The Philadelphia Union have bolstered their midfield depth with the signing of Matt Kassel, a New York Red Bulls Academy product who spent the preseason on an extended trial with the Union.
A native of Bridgewater, N.J., Kassel is a product of the Red Bulls' highly regarded youth system and he signed with RBNY as a Homegrown player in 2011, making two league appearances and seeing further action in US Open Cup play. His father worked in the organization dating back to its MetroStars days and Kassel was a ball boy at Giants Stadium for the club as a child.
READ: From ballboy to pro: Kassel lives the dream with Red Bulls
But Kassel and fellow RBNY academy product Sacir Hot were released in February 2012. He spent last season with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of USL Pro, scoring six goals in 18 games.
A central midfielder who is also capable of playing in defense – he featured at fullback for the Union during preseason – Kassel has represented the United States as a youth international and also starred at the University of Maryland for three years, winning an NCAA national championship in 2008 and notching 11 goals and 24 assists over his college career.
