With the Portland Timbers' 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew, the 2015 MLS season has drawn to a close, and while it might have been a satisfying campaign for some clubs, it's back to the drawing board for the Philadelphia Union. Here's what we can take away from 2015.
Open Cup Final Loss - This one hurt. From Jay Sugarman's helicopter arrival to Andrew Wenger's final missed PK, the Union's second consecutive Open Cup Final Loss was rough. What we can take away from it is that despite the Union's terrible regular season form, the team could perform in the Open Cup - proof that there is a reliable (if small) core of players already in place. The 2016 season doesn't need to be a complete rebuild since we've already got players like Gaddis, Edu, Marquez, Nogueira, Barnetta and Le Toux. A few good moves by Earnie Stewart could be all the team needs to go from Open Cup pretenders to title contenders: just look at D.C. United from 2013 to 2014.
Sakiewicz's Firing - #SakOut finally became a reality in 2015 when, soon after the Union's Open Cup loss, the club parted ways with long-time GM Nick Sakiewicz. Apart from the fact that Nick will no longer be around to make the kind of poor moves that he made in the past, Sakiewicz's firing showed that Jay Sugarman is truly invested in the club and wants to improve it going forward. The club will only get better when the owner is engaged, as Sugarman now appears to be.
Earnie Stewart - This is a good hire. With Nick Sakiewicz out of the picture, the club needed to hire a new GM. The man they chose? Former USMNT midfielder and AZ Alkmaar Director of Football Earnie Stewart. Stewart is well-known for being able to take small budget teams and make something out of them, as he did at AZ. The Union have yet to make any real moves this offseason, but Stewart should be able to make something happen.
