Sapong to stick around a bit longer
CJ Sapong arrived in Philadelphia in Dec. 2014 as a 26-year-old without a position who had under-delivered on his promise and fell out of favor in Kansas City.
If he ever leaves Philadelphia, it’ll be well into his 30s and with a drastically different track record penned.
The Union extended the 29-year-old’s contract through the end of the 2019 season with a club option for 2020, yet another sign of the forward’s growing centrality.
Sapong had been in the last year of a multi-year deal, his fourth season with the Union. Wednesday’s move ensures he’ll stretch that beyond his 30th birthday.
“It’s very important; as players for us to play to the best of our ability, it’s good to have some type of security and know that your organization has faith in you, so that’s a great thing,” Sapong said. “Personally, given what I’m trying to accomplish in Philadelphia on and off the field, it allows me to allocate a lot more time and energy to that. I owe a lot to Philadelphia and how it’s transformed me as a person and a player, so I’m looking forward to continuing that journey.”
The feeling is apparently mutual to listen to Union sporting director Earnie Stewart.
“Every day we try to build our roster to the max,” Stewart said, “and with someone like CJ running out in a year, we thought it was very important to lock him down for a little bit longer. CJ’s done an amazing job for us in the last couple of years, has progressed as a player and as a center forward, and we’re continuing that.”
Sapong has established himself as a key figure with the Union, his blue-collar, hardnosed mentality a perfect fit for Jim Curtin’s system. He struggled through injuries and a league suspension for a DUI arrest (charges for which were later dropped) in 2015, yet still tied a career-high with nine goals and followed up with seven the following season.
In 2017, Sapong compiled a career year with 16 goals and five assists, shrugging off the latest attempt by the club to lure a pricier replacement (Jay Simpson). Along the way, he worked himself back onto the U.S. radar for the first time since after his rookie season in 2012, making his first start and notching his first assist in a November friendly.
Sapong’s willingness to absorb punishment and his physical defensive posture are hallmarks of Curtin’s approach.
“Obviously a key attacking piece for us but also, I will stress, the first line of defense for our team, a guy who has done everything for the badge,” Curtin said of Sapong. “It’s been a pleasure to work with him and watch him grow and take his game to another level.”
Sapong’s season debut typified his career. He’s not the most dazzling or clinical finisher, fluffing several golden chances two weeks ago against New England. But he still tapped home a goal, assisted on another by bodying off a defender to redirect a cross toward Anthony Fontana for a volley, and drew a yellow and a red card against in a 2-0 Union win.
That unique tenacity is what the Union have always prized, and even with a raise looking forward to from the $300,000 he made Sapong is still a net value.
He is grateful to have the contract situation settled to focus on matters on the field.
“It’s always good when you don’t have to worry about those negotiations,” he said. “I think they definitely take longer than expected and they challenge both sides to truly find a middle ground to make everybody happy. Once it’s done, it allows me to focus on me as a player and what I can bring to the team.” last year,
*** Curtin is encouraged by the progress of midfield signing Borek Dockal, who has shaken off an ankle injury and is familiar enough with his teammates that he, “is 100 percent certain,” to play a role in Saturday’s game against Columbus (2 p.m., WPHL17).
Whether or not that’s as a starter or a reserve owes to Dockal’s level of fitness, and also might have something to do with Fontana’s excellent play in his debut. The Union have used an early-season bye, thanks to Seattle’s participation in the CONCACAF Champions League, to acclimate Dockal, who joined on a season-long loan from Henan Jianye a week before the season.
Curtin is heartened by the Czech No. 10’s growing familiarity with teammates.
“I think you’re starting to see things click,” Curtin said. “Is it perfect 100 percent yet? No, but at the same time, you’re starting to see everyone understand that if (Dockal) has a guy on his back, you can give him the ball in a tight spot and he’ll get out of it. He can play a final ball. You can see where David (Accam) and (Fabian) Herbers and CJ were maybe coming to get the ball off his feet, they’re starting to recognize that this guy can play a ball through a very tight window and he might not be looking at you when he plays a ball, but he sees you. Getting that trust with each other, with your teammates, is something that we’ve tried to accelerate this week.” ... Curtin said Ilsinho (hamstring) has returned to training with almost no restrictions, but building fitness after a month on the sidelines will take time.