Andrew Wenger not only came to the Philadelphia Union on April 4.
He came home.
Acquired from the Montreal Impact for Jack McInerney, Wenger soon carved his niche with the Union and scored six goals to go along with four assists in 27 matches. The Lancaster native reveled in playing his home matches at nearby PPL Park.
While the Union narrowly missed the playoffs, Wenger found a comfort zone.
“It’s great, awesome to see friends and family after every game,” Wenger said. “I get to see my parents after every game and that’s fantastic. The fans have been nothing but supportive of me through the ups and downs and that’s help keep me going through the course of the year. There were so many good moments and we did a lot of very good things. Overall, we need to do a little bit more and we’re close. I’m sure it will be a very busy offseason and we’ll come back ready to play and shoot for the playoffs and beyond next season.”
Wenger is already pointing toward 2015. He doesn’t want to look back – only forward.
“Guys in here are disappointed the way the season went,” Wenger said. “The goal in here was to do it for ourselves and for the fans and the people who came out. I think there’s a long offseason. It’s a 10-week offseason from the beginning of November to December and two weeks of January. I think it’s too long. I’m not kidding. I think it’s two weeks too long. If you’re in the playoffs fine … But we’re professionals, this is our job. … Obviously, everyone needs to take a mental break. Talk about Landon Donovan, that’s fine. But taking ten weeks off from your profession is kind of ridiculous. But some guys see it differently.”
Wenger sees the future quite clear: it’s all about winning.
Following the offseason, he expects the club to be ultra-competitive in 2015. There’s no wiggle room here.
“I know that the guys in this locker room believe and we support each other,” Wenger said. “We have one game remaining against Columbus and then it’s time to officially get ready for next season. We have proven what we can do against the best clubs. We had some tough breaks and we let some points slip away. Guys in here are disappointed about that. But we have a lot to feel good about and we need to put it all together next season with an initial goal of making the playoffs.”
What are your thoughts on Wenger's contributions this season? Leave a comment below.
Contact Union writer Andy Jasner at andy.jasner@yahoo.com
