The Union selected two defenders in the SuperDraft off of the same Georgetown Hoyas team that developed into one of the best collegiate defenses in the country in 2015 and one of them, Josh Yaro, might be able to play from day one.

Pushing Edu into probably a holding, #6 role in the midfield means either Brian Carroll or Vincent Noguiera will give way. Losing Maidana as a #10 leaves a hole to be filled behind Sapong offensively, and a hole beside him defensively if they continue with their shape off of the ball.

Maidana had been the best player on a couple of bad Union teams and his contribution was probably inflated because of their overall quality. Can Tranquillo Barnetta stay healthy to find consistency as an attacking midfielder? Will one of the new additions slot into the #10 vacancy and keep it? It will be interesting to see what Curtin whips up and what kind of freedom he's willing or able to express himself with.

There's no question who will be the starting central forward for the 2016 Phiadelphia Union: C.J. Sapong. His newly extended contract of indicates that Curtin and the Union believe C.J. when he says, “I feel like 20 goals is something that I can reach.” Do I believe him? Call me elitist but I don't think he has the pedigree to be a lone forward that scores 20 goals, but his frame and physical traits suggests he might have the kind of ceiling.

So, what does 2016 have in store for the Philadelphia Union? They relied heavily on the draft to solve defensive issues, they are missing a solidified #10 (unless Barnetta slots in) and they're betting the house on C.J. Sapong (at least for the short term). Although it will undoubtedly be an improvement, I'm bearish on how drastic the improvement will actually be.

The teams in and around them (NYCFC, Orlando SC, Toronto FC) have either gotten better through personnel transition or are expected to be better through expected evolution. The Union will likely struggle to get out of the bottom three of the Eastern Conference and will probably hover in and around 7th-9th for most of the season.