberg has settled into his new role as a coach and mentor, using his experience playing at the highest level to inspire the next generation, his appreciation for the Union and for the growth of soccer in the U.S. has not strayed.
“I’ve been following the team, watching videos online and on Instagram and it’s amazing to be here, to see this new facility, to see their academy teams train,” Alberg said. “The way this team is growing and MLS is growing, everything is possible.”
Alberg’s team has taken some lumps in the competition – conceding six to the Union on Wednesday after a 5-0 loss to the Danish club Lyngby – but the opportunity to challenge themselves and the lessons learned are vitally important takeaways.
“We need to learn from this and keep going,” Alberg said.
