A sudden departure
On Wednesday morning the Philadelphia Union officially waived veteran defender Olivier Mbaizo, marking the first publicly announced roster move since the club dismissed head coach Bradley Carnell earlier this week.
Mbaizo, who joined the Union from Rainbow FC Bamenda in 2018, leaves after nine seasons in which he made 122 MLS appearances, including 96 starts. His playing time had already begun to shrink under Carnell, who took over the reins in 2025, and he managed just one appearance in the opening 15 games of the 2026 season.
The defender’s contract guaranteed him $502,875 in guaranteed compensation for the campaign, a figure that made his departure a notable financial decision for the club. Mbaizo was also a member of Cameroon’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, though he did not see any minutes on the pitch.
Union sporting director Jon Scheer expressed appreciation for Mbaizo’s dedication and professionalism during his tenure, while acknowledging that the move was part of a broader effort to reshape the squad as the team sits at the bottom of the MLS standings with only one win in fifteen matches.
The Union’s next test will be a home clash against Red Bull New York on July 22 at Subaru Park, a fixture that could provide an early gauge of how the roster reshuffle impacts the team’s fortunes.