Union reacquire Kai Wagner from Birmingham City
The first move of new Philadelphia Union sporting director Jon Scheer is to undo a mistake of the previous regime.
The Union Friday welcomed back Kai Wagner on a permanent transfer from Birmingham City.
That's the same Wagner who was sold to the English second division club in January. The fee then was a reported $1.5 million. It cost the Union $4 million to get him back, and he will become a designated player.
The left back was part of an offseason fire sale, overseen ostensibly by Scheer as the acting sporting director but following the template set out by then on-leave sporting director Ernst Tanner and coach Bradley Carnell. That blueprint cashed in Wagner when Birmingham City hit a release clause amount in his deal, plus trades of Tai Baribo to D.C. United and Jakob Glesnes to L.A. Galaxy.
Six months later, Carnell has been fired. Tanner is not yet reinstated by MLS, with the Union allowing him to collect the rest of his contract through the end of this year as some kind of courtesy. The Union are last in MLS with one of the worst 15-game starts in league history, with a roster devoid of creativity, short on veteran leadership and lacking defensive mettle. Wagner aids all three weaknesses.
And Scheer is in charge, hitting a factory reset on the club to a time when they had a dependable, veteran left back who was the team's principal chance creator.
"Coming back to Philadelphia feels incredibly meaningful for me and my family," Wagner said in a press release. "Over the years, this city has become our home, and returning was a decision that came from the heart. My time away gave me the opportunity to experience a new challenge, but it also reinforced how much this club, this city, and our supporters mean to me. There's something special about representing the Union and playing in front of our fans. I believe in what this club stands for, its culture, ambition, and commitment to competing at the highest level. I'm excited to be back, and grateful for the opportunity to help write the next chapter."
The acquisition required a second transaction, the Union needing to secure the top spot in the MLS waiver order from Sporting Kansas City. They accomplished that with an international roster spot in 2026, also netting $100,000 in 2026 allocation money.
Wagner, 29, signed with the Union before the 2019 season. He made 204 league appearances, with eight goals and 60 assists, the latter the most in club history. He added two assists in 12 playoff appearances. Wagner was instrumental to winning the Supporters' Shield in 2020 and 2025.
He was named an MLS All-Star three times and an MLS Best XI selection twice, including 2025. But he'd long angled for a move to Europe, and when Birmingham came calling, the German made the jump.
On paper, it went fine. He started 16 games for the Blues, just about any time he was available in his half-season, with three assists. He scored his only goal for Birmingham in the FA Cup third round. Birmingham finished 10th in the EFL Championship last year.
But the grass apparently wasn't greener, bringing Wagner back to the Union, where he's a club legend. He'll be paid like it, something Tanner steadfastly refused to do, though his absence reinforced his value.
"We're thrilled to welcome Kai back to Philadelphia. He's been an integral part of this club's success and has consistently established himself as one of the top left backs in Major League Soccer," Scheer said. "Kai understands what this club represents, what our supporters expect, and the standards we hold ourselves to every day. We're confident he'll make an immediate impact this season as we pursue our goals and be an important part of our club's future."
Adding Wagner closes down avenues for roster improvement this summer without a departure, though given the Union's first half, finding one shouldn't be hard. As of the start of the season, the Union had more than $4.3 million in general allocation money available. They had an open designated player spot, which Wagner fills alongside Bruno Damiani. They brought in Under-22 Initiative Philippe Ndinga to fill the left back spot, but he has struggled to get minutes. He won't get them now, meaning two of six premium roster spots are tied up at the same, generally non-premium, position.
The Union are out of international spots, with seven players for seven spots, though that can be rectified via trade.
The more logical conclusion is a subtraction from that group. Olwethu Makhanya, who was part of South Africa's World Cup squad, has been the subject of transfer interest. He occupies both U-22 initiative and international spots, and he has a natural replacement waiting in the wings in Homegrown center back Neil Pierre.
With the return of Wagner shunting Nathan Harriel and Frankie Westfield into a timeshare at right back, more minutes for Harriel at center back is a possibility to ease a Makhanya sale.
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