Preseason friendlies rarely carry much weight for teams, but the Philadelphia Union U19 team’s game against Black Rock FC on Saturday was a significant one for a player who has spent the last 20 months working his way back from two ACL tears.
The player, 17-year-old center back Sean Smolyn, returned to the field nearly 20 months to the day he tore his ACL for the first time in a summer friendly against his former team Continental FC.
“I was really nervous going in but just so happy to be able to be back out there,” Smolyn said of Saturday’s game, which ended as a 2-0 win for the Union.