Why can’t things ever be easy for the Philadelphia Union during this time of year?

The Secondary Transfer Window closes tomorrow at 1pm and as of last night, it looked like the Philadelphia Union would acquire Alejandro Bedoya, who is a midfielder for the US Men’s National Team and FC Nantes of the French League. He would come in, play in the number eight role, and all would be right with the world.

Wait, you said it’s not that easy? The Chicago Fire want to throw a wrench in the grand plans of the Union?

In case you’ve missed the grand fiasco that is Twitter today, (and it may be better for your sanity if you did) the Chicago Fire have the number one allocation spot which is one spot ahead of the Philadelphia Union.

This may not seem like much but this means that the Fire technically have dibs on any player from the USMNT who is coming to the MLS. This plus the massive amount of cash that the Fire possess makes it a little more complicated for the Union to get their man in Bedoya.

Basically, MLS rules allow for the Fire to make an offer to Bedoya themselves or extort the Philadelphia Union for whatever they feel is a fair return. At this point, it’s unclear exactly what route they are taking but with the Transfer Window closing fast, even the slightest hiccup could derail the deal.

ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle reported that:

Will go down to the wire.Philly still has inside track but #cf97 making a push since it has No. 1 alloc slot. #DOOP https://t.co/8sEQq0GE6l — Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) August 2, 2016

He also mentioned that Chicago may be a little vindictive in their approach because the MLS allocation rules caused them to miss out on two targets, Jermaine Jones and Didier Drogba. While he’s right, hopefully, the two clubs can reach an agreement soon because the Philadelphia Union need an addition to get their squad back on the right track and this would be the second year in a row that transfer talks have broken down with Bedoya.

Chicago is definitely interested in Bedoya and this entire situation has Philadelphia Union fans holding their breath but the next situation that I’m going to write about could derail the entire season.

Hearing Portuguese side Vitória S.C. have shown an interest in CJ Sapong. Stay tuned. — MLS Transfers (@MLSTransfers) August 2, 2016

Not the first team. A bid for 1 million came in this winter from Turkey and was rejected https://t.co/5W9HjlkHnv — Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) August 2, 2016

That’s right the only true target forward on the roster (Herbers is a lot of things but he is not a target forward) is drawing interest abroad. While Kinkead’s addition that this isn’t the first time that a team has tried to swoop for Sapong, it’s still concerning. There is no true replacement for Sapong on the roster and without him the attack is punchless.

He already gets double teamed while in the box and still manages to be effective and create space for his teammates. The only option for the Philadelphia Union without Sapong would be to move to a 4-3-3 with Herbers as a false nine or a 4-4-2 with Herbers and Pontius up top. Neither of those seems like appealing options in my opinion.

While it’s a vague report now, it looks like a lot may happen between today and 1pm tomorrow after what has been a quiet window so far. So strap on your seat belts Philadelphia Union fans because we’re in for a bumpy ride and I’ll do my best to keep you updated along the way.