Analyzing the Philadelphia Union's Move For Joaquin Torres
The Philadelphia Union are rumored to land CF Montreal attacker Joaquin Torres in a trade.
The Philadelphia Union made a move within Major League Soccer to bolster their attacking setup.
The Union announced on Thursday that they acquired Joaquin Torres from CF Montreal for $250,000 in general allocation money in 2023 and 2024. The fee could go up to $300,000 in GAM per year if certain performance metrics are hit.
MLSSoccer.com’s Tom Bogert reported on Monday that the Union were finalizing a deal for the Argentinian attacker.
The deal fills the Union’s need for attacking depth, and it also follows the recent trend of sporting director Ernst Tanner making moves within MLS.
Tanner crushed the in-league trade market last offseason, when he landed Julian Carranza from Inter Miami after the forward was out of favor due to Miami’s designated player debacle.
Tanner landed Andres Perea in a deal with Orlando City to bolster the midfield ahead of what is expected to be a season with 50-plus games across four competitions.
Torres fits the profile of players that Tanner has gone after on the MLS market. Torres, Perea and Carranza are all young players with South American backgrounds. Carranza was surplus in Miami. Perea and Torres might have been that as well with all the changes made at Orlando City and CF Montreal this offseason.
The trade could end up as a bargain from the Union’s perspective if Torres plays up to his potential. The Union paid less than $500,000 in GAM for the 2023 season to acquire Torres and center back Damion Lowe from Inter Miami.
Torres has had the eye of the Union staff for quite some time. Union head coach Jim Curtin singled out Torres two seasons ago when previewing a match against Montreal.
The 25-year-old Argentinian has an average track record in MLS with seven goals and 12 assists over 55 matches, 37 of which he has started over two seasons.
Torres has a comparable profile to Daniel Gazdag, who is one of the players mentioned in the similar players box on Torres’ FBRef profile.
The soon-to-be-former CF Montreal man had more shot creating actions per 90 minutes than Gazdag in 2022. Gazdag played more games, but it is worth noting that Torres’ SCA per 90 was 3.57 compared to Gazdag’s 3.19.
Torres had a slightly better pass completion percentage than Gazdag, and he had a 14.5 percent increase in accurate long passes (over 30 yards) compared to the Union’s Hungarian designated player. He also had nine more dead-ball passes and four more corner attempts than Gazdag. That could be an important attribute used by the Union.
Torres profiles as a second striker, or a backup No. 10, which is exactly what the Union were looking for. I would assume he starts as Gazdag’s backup because the Union want to give Quinn Sullivan a look at forward to help replace Cory Burke’s production there.
An in-league move always made sense to fill out the attacking depth because the Union are searching for players to fit in specific roles. It would be difficult to talk an overseas player into coming to MLS to be a backup and play behind a starting trio in attack that will play a majority of the minutes.
The versatility brought to the pitch by Torres should not be overlooked. He can play on the flank, as the No. 10, potentially as a second striker, and he is comfortable taking set pieces.
Curtin and Tanner have hinted at tactical flexibility being vital to the team’s success in 2023. The shifts in formation could suit the Union’s backup players in situations where squad rotation is needed. That could mean a different type of XI plays in between Concacaf Champions League matches, or gives the first-teamers a rest while not dropping off in quality in the U.S. Open Cup or Leagues Cup.
The 4-2-3-1 should make more regular appearances to suit Torres and Sullivan, who can play there on top of being one of the reserve forwards. Curtin could also opt to use a dual No. 10 formation to play Gazdag and Torres together. My hunch is that does not happen until after the CCL, or in the continental competition if the Union want to be attack-minded.
You could also make the case for Torres to work in as a backup to Carranza and Mikael Uhre as a forward. He could spell each member of the attacking trio so that none of them get worn down during the busy season. Calling it a busy season probably does not come close to doing it justice.
Torres could also come on in a pinch to help with set-piece delivery late in games to give the Union some more variety to mix in with Gazdag, Kai Wagner, Jack McGlynn and others.
Tanner said last week in a meeting with reporters that the club is still looking for a backup forward and that Sullivan is not the clear-cut replacement for Burke yet. Torres’ addition aids the need for depth, but another move could be facilitated if the Union feel it is necessary.
The commitment to being two-deep, and in some cases, three-deep at every position shows how much winning every competition possible means to the Union in 2023.
All of the returning players entered training camp in terrific shape, as Curtin said last week, and there are no major holes to fill at the start of preseason, as has been the case in previous years of the Curtin-Tanner regime.
You get the feel that the Union are trying to prevent any type of slow start in MLS play while the CCL is going on. The club has more experience to deal with that situation in 2023 from the 2021 campaign. Landing a player like Torres helps to avoid a large drop-off in quality during that span.
The Union appear committed to going for it in every competition, and there is a real sense that can be achieved as what looks to be the deepest roster of the Curtin-Tanner era is finalized with the addition of depth pieces.