Leon Flach - Renewal or Exit?

What Leon excels at, what often goes unnoticed, and what he could improve on.

Leon Flach’s contract is set to expire this December, and Jim Curtin has openly expressed his desire to retain Flach long-term.

"He’s a starting-caliber player and has shown that for several years now. Certainly a guy I would love to have here in Philly long-term.

I think with Leon, we often forget how young he is. To find guys that are starting-level quality as young as he is, it would be a no-brainer to keep him here. He’s that talented and special, and he has versatility.

Relatively speaking in our league, with the way the salaries are all over the place, for a starting-caliber player, I’ll just say he’s a bargain.

So, great performance from him, you’re right."

Flach is currently on a relatively low salary, especially when compared to two players with similar metrics over the past three years—Ilie Sánchez of LAFC and Andrés Cubas of Vancouver.

While Flach trails Sánchez in matches played, starts, and minutes, he surpasses Cubas in all of these categories. Moreover, Flach leads both players in total goal contributions (goals + assists) with nine, compared to Sánchez’s seven and Cubas’s six.

In terms of progression (moving the ball across the field), Flach outperforms both players in progressive carries and progressive passes received. This means he is successfully advancing the ball forward and positioning himself to receive the ball in more advanced areas.

Guaranteed compensation for the trio this year?

- Ilie Sánchez: $1,267,875
- Andrés Cubas: $1,146,375
- Leon Flach: $314,500

A lot of data points to Flach being deserving of a pay raise.

Credit: Philadelphia Union

To add more context, let's also look at Flach's defensive work, as he often finds himself covering both the central defensive midfield role and the spaces left by other players pushing forward.

Flach lands between Cubas and Sánchez in the realm of tackles and tackles won. In terms of tackles lost, Flach ranks the best with 104, while Cubas is second with 121 and Sánchez has the most at 135.

When it comes to combined tackling and interceptions, Flach leads Sánchez (409 vs. 378) but falls just behind Cubas (441).

This highlights how Flach is a crucial defensive asset as well, often doing the dirty work and standing out even when compared to higher-paid players.

Credit: Philadelphia Union

For Leon Flach, passing and injuries may be areas of concern during negotiations.

In terms of passing, Leon has attempted and completed the fewest passes compared to the other two players, with 2,595 attempts and 2,024 completions, giving him a respectable 78 percent completion rate.

The majority of his passes are short (5-15 yards), with 1,306 attempts and 1,124 completions—an 86 percent completion rate, still the lowest of the three on all fronts. His attempts drop significantly when looking at medium (15 to 30 yards) and long (30+ yards) passes.

Again, he ranks at the bottom, with 936 medium passes attempted and 745 completed (79 percent completion rate), and 178 long passes attempted with 96 completions (53 percent completion rate).

Injury-wise, over the three years used in this analysis, Leon has missed 125 days and 18 games.

Credit: Carl Gulbish

This provides more context for what Flach excels at, what often goes unnoticed, and areas for improvement.

Best of luck to him and his team in negotiations, whether with the Union, elsewhere in the U.S., or abroad.