USMNT World Cup defender set for major MLS return with Philadelphia Union | OneFootball

The World Cup has been over for nearly a month, with Spain as the new Champions after taking the crown away from Argentina in the final.

Although the USMNT’s tournament run fell short of expectations, MLS is actively working to bring back as many U.S. players from the World Cup roster as possible.

NYCFC tried to pursue Christian Pulisic, but AC Milan confirmed that Captain America was not for sale. Now, the Philadelphia Union has made the first attempt and succeeded.

Yes, that’s right: the Union signed a former USMNT World Cup player. However, the deal is not yet official. According to Tom Bogert, the Union is finalizing the agreement to acquire the player in January.

Philadelphia Union is finalizing a deal to sign Mark McKenzie

According to the aforementioned journalist, Philadelphia Union will pay around $2.5m, and Mark McKenzie will be a Designated Player.

Although the deal is advanced, Toulouse made it clear that they won’t sell him in the summer, meaning that the USMNT defender will join his boyhood club in January.

Now, it remains to be seen how this could affect the player's career ahead of the 2030 World Cup. At the last World Cup, the 27-year-old made just one appearance for the national team.

However, for the Union, this signing could be considered a star addition, considering their difficult start to the season and the fact that they're currently turning things around.

From McKenzie’s perspective, his career may seem to have stagnated; playing in France and returning to MLS at 27 is often seen as a setback.

Few players return to their home leagues in South or North America and then make a successful comeback to Europe.

I have no doubt that he will be a huge help in Philadelphia's rise in MLS. In this case, the club made a great signing, and given his age, it's fair to expect him to contribute for the long term.

However, for McKenzie, the news isn't as positive, as he wasn't able to remain at the highest level despite still being relatively young.

Still, it's true that he got everything he could out of his time there, so a move back to MLS was probably the best decision if he wants to keep getting consistent minutes and remain in contention for future international tournaments.

So yes, there are two ways of seeing this signing: Philadelphia Union will earn a major defensive boost in January, but McKenzie’s international career could be over at 27 years old.