Union Notebook: Leon Flach Updates His Health, Nathan Harriel's Versatility, More

Leon Flach is back training with the Philadelphia Union after receiving a second opinion on his core injury. Nathan Harriel's versatility is proving to be a massive factor in the Union's back line.

CHESTER — The Philadelphia Union believed a few weeks ago that midfielder Leon Flach would not play another minute in 2023.

Flach returned to the training field last week after treatment following a second opinion on his injury worked.

The midfielder is still in some discomfort, but the pain has subsided enough for him to be available for selection on Saturday against Nashville SC and beyond.

“Happy for him that he was able to get the peace of mind, the diagnosis from multiple doctors now,” Union head coach Jim Curtin said on Friday. “Do we have the exact perfect solution and is everything going exactly to plan? No, because it’s a new situation for him. It’s an area of the body that there’s so many nerves and muscles in there that it’s so hard to differentiate what is what. Long story short Leon has worked his way back, he’s available for selection now and he’s going to play a big role in this group down the road.”

Flach knew surgery to fix the issue would be a season-ending move, so he sought out a second opinion on treatment.