Delaware resident Mark McKenzie is reportedly returning to the Philadelphia Union, where he launched a pro soccer career that led him to the 2026 World Cup. The 27-year-old center back will remain with Toulouse in France’s Ligue 1 until the January transfer window before rejoining the Union at an estimated $2.5 million fee, The Athletic reported. That will position McKenzie to appear for the Union when Major League Soccer’s inaugural summer-to-spring 2026-27 schedule begins.
McKenzie had made 30 appearances for the U.S. senior men’s national team, including starting and playing its entire 2026 World Cup game against Turkiye. The Bear resident is a Union homegrown player, coming up through its academy system starting at age 13. He attended Newark Charter School until 11th grade before transferring to the Union’s YSC Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania. McKenzie was not offered a Union first-team contract after graduation in 2017 and attended Wake Forest University that fall. McKenzie was offered and signed a Union first-team contract in January of 2018.
By that spring, McKenzie was a starting defender for the Union and remained one through the 2020 season, after which McKenzie was voted Delaware’s Athlete of the Year by the Delaware Sportswriters & Broadcasters Association. He made Major League Soccer’s Best XI in 2020 and was runner-up in its Defender of the Year voting. McKenzie transferred to Belgian club KRC Genk in January of 2021 and to Toulouse in 2024. Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware World Cup player Mark McKenzie return to MLS's Union expected