It’s 8:30 a.m., the wind is blowing hard off Delaware River as the sun does its best to warm up the players before the latest training session. As activation begins, new Philadelphia Union II Head Coach Sven Gartung reminds his young squad, “you have the best job in the world as soccer players.”
That is the mindset that Gartung wants his team to remember in every single situation during the 2020 USL Championship season. While he’s only been the club’s head coach for less than a month, it is already clear that a belief in making the most of every minute the beautiful game gives you is fundamental to Gartung’s mentality.
“The sun is shining, the pitch is perfect and you have 24 guys playing and enjoying each other and their skills,” Gartung told PhiladelphiaUnion.com. “I want our players to appreciate every moment of it, not just every now and then. When they play, they need to put their heart on the field and do the absolute best that they can every 90 minutes. I try to get ahead and be the first one to show that because I’m completely convinced that the opportunities that they have is a pure joy and that will show on Saturday when they play in Subaru Park.”
With a new name, new logo and new coach implementing the club’s transition-focused system, Union II are positioned to continue on as a key link between the Union academy and first team. Gartung is a strong believer in the new identity the squad is forging, and he’s bursting with excitement to work with the next generation of academy players and build out a path to the first team. Prospects from Brenden Aaronson and Mark McKenzie to newest homegrowns Jack de Vries and Cole Turner could be just the first wave of talent to pull on the Union crest in coming seasons.
“I’m very happy with what I see on the field and in the daily training sessions because the players are very much engaged,” Gartung said. “They have adapted to what we want to do and hopefully that will aid them in becoming MLS players.”
With the pathway focused on the development of young players, the Union II will need heart and focus to overcome the more physical, veterans opponents they will face. While most will see it as a challenge, Gartung views every match as an opportunity to learn, grow, and build a foundation for promising careers.
“Having our young players go up against players with so much experience will force us to find solutions against these teams,” Gartung said. “If we execute our style of play then it will be a good weapon against teams with a lot of experience. These games will present opportunities for players to learn very quick in the match but also in training sessions. We try to play very quickly with our feet but we have to play with our heads because it’s a mind game. We must read the game very well and check on opponent players and adapt to create solutions as they occur.”
Learning on the pitch also provides a chance for the players to showcase their leadership abilities. The club has yet to name a team captain and Gartung may spread responsibility among his young charges.
“They are all captains and it could be something new for this league,” he explained. “We will certainly be switching the armband amongst the team and we’ve been doing that in the preseason. Even though the players are very young, they are becoming leaders now. They are leaders for their side, for the space that they cover and they all take care of each other both off and on the field. Every single one of the 11 players on the field can be a captain but they are all leaders. There will be one as a visual leader with the captain’s armband but everyone will be expected to lead.”
That first test comes Saturday evening at Subaru Park as Union II opens the 2020 USL Championship season against rival Loudoun United. Gartung expects the visitors to be hungry after debuting in the league with a 12th place finish last year. Tickets are available for the match here, and the match will be streamed via ESPN+.
