Philadelphia Union Reserves were the

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...

for the

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

and competed in the East Division of the

MLS Reserve League The MLS Reserve League was a soccer league for the reserve teams of Major League Soccer with teams in both the United States and Canada. It was inaugurated on April 9, 2005, with the first official reserve game being a 2–0 victory by Chivas ...

. The team played its home games at Chester Park in

Wallingford, Pennsylvania Wallingford is an unincorporated community in Nether Providence Township, Pennsylvania, Nether Providence Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Delaware County in Pennsylvanias. Founded in 1687, it is named for Wallingford, Oxfordshire, Wallin ...

, the home of the Union practice facility. The team's colors are navy blue and gold. First team assistant coach and head coach of Reading United A.C. Brendan Burke was the head coach of the reserve side. Due to the Union's affiliation with the

Harrisburg City Islanders Penn FC (formerly the Harrisburg City Islanders) was an American professional soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003, the team most recently played in the USL Pro, the second tier of the United States soccer ...

, the Union will not field a Reserve team in 2013.

History

The new

MLS Reserve Division The MLS Reserve League was a soccer league for the reserve teams of Major League Soccer with teams in both the United States and Canada. It was inaugurated on April 9, 2005, with the first official reserve game being a 2–0 victory by Chivas ...

was resurrected for the 2011 season, after not having played since

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

. Each team played 10 games against divisional opponents, with clubs being allowed schedule additional games against non-MLS opponents, the League began 20 March 2011 and concluded 16 October 2011. Philadelphia Union Reserves played 10 regional Reserve League games as part of the East division in 2011. The Re-launching of the

was made possible by the growth of first team rosters from 24 in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

to 30 players in

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

. Reading United A.C. Head Coach and former

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

standout Brendan Burke guided the first ever Union Reserve squad. The most successful coach in Reading’s 15-year history, Burke compiled a 38-9-6 record and led the squad to their first ever PDL regular season title since taking over the reins in

. In

, he was named a PDL Coach of the Year finalist. For 2013 and beyond, the Union have chosen to affiliate with the

. Under this arrangement, in lieu of fielding a Reserve team, the Union will loan a minimum of four players to the City Islanders. Because of this, the Union will no longer field a Reserve team.

Players

Academy roster

''This list shows players who have played or dressed as substitutes for the team in official 2012 MLS Reserve Division games, but are not part of the senior roster.''

Senior roster

''Senior players who have played in Reserve League matches during the most recent season.''

Ground

* Chester Park;

(2011–present)

Head coaches

* Brendan Burke (2011–2012)

Year-by-year

References

External links

Official Team Site

Official League Site
{{Major League Soccer academies Philadelphia Union Reserve soccer teams in the United States 2011 establishments in Pennsylvania Association football clubs established in 2011