One of the youngest players to sign with MLS is on the move.
On Friday, the Union traded Zach Pfeffer -- just 15 years old when he joined Philadelphia as a Homegrown Player -- to the Colorado Rapids to complete a deal from Thursday's SuperDraft. The Union originally traded general allocation money and a player to be named later for the No. 2 overall pick, eventually selecting Georgetown defender Joshua Yaro.
"Zach has grown from a 15-year-old teenager to a 21-year-old man during his time with the Union,” said Philadelphia Union Sporting Director Earnie Stewart, in a statement. “His development as a player and teammate both on and off the pitch has been a credit to our organization and we thank him for his devotion and efforts during the past five years.”
Pfeffer joined the Union in December 2010. In five years with the club, he played in 30 games (14 starts). He scored three goals, including two in 2015. Pfeffer spent the entire 2013 season on loan with Hoffenheim in Germany.
The 21-year-old has been a regular member of US youth national teams. He most recently was one of the last cuts prior to the 2015 Under-20 World Cup.
“Zach is a talented young player who has been a professional since 2011,” said Paul Bravo, VP of Soccer Operations and Technical Director, in a statement. “He is the same age as a lot of these players at the SuperDraft and, had he been involved this year, he would have been a top pick. So we felt that his experience and his versatility, as well as the allocation money, were too much of an opportunity for us to pass up.”
