Chester, Pa.– The Philadelphia Union announced that midfielder Zach Pfeffer has been loaned to Germany’s Hoffenheim 1899.
The loan will run from the first week of January 2013 until the end of the first half of the 2013/14 Bundesliga season in December. The Union has picked up Pfeffer’s contract option for the 2014 season and he will return to the club once the loan has expired.
Pfeffer, who spent the 2010 and 2011 offseasons training with Hoffenheim, will be eligible to play for the club upon receipt of his international transfer certificate (ITC). Per MLS and club policy, terms of the loan will not be disclosed.
"Loaning Zach to Hoffenheim is a win-win situation for all parties involved,” said Philadelphia Union Team Manager John Hackworth. “While we will miss Zach for the 2013 season, we know that the experience at this stage of his maturation process will be invaluable to both him and the Philadelphia Union in the future."
The Dresher, Pa. native is currently on a two week training stint with the club and will return to the United States before officially reporting for duty in early January.
Pfeffer signed as the Union’s first ever Homegrown player in 2010 and made his first official league appearance with the Union in 2011, starting in a 1-0 victory against the Columbus Crew on September 17. This season, Pfeffer, 17, saw action in one First Team match and captained the Union’s U-17 squad to the 2012 Generation adidas Cup.
A regular with U.S. National Teams, Pfeffer recently returned from U-18 National Team training camp in Carson, Calif., where he had a goal and an assist in victories against Canada.
Late last month the Union also rounded out their technical staff by naming former Major League Soccer standout Jim Curtin as the club’s new assistant coach, as well as signed current Assistant Coach Brendan Burke to a new contract, the club announced today.
A 10-year Major League Soccer veteran and 2004 MLS All-Star, Curtin, 33, was most recently the head coach of the Union’s U-17/U-18 Academy teams and the Director of Curriculum Development at YSC Sports. Tabbed as the Union’s Reserve Team head coach in 2011, Burke, 30, was concurrently the club's assistant youth director and head coach of PDL affiliate partner Reading United A.C.
"We are excited to announce that Jim has officially joined our staff,” said Hackworth. “He has done an excellent job coaching in our Academy and at YSC the last three years. Jim's experience and knowledge of both MLS and the Philadelphia soccer market make him a great addition to our Club. Being able to retain Brendan, who has been a key member of our staff the last two seasons, was equally as important. Brendan's work ethic, experience as a head coach and understanding of our team will continue to be an invaluable asset."
Curtin grew up playing soccer in the Philadelphia region for youth clubs in Glenside and Council Rock – the latter on the same team as current Union defender Chris Albright. After a successful career at Bishop McDevitt High School, he moved on to play college soccer at Villanova University, where he was voted BIG EAST Rookie of the Year (’97) and twice named First Team All-BIG EAST. In 2001, Curtin was drafted by the Chicago Fire and went on to play more than 200 games, helping the squad to Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championships in 2003 and 2006. In 2008, he was traded to Chivas USA, eventually retiring after the 2009 season. Curtin returned to his native Philadelphia soon after to join the staff at YSC Sports and the Union’s Youth Academy, leading the U-17 squad to the 2012 MLS Generation adidas Cup title.
“As a former player, I know how important it is to focus coaching and executive development on former players,” said Philadelphia Union CEO & Operating Partner Nick Sakiewicz. “We are very proud and honored that Jim Curtin has decided to join the Union’s First Team after working with our Academy. He is a great example of a former MLS player developing his post-playing career.”
Burke signed on as Reading’s head coach in 2008, after serving as its captain in 2007, and became the club’s most successful coach in its 15-year history. The 2010 PDL Coach of the Year, Burke has compiled a 61-14-13 record, the 2009 regular season championship and two trips to the PDL National Final Four in five seasons. He has built a program that has recently seen some of the nation’s top talent come to train and play for Reading before entering the professional ranks including Sporting Kansas City’s CJ Sapong (MLS Rookie of the Year 2011), Montreal Impact’s Andrew Wenger (2012 MLS SuperDraft No. 1 pick), FC Dallas’ Matt Hedges (2012 MLS SuperDraft No. 11 pick), Hammarby IF’s Billy Schuler (Swedish football), and Luke Mulholland (2011 USL-Pro Rookie of the Year). In 2013, Reading United is set to qualify for their fifth consecutive Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup knockout stage.
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