Recently, John Hackworth has come out and said that the Philadelphia Union are looking for another striker. He stated that he's willing to make moves in order to clear up cap space, so the team is probably looking at a player that may demand a large salary. The team has never really had a player that could tear apart defenses with their speed alone, and Hackworth has stressed the importance of adding pace to his side. In the past few days, English Premier League clubs have announced which players they have allowed to enter free agency. Let's see if any of those players would make sense for the Union.

Nathan Delfouneso

Delfouneso has been with Aston Villa since 2006, but has only made 29 appearances for Villa in that time. In 134 career appearances, he has scored 20 goals. He's also made 54 appearances for various youth English national teams. Delfouneso was once considered to have a bright future, but has languished in the Championship and League One for the past few years. The 23-year-old has not been a prolific scorer thus far, but he is very, very fast. He is so fast. Here is a video of him being fast. His most recent loan was with Coventry City of League One, but they did not extend a contract offer to him at the conclusion of the loan. If the Union were to go after Delfouneso, they would likely face some competition from Championship and League One teams. He was receiving roughly $475,000 dollars from Aston Villa, and would likely be asking for a Designated Player contract. With a DP spot open, the Union could make an enticing offer for Delfouneso, but he may not be willing to leave England just yet.

Federico Macheda

Macheda's situation is somewhat similar to that of Delfouneso, in that he never really found a spot for himself on the club that owns him. He's been with Manchester United since 2007, but has been away on loans since 2011. Most recently, he played in 18 games for Birmingham City, scoring 10 goals. He would be a DP if he were to come to the Union, as he made $800,000 with Manchester United last season. He will receive offers from the Championship, and probably some Italian teams as well. It'd be unlikely for him to want to come here, but he could be lured by a lot of money. A lot.

Villyan Bijev

Bijev, a Fresno, California, native, has been with Liverpool since 2011. He has failed to make an appearance with Liverpool in his time on Merseyside, but did make appearances with Fortuna Dusseldorf's illustrious B-side and IK Start of Norway. Liverpool's website describes Bijev as a "pacy forward" and a "likeable lad." The Union could be keen to add this lad, who would likely be available to sign as a free agent. He did not go to college, so he probably wouldn't require a weighted lottery, but who knows? MLS lotteries take into account the record of MLS teams over their last 34 games, giving the worst team the best chance of winning the lottery. D.C. United, who would be another contender, would not be eligible as they have won a lottery in the 12 months. His contract would likely be in the neighborhood of $150,000 were he to sign for the Union.

Juan Agudelo

Agudelo signed with Stoke City in August, but has been released since he failed to get a work permit. Rumor has it that Hannover 96 is interested, and Agudelo will likely receive other offers from all over Europe. New England holds onto his MLS rights, so it might be tough for the Union to be able to even offer a contract to Agudelo. It seems that he wants to stay in Europe, but the Union can offer as much as they like.

Shola Ameobi

Hahaha, just kidding.