While the Philadelphia Union Academy was a shell of what it is now in 2012, a team of players pulled together from local youth club affiliates brought back hardware from the Pacific Northwest when they won the Generation adidas Cup.
Back then, the GA Cup was a U17 competition with only MLS youth teams competing, but it was still cause for celebration and optimism when the Union defeated Toronto FC on penalties to capture the trophy.
Five years later, that promising collection of local youth soccer stars includes only one who has suited up for the Union and a head coach (Jim Curtin) whose seat is getting hotter as losses pile up to start the 2017 campaign.