Sugarman: ‘Feels Like a New Chapter' With Stewart Leading Union

For someone who has spent little time talking to the media over the last six years, Union majority owner Jay Sugarman has said enough for fans to know who he is and who he isn't.

He's not someone that will dig into his bank account to sign a $5 million player like the LA Galaxy or New York City FC. He's never going to be outspoken or the face of the franchise like a Mark Cuban. He's even admitted before that he doesn't know much about soccer.

But here's who he is: someone who strongly believes the Union can turn into a perennial winner by being smart, innovative and creative. And that's why Thursday was such a big day for the New York City businessman as he introduced Earnie Stewart - a man who shares many of those same ideals - as the club's new sporting director, shortly before taking the media on a tour of their under-construction training complex that he believes can also help take the Union to the next level.

"It feels like a new chapter," Sugarman said. "There's a new energy, a new commitment. This can be a great club. But it's going to take a lot of work. There's really no reason why we shouldn't be a top-tier club.

"I don't know enough about the sport to tell you what didn't happen in the last five years. But I can tell you that having one guy in charge who's got the background, the knowledge, the experience and the discipline that Earnie has is going to make a huge difference."

Indeed, throughout his chat with reporters following Stewart's introductory press conference, Sugarman stressed the importance of having one person oversee all elements of the franchise, which now includes a minor-league affiliate in Bethlehem as well as the team's growing youth academy in Wayne.

But while the franchise continues to spread its wings across the region, the owner also said it's critical to build a new training complex where most of its operations will be centered. In addition to Stewart and the coaches having offices in the building - which sits between the stadium's parking lots, near the training fields that opened last year - it will also serve as a state-of-the-art health center, film room and players' lounge.

Sugarman noted that it was more than a $10 million investment between the 16,000-square foot building (which is slated to open in the spring) and the practice fields - but a much-needed one.

"I think players are going to walk in next year and say, ‘This is the place I want to play,'" Sugarman said. "As you know, two years ago, we were playing in a public park. What great player is going to say, ‘That's where I want to go?'"

Of course, Sugarman has been the Union's owner from the very beginning, so it's fair game to lay some blame on him for the franchise's not having a great training situation for most of its existence. But over the past couple of years, he seems to have really been working hard to solve some of the problems that have plagued the club.

Just think about some of the team's biggest issues.

A lack of Homegrown players joining the Union from the franchise's state-of-the art youth academy which now includes its own high school? The Union-operated Bethlehem Steel USL team (which will practice in Chester) will provide an important bridge for academy players to turn pro.

The soft-tissue injuries that derailed much of the season for key players like Maurice Edu, Fernando Aristeguieta, Steven Vitoria and Vincent Nogueira last season? Welcome to the new health center.

All of those young players that were once touted as future stars but are now mostly on different teams or struggling to find playing time? Listen to Stewart talk about player development and how he plans to get the absolute maximum out of all of his players by implementing sports science and analytics.

Doling out big contracts on players that turn into locker room cancers and/or busts? Listen to Stewart, again, talk about how spending too much on the wrong guys is akin to "throwing away money" and how building a roster with the right mix of players is paramount.

To the last point, Sugarman said he plans to assist Stewart in building a bigger scouting network so that the Union can find those right players across the globe that, perhaps, other MLS teams are not zeroing in on.

"You can't just wait for agents to send you players," the Union owner said. "You can't be reactive; you have to be proactive and say, ‘This is the player I need. Now where can I get him?' ... It's real easy to spend a lot of money but we're spending that money against 100 other teams that probably see that player every day, too. We have to find the edges, the cracks, the holes in the system that Earnie can use his network and his relationships and go, ‘That kind of player is going to be really successful in MLS.' And he's going to sell them on the development capability that we're going to make them a better player and they should come play with us."

There will certainly be a lot of scouting done over the next couple of months. Since the start of the offseason, the Union have already traded or released more than a dozen players, meaning there is going to be a significant roster overhaul before training camp opens.

But with Stewart making the calls alongside head coach Jim Curtin and technical director Chris Albright - and the franchise having a lot more selling points to recruit players than in years past - Sugarman is more optimistic about his team than ever before.

That much was clear when the typically behind-the-scenes owner exuberantly answered one question about the club's new direction for nearly four minutes before finishing his thought in a simple way:

"I'm feeling pretty good."

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