'I Love These Guys': Philadelphia Union's Homegrown Talent Like Brothers On And Off Field
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia Union, as quiet as it is, is the best team in Philly right now. Part of the reason they have been successful is the play of some local products.
Thanks to some talent from here in our own backyard, the Union are playing some of the best soccer in their history.
The homegrown players are young, budding stars like Brenden Aaronson of Medford, New Jersey; Mark McKenzie of Bear, Delaware; Anthony Fontana of Newark, Delaware; and Matt Real of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.
All came up through the Union Academy and are now making a difference with the top team.
"It's been great to be able to grow with these guys, on and off the field, and develop relationships that'll last a lifetime," defender McKenzie said.
"It's been a wild ride for all of us. All of us have had our ups and downs, but just having each other is a huge thing," midfielder Aaronson said.
"It's amazing. I love these guys. That's all I gotta say," midfielder Fontana said. "I'm happy that we're all playing well and just enjoying life together."
Spending all this time together means they're like brothers. They know each other very well.
"Who of the four would be most likely to cheat playing video games?" CBS3's Pat Gallen asked.
"Probably Matt," McKenzie said.
"Who of the four is the best at another sport?" Gallen asked.
"Mark's pretty good at basketball," Aaronson said. "Me and Matt are trying to get better at golf. Font's a big MMA fan."
"Wait 'til my soccer career is over. Dana, Dana White, I'll be expecting my contract," Fontana said.
"If you were stuck on an island, who of the four of you would you trust most to get you off?" Gallen asked.
"I would say myself because these guys have been throwing me under the bus," Real joked. "I'm gonna say Mark and we all know, we joke between the four of us, this guy has every gadget known to man."
"Last year, Fontana scored against the Fire and he showed his abs, right? Yeah. So were you surprised he did that after the goal?" Gallen asked.
"Well first off, he doesn't have abs. I don't understand why he did that," Real said. "It woulda been better if it was me, I actually have abs. But Font, I don't know what you were showing there."
"Who's the cleanest of the four. Who's the dirtiest?" Gallen asked.
"Matt is dirtiest by far! By far!" Fontana said.
"We can all agree Matt's the dirtiest for sure," Aaronson said.
"All I gotta say is every time I go into Brenden's room, that room is a mess!" Real said.
The Union are currently 7-2-4 on the season and are tied for second in the Eastern Conference.