Congrats to Philadelphia Union center back Mark McKenzie, who is headed to Europe on a multi-million dollar deal:

The fee is reported to be around $6 million.

According to the press release, there are additional performance-based bonuses, and the Union will also get a portion of future transfers, which we call a “sell-on fee.”

That’s one of the key things about this move, the sell-on fee.

KRC Genk, the team Mark is going to play for, has a fantastic track record of taking young players, developing them further, and then selling them to bigger teams in Europe. In recent years, they’ve transferred guys to teams like Atalanta, Brighton, Leverkusen, Napoli, and Lazio, and turned profits of more than 10 or 15 million Euros in some cases.

So not only do the Union get $6 million plus the performance bonuses, but if Mark plays well (he will, he’s a stud), the Union get a portion of the next transfer fee, to a bigger European team. That money is reinvested in the academy, infrastructure, stadium, training complex, and/or spent on players.

It’s a great story. Mark grew up in Bear, Delaware, and joined the Union academy as a teenager. He worked his way into the starting lineup, got himself into the United States national team, and is now headed to Europe on a fancy deal.

Now we’ve got two Delaware Valley natives and Union alumni playing in Europe next season. Brenden Aaronson is at RB Salzburg and Mark McKenzie is at Genk. I’m gonna buy each guy’s jersey, cut them in half, and then stitch them together, like Brady Quinn’s sister at the 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: