Keita Passes On The Union After Negotiations Stall

Excuses, stalled negotiations and a frustrated foreign player are the newest pattern when it comes to possible player acquisitions by the Philadelphia Union. Abdul Kader Keita is the latest player to fit nicely into that pattern.

Keita has withdrawn himself from a trial with the Union and will look elsewhere for a contract after he and the club were unable to come to an agreement on personal terms. Sources involved in the negotiations told the Brotherly Game that the winger was upset with how the Union handled the situation throughout his time in Philadelphia.

"At first it appeared that the club was highly interested in signing Abdul," a team source said, "but then once negotiations over the contract really got started it all fell apart. There was plenty of hesitation on the part of the front office to get the deal done, for some reason, despite Keita's well known skills and resume."

The Union began to claim that salary cap restrictions were preventing them from proceeding forward on signing Keita, despite recent moves that have opened up space in the team's financial status.

"It was just really odd," the team source continued. "Keita has been set on finding a team for some time now and had lowered his wage demands down to a point where we could have afforded him. But he's not a true [John] Hackworth guy and the cap would once again have been clogged up. Even so, it really did seem like he was about to join the team."

"Keita became fed up with the excuses given and decided to find employment elsewhere."

Hackworth and the Union acknowledged Keita's trial last week and the head coach made a point to say that if the Ivorian international was to sign, he'd have to make an impact right away.