CHESTER, Pa. – There’s a framed jersey hanging from the wall in Zach Pfeffer’s apartment.
It represents a milestone moment in the career of the 20-year-old Philadelphia Union midfielder, who wore it for a friendly against Mexican power Chivas Guadalajara when he was only 15 – his first time playing for a professional team. He even had it signed by the entire 2010 Union squad.
But there’s also a problem with it. On the jersey, his name is spelled like this: P-E-F-F-E-R.
Whoops.
“I thought it was hilarious,” Pfeffer told MLSsoccer.com. “It’s not a big deal. No problem.”
Perhaps, in one way, the typo was symbolic of the bumps that Pfeffer would face on his unusual road from a regular high school sophomore to the fourth-youngest player ever signed by an MLS team – a distinction bestowed upon him when the Union officially inked him to a Homegrown deal following the franchise’s 2010 expansion season, about three months after he suited up for them in their 1-0 friendly win over Chivas Guadalajara on Sept. 1, 2010.
And you could say the fact that he still framed it for everyone to see shows that Pfeffer knows how to roll with the punches – and shrug off the pressure that comes with turning pro before even reaching driving age.
“Maybe there’s a little pressure there,” Pfeffer admitted. “But, at the same time, every single player all throughout the world has their own path. Some guys develop earlier than others, some develop later.”
By now, the fanfare surrounding Pfeffer’s 2010 Homegrown contract seems like ancient history. And nearly five years later, he’s finally been given the chance to make good on the potential the Union saw to sign such a young player from their then-burgeoning academy.
After getting very little playing time in 2011, 2012 and 2014 – and getting loaned to Hoffenheim for the duration of 2013 to play with the German club’s youth teams – Pfeffer has become a regular in the rotation this season, playing 910 minutes in 20 appearances while registering two goals and an assist.
He even has a beard now and no longer looks like the scrawny 16-year-old that made three appearances in 2011.
“If I see pictures of myself [from my rookie season], I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” Pfeffer laughed. “I look like I was 5-years-old.”
His physical appearance isn’t the only difference from 2011, still the only season the Union ever made the playoffs. Since then, the Union’s entire roster has almost completely turned over, leaving Pfeffer as one of the club’s longest-tenured players.
And his teammates have treated him as such, even though he’s also the team’s second-youngest player, older than only 18-year-old Cameroonian Eric Ayuk.
Imagine that – a 20-year-old veteran.
“I think the guys have given me a lot more respect this year,” Pfeffer said. “I don’t want to say I feel like I’m one of everyone because I’ve always been one of the guys. But now I’m treated like a true, old MLS player.”
While Pfeffer certainly appreciates the newfound respect he’s earned off the field and the increased playing time on it, seeing many of his close friends on the team get traded – not to mention his first two professional coaches, Peter Nowak and John Hackworth, get fired – hasn’t always been the easiest thing. In some ways, it helped drive home the point to a teenager that professional soccer is a business where no one is safe.
But for someone that grew up in the Philadelphia area, had season tickets with his family for the franchise’s expansion season, and has grown up along with the club ever since, Pfeffer still maintains his youthful optimism that he’ll be able to do what few others have and remain with the Union for the long haul.
“For me, I don’t have any plans or thoughts of going anywhere else,” he said. “I definitely want to be here. This is where I’m from. My family is here. My friends are here. This is my first professional team. I was part of the academy. I’ve been a part of the organization for a long time and it has a very special place in my heart. So I just want to be a part of a lot of the successes moving forward.”
The Union, of course, have had few successes over the last few years – at least outside of the US Open Cup, where the team will play in the semifinals for the third time in four years on Wednesday with a home game against the Chicago Fire (7:30 pm ET, YouTube, USsoccer.com). But the ever-positive Pfeffer remains hopeful of a late-season postseason push – “Until we’re mathematically not able to be in the playoffs, it’s always possible,” he said – and pointed to the club’s new training fields and growing academy as reasons why he’s hopeful toward the future.
As the first Homegrown player to get signed, play a game, score a goal and, now, see regular minutes with the Union, Pfeffer has an especially strong attachment to the academy. And he often tries to counsel some of the kids when they train with the first team – even though some of them are not much younger than he is.
“Since I was in their shoes at one point, I try to be helpful to them and encourage them and try to teach them and show them the experiences I’ve had,” he said. “Even something as little as telling them that when they come here not to be shy. You can yell at an older guy and tell them where to go. And if you make a mistake, don’t worry about it and just keep playing.”
Yes, on top of being a 20-year-old veteran, he’s also sometimes a 20-year-old coach.
But even if he does try to help others improve, most of the improvements he’s focused on center around his own game. Although he’s made a big leap this year and has had flashes of brilliance as both an attacking and box-to-box midfielder, Pfeffer is fully aware that he needs to get a lot of better to stay on the field and eventually earn a full-time starting spot.
And if he ever need a reminder of that, he just needs to look at the misspelled jersey that’s framed on the wall – the one that makes him realize how far he’s already come and how far he still needs to go.
“It just bring back great memories,” Pfeffer said. “And it shows me all of the hard work I’ve put in the last couple of years. And it kind of reminds me to stay humble and continue to work hard because I’m obviously not even close to where I want to be. If I was, that probably wouldn’t be a good thing.
“I have a long, long way to go still. I’m hoping this is still just the beginning.”
Dave Zeitlin covers the Union for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com.
