Philadelphia Union sign U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu
The Philadelphia Union announced Monday the club has acquired defender Oguchi Onyewu as a Discovery Signing, penning the former U.S. men's national team regular as a free agent, having ended his tenure with Charlton Athletic in July of 2015.
Onyewu, 34, has made 69 appearances for the U.S. national team but has not received a call up since 2014. He brings plenty of European experience with him to the Union, having plied his trade for teams like Sheffield Wednesday, Queens Park Rangers, Sporting CP, AC Milan, Newcastle, and FC Twente.
"Oguchi is a big, physical presence who brings experience and veteran professionalism, important traits that we believe will be an asset for our group of young defenders," Union sporting director Earnie Stewart said in a club-issued statement. "He provides excellent depth at the center-back position and we are pleased that we were able to add him to our squad."
It's all about the team. Guchi's liking what he's seen from the locker room chemistry. #DOOP pic.twitter.com/4b6Eps4QeE
— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) January 30, 2017
Onyewu has been out of a club for the last year and a half and as such, he will need to work to regain a starting spot in Jim Curtin's side, competing with Joshua Yaro, Ken Tribbett, and Richie Marquez in the middle of the back four.
Onyewu will hope to regain the favor of the U.S. soccer faithful after capturing their imagination with a pair of strong performances in the 2010 FIFA World Cup against England and Slovenia.