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The calculation of the depth curves was not a trend in favor of CJ Sapong. So Saturday presented a win-win situation for the veteran forward and the Philadelphia Union.
Sapong could find regular minutes elsewhere in the MLS. And the Union could cash a player who would probably spend most of the season on the bench. For example, the Union Saturday awarded Sapong up to $ 450,000 for the Chicago fire.
The deal divides the money into several slices of the league's appliance soup. The bulk of the amount is for 2019, with $ 200,000 of general allowance plus another $ 100,000 targeted allocation if the fire acquires it (if not, it is pbaded on to the GAM 2020 ). There is 100,000 USD in the TAM in 2020, plus the possibility of a maximum of 50,000 USD if Sapong meets the performance criteria.
All this means that the union has had a lot of money to separate from Sapong after one of its worst seasons and to enter the final year of a $ 525,000 contract.
"It has not been an easy decision for all of us," said sports director Ernst Tanner during a conference call. "CJ played for a while for the union and was very successful, but as for the numbers and taking into account that CJ was only left for one more year, his contract was decided. I wish CJ all the best in Chicago. "
Sapong is second in the history of the Union with 36 goals in four seasons. He scored 16 in 2017, the Union franchise record one season. He added 14 badists with the Union. Sapong was part of two playoff teams and twice helped the Union to qualify for the Open Cup finals.
Sapong struggled in the final season, scoring four goals and three badists in 29 starts and losing his starting position to Cory Burke. With Sergio Santos adding this off season and the Union has always invested a lot in David Accam, Sapong has been the opportunity.
In eight MLS seasons, the 30-year-old scored 56 goals in 233 games. He should have the chance to play in Chicago in addition to Nemanja Nikolic.
The decision leaves the Union with 25 registered players, small by MLS standards but in line with Tanner's requirements. His former club, Red Bull Salzburg, used a team of 25 men to play 62 national and continental competitions. With Bethlehem Steel, the Union has a talent pool ready for use.
"A number of 25 players is more than enough," Tanner said. "In most games you only use 12 out of 13 and we always have the same number of players on the bench and not even on the bench. I do not worry at all. "
Sapong could be most often missed in the locker room, a strong personality in a consistent unit. He is the Union's candidate for the MLS Humanitarian of the Year and is an important part of the community. Tanner is not as worried about this, citing the club's resumption after Keegan Rosenberry's negotiation in December.
"We already had this case with Keegan Rosenberry and I did not think it would have had a significant impact on the locker room," he said. "We have a lot of journalists who share the contributions here and we have experienced guys who can at least compensate and take the lead roles in the locker room, so it's not really a big deal."
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