Tuesday morning’s announcement that Philadelphia Union had acquired Daniel Gazdag was another culmination of the club’s impressive scouting network that finds diamonds in the rough that had found another gear under Sporting Director Ernst Tanner.
“I’m quite familiar with the Hungarian market and there is quite a bit of talent in the league,” Tanner told reporters on Thursday afternoon. “Maybe it’s not a league that is getting scouted by the big clubs or leagues in Europe but at Philadelphia Union when we are looking for undervalued talent, we need to go into these leagues. He wasn’t the only one that’s been attracted to MLS so there is some proof that the league is watched by MLS.”
Gazdag isn’t the first player from the European side to join the league but he said that he’s spoken to those that have come before him including from Sporting Kansas City defender with Botond Baráth who was a teammate with the midfielder this past season with Budapest Honvéd FC .
“I have spoken with Daniel Salloi for a couple of years so I was speaking with him and he told me good things [about MLS],” Gazdag said when asked about coming to the league. “I also spoke Botond Baráth who played in KC as well. They both told me the league is strong. I saw that Philadelphia won the Supporters’ Shield and I think that Philadelphia is a good fit and I’m happy to join them.”
Gazdag will be embarking on not only a new journey to the United States but will be joining a new club for the first time in his career having played for Honved since his youth days. Gazdag said he had other offers to stay in Europe but had to jump at the opportunity to come to MLS for both his career and his family. While he said it will feel strange and weird the first few days, he’s excited for the opportunity that the Union have laid out.
“We were following Daniel for quite a long time and he was really the rising star of the last season and maybe the previous season in the Hungarian league and I think it’s a great opportunity to come to the United States and be in a new environment,” Tanner said. “He’s played with Honved since he was 14 and he’s looking for that new challenge in a bigger country, bigger league and with his versatility and his scoring ability, he can be a real contributor to our future success in Philadelphia.”
Gazdag’s arrival will add another piece for Head Coach Jim Curtin to play with as the club looks to ramp up its play in league action. While Gazdag said he prefers to play as a No. 8 on the side of the diamond or as the No. 10, he’s willing to do whatever he can to help his club. Those words aren’t empty as he helped keep his club above the relegation line and it earned him League Honors as the Player of the Year.
“It’s not just part of the counter-pressing system but it always important to have goalscorers in your team,” Tanner said. “In particular in our system, it is very important to spread that task across the five more offensive positions in our set up and Daniel showed he can do exactly that. You can never have enough scoring.”
Tanner did say that the midfielder has already acquired his P-1 Visa but now it’s a waiting game to get him into the United States before reporting to the Hungarian National Team ahead of Europe’s biggest competition.
“It’s not in our hands. We are just running through the immigration process and we have gotten approval the for the P-1 Visa but now we need to work with the Embassey in Hungary. I think we have good relations there and I don’t know how quick that process can be done but I hope that we will see him certainly within the next two weeks.”
