24-year-old Brazilian Sergio Santos comes to us from Audax Italiano in the Chilean League. He’s swapping Chile for Chester.

The rumor popped up a few weeks ago on Twitter, with Santos apparently breaking the news on a radio station down there. He also had interest from Mexican side Necaxa but preferred to play in MLS.

I don’t know much about the guy. He scored ten goals for Audax across all competitions last season and Transfermarkt has him listed as a left-footed center forward who can also play as a left winger and second striker.

Here’s a blurb from the Union website:

Santos boasts speed and strength, and it’s the directness of his game that should prove to be a good fit in the Union’s transition-oriented system next year. The 181 pound Brazilian is a mismatch for fullbacks with his size, and he presents huge problems for center backs with his speed. In short, he has shown the kind of raw ability that can make him a versatile option up front for the Union as they seek to flexibly adapt their tactics throughout the 2019 season.

6’0″, 181 is pretty solid. That’s the type of build for a tweener forward who can play up top but also do some damage on the wing or play in a pressing system. Houston’s Alberth Elis I think is a good comparison in the size and weight department.

Sporting Director Ernst Tanner spoke to the media today and said this, after the jump:

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Both of these reports come from a foreign outlet that I’m not too familiar with, so there’s your disclaimer.

Ghana Soccer Net says the Union are set to move both David Accam and C.J. Sapong.

From the article on Accam, who the club traded for less than a year ago:

FC Cincinnati, who begin their MLS play in 2019 as a club in the Eastern Conference, have targeted the Ghana international.

Accam, 28, has been identified as one of five current players in the Major Soccer League to help shape the core of their inaugural roster and could be selected during the Expansion Draft, expected to be released on Monday, December 10.

…

FC Cincinnati will likely take the gamble and engage in a draft-trade with Philadelphia Union for his signature.

And here’s the relevant information from the Sapong story:

Major Soccer League side Philadelphia Union are likely to trade Charles Nana Kwabena Sarpong to FC Cincinnati in a major trade, GHANAsoccernet.com understands.

The 29-year-old is among three players including compatriot David Accam who are being considered for the draft-trade.

If there’s any truth to these stories, it sounds like the Union are going to pull a pre-draft deal that would send one player to Cincy on the condition that they select the other in expansion.

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I wrote a somewhat rambling and cathartic diatribe after the Union bowed out of the playoffs with a feckless 3-1 loss in Yankee Stadium a few weeks back.

The crux of the story was how a major market team continues to perform like a small market team, and that just so happens to be the theme in a Forbes story published today that values Jay Sugarman’s franchise at 175 million dollars.

That sounds like a lot of money, especially considering the fact that Sugarman paid somewhere around 20 to 25 million dollars as an expansion fee when the team began playing back in 2010. That fee is now up to $150 million, so the value of the Union has grown by something like 500% just based on league-wide MLS expansion alone. Sugarman, the New York City businessman, could cash out now and make a very nice chunk of change on his investment.

The $175 million number places the Union in the bottom six in total MLS team value, ranked 18th of 23 franchises.

Here’s the top 12:

Philly is way down near the bottom, trailing traditional powerhouse sports markets like Portland, Orlando, and San Jose:

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