It took a lot of patience — and probably a lot of behind-the-scenes wrangling — to bring Borek Dockal to Philadelphia. The Union knew that another season with Ilsinho and Roland Alberg at the creative midfield position wouldn’t cut it, and Ale Bedoya was looking more comfortable in a box-to-box role than the advanced position.
Dockal was identified as a perfect fit: A veteran who could bed in quickly, loved to play through lines — a necessity for a club that was looking to exploit their speed on the wings — and met all the criteria the Union’s internal, data-driven (and scouting-supported) highlighted as key.