Union signs Philly-area product Albright

AFTER A CAREER that has taken him all around Major League Soccer, to the 2000 Olympics and the 2006 World Cup, Chris Albright is coming home.

The veteran defender from Penn Charter and FC Delco has signed with the Union, the team announced yesterday.

Albright, 33, has been a member of three MLS Cup championship teams - D.C. United in 1999 and the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2002 and '05 - in a 13-year pro career.

He spent last season with the New York Red Bulls, starting six of eight games, but missing time with a knee injury. The Red Bulls had made Albright available for the MLS re-entry draft, but he was not selected.

A three-time MLS All-Star from 2004 to '06, Albright, if healthy, would bring a veteran presence and depth to the Union defense. He has battled injuries for the last several years, being limited to one game in 2009 and five games in 2007.

Albright began his career as a forward with D.C. United before becoming one of the best right backs in MLS.

He has earned 22 career caps with the U.S. national team. He started all six games and scored two goals in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, as the Americans reached the medal round for the first time. He appeared in a career-high seven games in 2005 and was also named to the 2006 World Cup.