The Philly Five: Auston Trusty, Mark McKenzie, Anthony Fontana, Derrick Jones, Matt Real. The success of the Union’s youth movement is recognized throughout Major League Soccer as the club’s five homegrown players develop into everyday first team players. Trusty and McKenzie are already there; Jones, the only one of the five not called into the MLS Homegrown Game, promptly responded with a commanding performance in his first start of the season.
But these five homegrown players are just the leading edge of what will soon be a steady flow of young, local talent. Bethlehem Steel currently relies on 17-year old Brenden Aaronson as a playmaker, with Olivier Mbaizo growing in stature each week at right back.