The Philadelphia Union have rebranded their USL Championship side as Philadelphia Union II, the club announced Thursday. The team will remain in Chester for 2020.
The club had previously been called Bethlehem Steel, which was named in honor of the legendary Pennsylvania club in the early 1900s that won five US Open Cups. The USL side has been vital in the development of academy standouts on their way to the first team, including the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty and many others throughout recent seasons.
"We continue to invest and believe in our academy players and the young, talented players we discover through our scouting network," Union sporting director Ernst Tanner said in a statement. "Positioning our USL club as a proving ground for the high-potential talents within our club allows them to learn from interacting with our first team and challenging themselves against excellent USL competition. This change further strengthens the bridge from youth to the pros within the Union family and gives academy players and young prospects the chance early on to wear the Union colors and prove they are ready to play for the badge at a first team level.”
Last season, the club featured six current academy players. There have seven players have initially signed USL contracts before joining the MLS side.
"For the past several years, we have diligently explored numerous stadium options in the Lehigh Valley," chief business officer Tim McDermott said. "Unfortunately, there still is not a viable stadium solution that will meet the current stadium requirements for the USL Championship. At the same time, we recognize the player development benefits from having our USL team located at the same campus and playing in the same stadium as our first team. As we will be based in Chester, changing the name to Union II appropriately reflects our player development pathway. The Lehigh Valley is a special place. We are incredibly thankful for our friends and fans and the relationships we have forged. We will continue to make every effort possible to bring the Union brand to the region.”
