Happy to be back at a familiar club, Ben Bender looking to help the Union

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CHESTER -- When Ben Bender found his services on the market in April, he hoped the club on the other end of the phone would be in MLS.

When it turned out to be where he spent three years playing as a teen, it felt like the best-case scenario.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft was thrilled to find the Philadelphia Union as a landing spot when Charlotte waived him in April. After a loan stint in USL with Tampa Bay last year, there was no guarantee that the first selection in Charlotte history would find a place in MLS.

But he fills a need, in particular with Quinn Sullivan away at the Gold Cup. And, as these things go, one of the first cracks at that spot comes Saturday night against his old team at Subaru Park.

"It was fantastic to hear because I grew up playing here, and to be only an hour away from my family's house is pretty special," Bender said Thursday. "The Union has some pretty big history, and developing players is a big thing, so it was definitely something that I was excited about."

Bender spent two years with Union Juniors as a pre-teen. The Baltimore native played one season with the academy in 2015, alongside fellow eventual pro and Maryland native Cole Turner. He left to be closer to home with Baltimore Armour and Calvert Hall before two seasons at the University of Maryland.

He was part of Charlotte's inaugural squad, playing in the club's first game and scoring in its first victory. He followed the club through rough times, finishing ninth in the East each of its first two seasons, already on its third head coach.

Stylistically, Charlotte's soccer identity swung wildly, from possession-based soccer it patently did not have the talent for, to more of a counter structure. That tactical flexibility has helped Bender adjust to the Union, whose brand of counterattacking style is a clear departure from any he's played before.

"I think I had three different experiences," Bender said. "So I think that was beneficial. It's obviously hard to have three different coaches in three years, because you can't develop one system with a group. But seeing different models of the game, it really opens your eyes to how vast the game of football is."

Bender made 51 league appearances for Charlotte, with seven goals and an assist. His last appearance was against the Union in the Leagues Cup last year, after which he was loaned out to the Rowdies, getting nine games in September and October.

Bender didn't appear in a game for Charlotte this year. He was waived April 25 and picked up by the Union two weeks later.

Bender will get a chance to show if he can stick.

The Union traded Daniel Gazdag in March to Columbus, a move that hasn't hurt the Eastern Conference leaders (and hasn't yet helped the Crew, with Gazdag yet to score). That's left the Union to operate a 4-2-2-2 formation with Sullivan and Indiana Vassilev as the primary No. 10 options.

Sullivan has two goals and seven assists, earning his first caps for Team USA. Even if the U.S. does its worst at the Gold Cup, Sullivan will be gone into July. That leaves Vassilev, who has a goal and three assists in 917 minutes, as the main No. 10. Bender will get a shot at the other spot. He started in Dallas, a limp 0-0 draw for the Union despite playing up a man much of the way.

Bender is still learning the ropes. The Union played nine games in May, which left little actual practice time to acclimate, beyond PowerPoint presentations and video study. He hopes he's catching on well.

"Obviously when you come to a new place, you don't know the ins and outs, and you're trying to learn the logistics," he said. "You're trying to bring your own unique game to the team but also learn how they play. They explained everything, and I'm just trying to take in information as quick as possible, and the game model's becoming more clear and clear."

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The Union (10-3-4, 34 points) will need options up top Saturday with Mikael Uhre and Tai Baribo out.

Baribo picked up an injury on international duty with Israel. He's still there receiving treatment.

Uhre left the Dallas game with a groin strain. He returned to training Thursday. The club is expecting both to be on the order of 10 to 12 days out.

The Union are also without four players at the Gold Cup: Sullivan and Nathan Harriel with the U.S., Andre Blake with Jamaica and Danley Jean Jacques with Haiti.

Up top, that puts a big spotlight on Bruno Damiani, who has struggled to find the back of the net this year. Manager Bradley Carnell had high praise for the work done by Chris Donovan, who's scored one goal since the start of 2024.

Markus Anderson, who scored in the Union's friendly win over Atlas last week, could nudge his way into minutes. Anderson played early last year under Jim Curtin (even ahead of Baribo), but has played 1 first-team minute since March 24, 2024. He hasn't made the bench yet this season.

"I've always thought Markus has real tools, and I was a real big fan of him in preseason," Carnell said. "We want to get a good couple of months out of Markus, and that's why we've been focusing him fully on Union II now, just to get the reps, confidence, routine, rhythm, confidence in his body. He's getting to that point now where he starts being a real option for us."

Ian Glavinovich (knee) is progressing. The club is looking to reintroduce him to work on the ball in the coming days as he recovers from meniscus surgery.