Union coach Bradley Carnell during the Oct. 4 game against New York City FC. Courtesy Philadelphia Union
MLS Cup has yet to be handed out, and already the Philadelphia Union have settled its biggest piece of business this offseason – at least of the on-field variety.
The Union on Wednesday completed the signing of forward Ezekiel Alladoh from Swedish club IF Brommapojkarna for a club record fee of $4.5 million. It adds a 20-year-old forward from Ghana from a club with a history of developing attacking players into eight-figure players, and it’s done early enough to give Alladoh a full preseason to settle into MLS.
It also, at least for the moment, quells questions of who is directing the sporting side of the business while Ernst Tanner remains on administrative leave pending an MLS investigation into his workplace conduct. And it goes a long way toward settling the main position group of question this offseason for the Supporters’ Shield holders.
Alladoh turned 20 in September. He signed with Ghanaian Premier League club Accra Lions in the summer of 2024, then joined the Swedish Allsvenskan outfit in January. He scored three goals in 14 appearances with the former, seven in 28 league games with the latter.
At 6-foot-3 and 170 pounds, he profiles as a direct, defense-stretching option to complement Tai Baribo and Bruno Damiani.
“I think being proactive in the market is always a sign of intent, especially coming off of a successful season where we look to continue to maintain those standards,” coach Bradley Carnell said Wednesday at the club’s end-of-season press availability. “Ezekiel had been spoken about and been in the pipeline for quite some time now, and he really suits and fits our style of playing. He's very aggressive, very direct, runs very vertical in transition, and with our game model intact, shows exactly what type of striker we were looking for, just to compliment Tai and Bruno at this stage.”
Alladoh is just the third Ghanaian player to play for the Union, joining Josh Yaro and David Accam.
He will occupy a premium roster spot, but is eligible as either a U-22 initiative or young designated player. The Union, who utilized the designated player roster construction model last year, has until February to decide on that.
Alladoh represents a turning point in two regards. First, he offers clarity on one striking question but further muddies another.
Alladoh is a natural replacement for the speed brought by Mikael Uhre. The Danish striker is out of contract after four seasons since being made a club-record signing in 2022. Uhre said after the playoff ouster to New York City FC that he’s interested in the possibility of coming back.
The club is, too, though the terms would have to be right. And Uhre would have to accept a diminished role, maybe even more than the fall from 2,017 league minutes in 2024 to 1,325 in 2025.
The use of the past tense Wednesday may be telling.
“Those discussions are ongoing,” Carnell said. “… I think it's two parties, two sides to the situation, and we are currently in those negotiations. Mikael was one of the nicest teammates you could ever imagine. And we were and have had a good working relationship. We'll see what happens over the next few weeks.”
Alladoh’s arrival doesn’t offer any clarity on Baribo. The Israeli striker is in entering the last option year on his contract and will turn 28 in January. He was productive last year with 16 goals in MLS and 19 goals/five assists in all competitions. He had nine MLS goals in 2024 after barely playing for his first year upon arriving in the summer of 2023.
Baribo doesn’t count as an international, upping his potential trade value in the league. But the Union would need to either sign him to a new deal or trade him before the season begins.
Carnell’s answer about him was less than a full endorsement.
“We are planning with Tai going forward into the new season,” he said. “Hopefully with the run of games that we have, we're going to have to have the added competition, the added depth, and I believe that always brings out the best in our strikers. We're planning with Tai right now.”
Alladoh could signal a shift in the Union’s roster construction. In 2024, the Union opted for the Under-22 Initiative model with two designated players (Uhre and Daniel Gazdag) and four U-22 spots. They switched in 2025 to the designated player model to add Damiani as a young DP, with three DPs and three U-22s allowed.
But Uhre and Gazdag, dealt to Columbus last April, are all but gone. Alladoh can fit either model depending on who else the Union want to add. The Union had two free U-22 spots last year around Olwethu Makhanya and Quinn Sullivan. Elevating Baribo from a TAM player to a DP is possible but likely not the preference.
The Union’s moves this offseason have thus far been straightforward. Alladoh’s contract was long in process. They picked up options on Baribo and Nathan Harriel, triggered the next two options on Makhanya after a breakout season and signed Insiana Vassilev to a new deal. They have 25 players under contract next year and five internationals.
Anything further will require creativity. The Union will need to reinforce the center back spot. They could use another midfielder in bracing for the long-term absence of Quinn Sullivan after his right ACL tear. The midfield could use a little depth and maybe a change of pace to the counterattacking game model.
Until a decision is made on Tanner, the Union’s interim sporting leadership consists of Carnell, Director of Academy and Professional Development Jon Scheer, Assistant Sporting Director Matt Ratajczak and Director of Scouting Chris Zitterbart.
The overarching direction won’t change, whether Tanner’s days with the Union are done or not. For the short term, the decision-making process will remain the same, too.
“It's our duty to continue to keep this train on the right track,” Scheer said. “We were all involved in these conversations and processes to begin with, given how collaborative we have been and we need to be, quite frankly, as a club. We are a development club. We're always Looking from within first for players and staff. So there's, there's so much natural overlap already.
“But in this working group, we’re open to taking on more responsibilities to put the club first and make sure that we're headed in the right direction come 2026.”
