TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS:Extension
The Philadelphia Union on Thursday secured the services of one of their most influential players for at least another season, announcing that they’ve exercised the 2019 contract option of midfielder Haris Medunjanin.
Medunjanin, 33, has been a near-automatic starter at the base of the Union midfield since joining the club ahead of the 2017 season, protecting the back line and dictating the tempo with his passing from deep. He’s also chipped in three goals and 13 assists over 48 regular-season appearances (all starts); his contract is now fully guaranteed for next year.
“Haris Medunjanin is an integral part of our team, both on the field and in the locker room,” said Philly sporting director Earnie Stewart in a club release. “His technical ability and vision on the ball are among the finest in MLS, and the importance of his veteran presence in assisting our young players cannot be understated.”
Medunjanin became one of only five players in Union history to start all 34 games of a 34-game season when he did so last year, after making Philadelphia the latest stop of a globetrotting career that’s taken him from his native Sarajevo to clubs in the Netherlands, Spain, Israel and Turkey.
Originally a Dutch youth international, Medunjanin later switched to the country of his birth and earned 60 caps for Bosnia & Herzegovina, scoring nine goals and making two appearances in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, before retiring from international play earlier this year.
