Fafa Picault entered his third season with the Philadelphia Union expecting a breakout campaign.
The American winger produced 17 goals and eight assists in his first two seasons and had carved out a starting role on the wing.
But a shift away from a 4-2-3-1 formation to a 4-4-2 diamond hampered Picault’s effectiveness and resulted in four goals and four assists over 32 games and 21 starts — his lowest total in his three-year tenure with Philadelphia.
“I expected it to be more of a breakout year where I was looking to score more than 13 or 15 goals as a winger, which is a high number for a winger, but I believe I’m more than capable of that under the right system,” Picault told Pro Soccer USA last week.