Union Waive Forward Chris Agorsor

by Joey Samuel on Jun 2, 2011 2:13 PM EDT in News

Chris Agorsor, then only a trialist for the Philadelphia Union, dribbles past former Union midfielder Andrew Jacobson. (Photo by Earl Gardner)

Despite not making a single appearance with the first team, Chris Agorsor's time with the Philadelphia Union is at an end. The team waived him Thursday in a surprising move.

Agorsor was acquired back in February via a weighted lottery after spending most of the preseason with Philadelphia. He played in a reserve match against New York in April but still had not debuted with the first team.

The move comes as a surprise because the Union coaches had frequently referred to Agorsor as a young player with a very bright upside. With Carlos Ruiz leaving the team to join Guatemala for the Gold Cup, this seemed as good a time as any to get the former Virginia forward his first minutes of the year.

Agorsor's release could have something to do with the Union's pursuit of Serbian forward Veljko Paunovic, who reportedly is close to signing with Philadelphia. But Agorsor was only on the books for a mere $42,000 this season, making the move all the more shocking.

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i was really hoping see him get some playing time with Ruiz out. sad to see he was cut especially after listening to the podcast that was up a little while ago.

by Rhayes on Jun 2, 2011 4:26 PM EDT reply actions

Levi

I hope levi houpaou can get some playing time.

by Boogs133 on Jun 2, 2011 6:33 PM EDT reply actions

Good observation

His similar playing style with Houapeu could have been a reason for his release. I hope we see some Levi in league play too..

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by Joey Samuel on Jun 2, 2011 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions

yeah didnt think of it that way. They could have been looking to get rid of one for a little bit and see levi as a better player and someone who could help out more in different situations.

by Rhayes on Jun 3, 2011 12:18 AM EDT up reply actions

Agreed

I’d like to see what Levi’s speed could do for us on the wings. He could be a very effective sub for us.

by sjm003 on Jun 2, 2011 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Very weird and I don’t like it at all. They kept saying they have wanted to get him playing time. And I’m pretty sure he was on the bench for the past few games-meaning they thought enough of him to perhaps use as a late game sub. I really hope this is not so they can sign Paunovic guy. I don’t know why you give up on a guy whos only 20 years old and with so much potential only to replace him with a guy who hasn’t played professionally in 2 years.

by jmflyers111 on Jun 2, 2011 8:51 PM EDT reply actions

Guess all the positive articles on the official website were just fluff. As much as I wanted to see him succeed, he must’ve had some serious technical/tactical deficiencies for the coaching staff to give up on him. Best of luck to Chris in the future. He should be applauded for not giving up on his dream after such a horrific injury.

by sjm003 on Jun 2, 2011 10:35 PM EDT reply actions

the unions website article stated that he went offside 9 times in one game and the limited time he was on the field he just wasnt making good runs. I dont know if thats enough of a reason to just get rid of him but it could be some of his technique the coaches just didnt think he could fix in time to really help out.

by Rhayes on Jun 3, 2011 12:21 AM EDT up reply actions

I don’t see any way it would have hurt to keep Agorsor around. I’m thinking it must have been a mutual decision to part ways. His $42k salary didn’t count against the cap, the Union had plenty of vacant roster spaces, his story of recovery only brought positive publicity, and he was sitting on the first team bench ahead of a guy making more than 4 times his salary.

Signing Paunovic would probably bump Agorsor back to 6th on the forward depth chart. Senior international spots (and the funds needed to pay the players in them) aren’t usually used on guys brought in to keep the reserve team in line, so Ruiz, Le Toux, Mwanga, McInerney, and Paunovic would most likely get the nod ahead of him. I’m sure he and management sat down at some point to discuss the team’s future plans, and they probably agreed that it was best to move on in search of a place where he could get a real crack at first team action.

I know I would have a hard time sticking it out if I put in the work only to have a guy 12 years older than me that retired 2 years ago cut in 1/3 of the way through the season! Not quite a Kevin Kolb situation, but one of the tough realities of pro sports…

by mk_27 on Jun 2, 2011 10:49 PM EDT reply actions