Off the field, Brenden Aaronson probably isn't all that different from his former classmates at Shawnee High School.
On the field, the 17-year-old Medford, N.J., native is quite unusual: a genuine American midfield playmaker, and the top prospect in the Union's academy.
Aaronson isn't fully professional yet. He has played 14 games on an amateur contract for Bethlehem Steel, the Union's minor-league USL affiliate, since making his debut in July of last year. He would have played more had he not suffered a broken collarbone in late April.
For the time being, he's on an amateur contract, so he can preserve his college eligibility for the fall of 2019.