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Philadelphia Union: CJ Sapong Enters Camp with a Veteran Mindset

By Chuck Booth

May 25, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Philadelphia Union forward C.J. Sapong (17) works out prior to the game at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
May 25, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Philadelphia Union forward C.J. Sapong (17) works out prior to the game at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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CJ Sapong was underwhelming to close out the year for the Philadelphia Union, leading to the team bringing in competition for him at the striker position.

After starting the year on a tear, CJ Sapong only scored two goals for the Philadelphia Union after the all-star break. This is an underwhelming number for a sole striker. While the team had no issues scoring goals thanks to contributions from Chris Pontius and Roland Alberg, repeat performances can’t be counted on in 2017. Earnie Stewart, never one for complacency wasted no time addressing that issue by adding fresh blood to compete with Sapong for the starting role.

One of the issues last year was that Sapong wasn’t at risk of being benched last season for a bad performance which can cause a lack of drive on the pitch. Another reason for his disappearance is that during the tail end of the season, he was being covered my multiple defenders at a time while not being surrounded by anyone who was dangerous enough to make defenses pay for that tactic.

In order to push Sapong and unlock defenses, the Philadelphia Union have added Jay Simpson and Fabrice “Fafa” Picault. Both guys can play on the wing and as a loan striker and they’re both speed demons who can produce with good service. In the worst case scenario, they’ll push Sapong to produce at a rate in line with his 2012 numbers for Sporting Kansas City.

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When he talked at the Philadelphia Union media day, Sapong spoke like he knows that his job is on the line in 2017. When asked about the new forwards Sapong said,

“Essentially, we’re all in it to win it right. we’re all here looking for the same goal. For me, I obviously want to be on the field but at the same time if a player is performing and producing more than me at the time I’m going to back them in training and push them to make them and myself better.”

The interesting take away from these quotes is Sapong’s willingness to contribute to the team even if he isn’t the primary target forward. It says a lot about his character that Sapong is coming out early in the season with this rather than letting the situation fester and lead to speculation as the season gets underway.

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Sapong scored a goal in the Philadelphia Union friendly today against DC United and hopefully, that will restore some of the confidence that was lost at the end of last season. A confident motivated Sapong could be just what the Union need in order to push for a top four finish in the Eastern Conference this season. The good thing is that this season there are actual rotational options so the onus to score isn’t all on Sapong’s back.

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