Philadelphia Union announced today that Jon Scheer has been promoted to the Director of Academy and Professional Development.
Coming from his previous position as Director of Scouting, Scheer’s new position will oversee the Union’s entire player development pathway. In addition to overseeing the team, staff, and players from the Union Junior Academy through Union II, he will focus on maintaining and enhancing the unified approach to implementing the club’s methodology and player development strategy.
“Jon’s pathway from the academy to the professional side speaks volumes not only to his wide-ranging capabilities on the sporting side, but also the effectiveness of his leadership,” said Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner. “He adopted our style of play and philosophy at the earlier stages and his implementation of our principles will be vital in keeping the consistency that is needed with our youth development.”
“I’m thrilled to continue expanding my role at the Philadelphia Union. The holistic system we have in place to streamline our efforts from the academy to the first team, and apply consistency throughout, is a key pillar to our competitive strategy and has been vital to our success as an organization. I look forward to overseeing the development of the future generation of professionals here at the club,” Scheer said. “I want to express my sincere gratitude to Ernst Tanner, Jay Sugarman, Richie Graham, Jim Curtin, and Tommy Wilson, all of whom have paved the way to make the Philadelphia Union one of the leaders in player development in the United States.”
Scheer first joined the Union Academy as the Director of Talent Identification in March 2018 where he led the club’s scouting efforts that helped identify many of the top Union Academy talents and accelerate its growth into the best development pipeline in Major League Soccer. Following the success he brought to the academy, Scheer was promoted to Director of Scouting for the Philadelphia Union. Continuing to utilize his knowledge of the American market, his role focused on identifying first team talent in the United States while expanding and leading the club’s scouting efforts internationally. He has continuously been successful in bringing players that complete the player pathway to the pros, from the academy to the first team roster.
The Union Academy, named best MLS Academy in 2023 by USSoccerCollective.com, has produced many notable players over the past few years. In addition to Brenden Aaronson and Mark McKenzie, both of whom were transferred to European clubs in record-breaking deals following the 2020 season, the Academy has produced 21 Homegrown players and over 50 players that have gone on to sign professional contracts. Additionally, Union and Union II currently boast 12 signed players from the Union Academy, with eight currently in MLS and four in MLS NEXT Pro.
Players developed in the Union Academy have gone on to play professionally in Major League Soccer and Europe, with many called up to US Youth National Teams, senior US Men’s National Team, and Olympic camp rosters.
