Philadelphia Union announce protected list for expansion draft

Two-thirds of the Philadelphia Union’s starting midfield in 2018 has been left unprotected for tomorrow’s expansion draft.

Bořek Dočkal and Haris Medunjanin lead the list of 11 players the Union have chosen not to protect from selection by FC Cincinnati. Former SuperDraft picks Marcus Epps, Richie Marquez and Josh Yaro are also on the list along with Warren Creavalle, Philadelphia native John McCarthy, Jake McGuire, Jay Simpson and Kacper Pryzbylko.

Medunjanin is the lone player left unprotected who is under contract for 2019. Pryzbylko has an option for 2019 the Union have not exercised. The rest are either out of contract or have had their options for next season declined.

FC Cincinnati will have five picks in the draft and will be unable to select more than one player from the 18 teams in the draft. Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting Kansas City, the San Jose Earthquakes, Columbus Crew SC and Toronto FC are all exempt from the draft because they had players taken by Los Angeles FC in last year’s draft.

David Accam, Alejandro Bedoya, Andre Blake, Cory Burke, Jack Elliott, Raymon Gaddis, Ilsinho, Olivier Mbaizo, Fafa Picault, Keegan Rosenberry and CJ Sapong are the 11 players the Union chose to protect.

The team’s six homegrown players — Brenden Aaronson, Anthony Fontana, Derrick Jones, Mark McKenzie, Matt Real and Auston Trusty — were already automatically protected.

Should a player be selection from the Union, the team will receive $50,000 in general allocation money.