Philadelphia Union lock Kacper Przybylko in for 2020 season

The Friendly Striker will be back in Chester in 2020.

The Philadelphia Union announced on Thursday that they’ve exercised the option on Kacper Przybylko’s contract, which will guarantee his contract for 2020, while retaining a team option for 2021.

Przybylko is receiving $277,000 in guaranteed compensation this season after earning being paid at the $67,500 annual salary level after joining the team and not featuring last fall. He’s the ninth highest paid player on the team this season, but is currently sixth in the league in goals with 12 on the year.

“From the moment we signed Kacper, he has worked incredibly hard to become a key contributor to our team,” Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner said in a news release. “Exercising his option was an easy decision for us as we continue to plan for 2020 and beyond while also aiming to finish 2019 strong.”

Boasting a goals-per-game ratio of 0.57, Przybylko’s emergence has been one of the more pleasant surprises of the year. The striker started the season playing for Bethlehem Steel FC but missed a month with a broken toe after scoring in his USL Championship debut.

He scored in three straight starts after making his debut off the bench and hasn’t looked back. He’s played every minute of the season since that first MLS start on April 27.