2018 Union Midfielders Preview: Have We Found Our Number 10?

New Philadelphia Union midfielder Borek Dockal is unveiled. Photo Credit: Philadelphia Union Communications 

    It looked like the Union were heading into the 2018-2019 season without making any major additions to their midfield. Further, the departures of veterans Brian Carroll and failed experiment with Maurice Edu were two major losses the team would face in the midfield for the upcoming season. It seemed that Sporting Director Earnie Stewart and Coach Jim Curtain were satisfied with forging ahead with Alejandro Bedoya and Haris Medunjanin anchoring the unit in the central midfield.

     Bedoya and Medunjanin, both veterans played most of last year together and meshed well playing off one another. While Medunjanin’s strength is not his defense, his premiere touch and ability to create opportunities for the likes of Accam and Piccault on the wings and Sapong up top should prove fruitful this season.  Bedoya will have to be the keystone that maintains the squad’s form between the midfield and the young defensive backs. However, Bedoya has shown he can be an effective connection between the defense and the offensive attack.   

     The Union also held an impressive 9-2-3 record in 2017 when either Medunjanin and Bedoya recorded a goal or an assist in a match in all MLS competitions. The two midfielders were responsible for 35 percent of the Union’s assist total from last season and for a fifty percent of the club’s total scoring. However despite their connection, with no major moves made, the Union still lacked firepower and creativity in the attacking midfield heading into the 2018 season.

     With Ilsinho being the only returning starter in the midfield and younger players like Adam Najem and Anthony Fontana not being ready to establish themselves as every week starters, the Union were heading into the 2018 season in familiar fashion. It appeared it was going to be another year without an attacking midfield playmaker to complete their team. Earnie Stewart has acknowledged their continued need to get a true number 10, which is a position that has evaded the Union since Jim Curtain’s tenure began. Yet, only four days before the home and season opener the Union hope they found their number 10.

     On February 28, 2018, the Union signed Czech attacking midfielder Borek Dockal. The deal is a one-year loan from Henan Jianye in China, and he counts as a Designated Player on the roster. Dockal’s playing pedigree includes 35 games and six goals for the Czech national team, and a four-year tenure with Sparta Prague that included 30 goals and 51 assists in 135 games. During his tenure in China, he had four goals and five assists in 23 games. When asked about the impact of signing Dockal, Jim Curtain said, “To sign a player that makes all the individuals around him better, which is what a true No. 10 does, is something that yeah, we’ve needed, and now we have.”

     With Dockal filling the void in the attacking midfield, expectations for the Union have gone up. The midfield core of Mendujanin, Bedoya and Dockal should be a force for opposing teams to reckon with. The Union have never had such a touted presence in the center of the park. Most of all, they haven't had an elusive number 10 since Cristian Maidana. Now they do.