Union Striker Bruno Damiani Cleared to Debut in Home Opener Against Cincinnati

Philadelphia Union striker Bruno Damiani has had his visa paperwork cleared, manager Bradley Carnell said Thursday. That makes the club-record signing eligible for Saturday's home opener against FC Cincinnati, set for 7:30 p.m. on Apple TV.

The Union introduced Damiani last week, but his visa had not been fully processed at the time. The matter was settled over the last few days, and the Uruguayan briefly left town for the final steps, as is customary. How much he will play on Saturday is unclear. He trained apart from his teammates during the portion of Thursday's practice open to reporters.

The club also received good injury news. Right back Nathan Harriel, who sat out every preseason game with a quadriceps injury, will be available. "Nate's trending in the right direction," Carnell said. "He's been training with us this week, full go, so he definitely belongs to the available roster." New centerback Ian Glavinovch, who dealt with a muscle injury during preseason, is also ready to play, though Carnell said there are a couple of maintenance issues the staff is managing.

Harriel faces competition from rookie Frankie Westfield, who impressed in his first-team debut in Orlando. Cincinnati presents a stiff test, though. This winter the visitors bought attacking midfielder Evander for $12 million and striker Kévin Denkey for $16.2 million, which was an MLS-record transfer fee until Atlanta's Emmanuel Latte Lath topped it a few days later at $22 million. Denkey has three goals in three games, and Evander has a goal and an assist.

Meanwhile, the Union's influence on the U.S. men's national team is on display. Manager Mauricio Pochettino announced a 60-player preliminary list on Monday for the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals in Inglewood, California, in just over two weeks. Twelve players on it have ties to the Union, by far the most of any MLS club. Two are current Union players: Harriel and midfielder Indiana Vassilev. Six played professionally in Philadelphia before moving on: Matt Freese, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty, Brenden Aaronson, Paxten Aaronson and Jack McGlynn. Four came through the youth academy but turned pro elsewhere: Zack Steffen, George Campbell, Christian Pulisic and Brian White.

Longtime Union captain Alejandro Bedoya credited the vision of the Graham family, who fund the academy, and club ownership. "Twelve, wow," he said, pointing to the housing, schooling and support offered to young players hoping to turn pro. He called the track record "the easiest recruitment tool you have."

On Thursday, MLS also published salary cap classifications for all players. Teams may carry three Designated Players and three under-22 players, or two and four, with the latter earning up to $2 million in extra cap space. Despite its history of modest spending, the Union chose three and three this year. Their Designated Players are Dániel Gazdag, Damiani and Mikael Uhre, and their under-22 players are Olwethu Makhanya and Quinn Sullivan.

The Union have filled all seven of their international roster spots, with Jesús Bueno freeing one by obtaining a U.S. green card. They have also used the league's new off-roster homegrown category, with five players currently in those spots: Neil Pierre, Frankie Westfield, Eddy Davis, Sal Olivas and Nelson Pierre. Players keep that status until they have played six regular-season games. With Pierre behind Davis and Olivas on the depth chart, the Union loaned him to the Vancouver Whitecaps' reserve squad for the year.