MLS
Veteran defender Olivier Mbaizo waived by the Philadelphia Union
The Philadelphia Union announced the first of what may be several roster moves Wednesday morning. Right back Olivier Mbaizo, one of the longest tenured players on the current roster, was waived.
Mbaizo, the Cameroonian defender, was under contract through the remainder of the 2026 season. He appeared just two times so far this season, one as a starter against Defence Force FC in Concacaf Champions Cup action, and once as a first half sub for Frankie Westfield, who was injured early in a regular season match against New England Revolution.
Olivier Photo by Matthew Ralph
Olivier Mbaizo (15) with Bethlehem Steel FC in a home match against Memphis 901 FC. Photo by Matt McClain
Olivier Mbaizo (15) with Bethlehem Steel FC in a home match against Memphis 901 FC. Photo by Matt McClain
His time on the field peaked a few years ago in 2021-2022, but his production has slowly plummeted since then. He lost a step, his pace dropped a bit, and his accuracy on crosses waivered so much that he lost his back up spot and was eventually left on the bench while Bradley Carnell used midfielder Ben Bender in a fullback spot a number of times so far this season.
Mbaizo arrived from Rainbow FC in Cameroon in 2018. He primarily logged minutes for Bethlehem Steel FC prior to earning time with the first team. He possessed the skills needed to thrive in the Union system and showed signs of real growth early on in his Philadelphia tenure. That growth culminated in 2022 when he earned a roster spot with his native country Cameroon in the 2022 World Cup.
But after nine seasons with Philadelphia, that skill no longer continued to blossom and unfortunately the club decided to part ways and eat the cash owed.
Mbaizo is listed to earn just shy of $503k in 2026. He signed a contract extension in 2024 that had him on the books through the end of this season with two club options for 2027 and 2028, a sign that the club foresaw him being apart of their plans as either a spot starter or rotational player. Instead, he’s been neither this year, even left of the match day roster a few times as well.
“We want to thank Olivier for his time spent with the club,” said Philadelphia Union Sporting Director, Jon Scheer. “We are grateful for his dedication, professionalism, and impact on the organization and wish him all the best going forward.”
Mbaizo’s time in Chester ends with 156 appearances and 11,281 minutes across all competitions. He logged 13 career assists and earned six MLS Cup Playoff starts. He made 33 appearances, scored a goal and dished 4 assists for Philadelphia Union II (Bethlehem Steel) while logging 2,872 minutes.
So now the question becomes, who is next? Will the club move more players? And who will they bring in to fill Mbaizo’s roster spot?
Scheer did hint at some changes to come during the break as the club continues to sort through the aftermath of Carnell’s dismissal, the end of the Ernst Tanner saga (who knows when that will be officially at this point), and moving on from the worst stretch of play in club history to start the season.
