Union’s depth will be on display vs. City Islanders
CHESTER » In years past, the U.S. Open Cup has served as a proxy for the Philadelphia Union’s lack of MLS success, the low-hanging fruit against lower-tier sides that the Union hoped would generate real momentum to take back into the league.
Times have changed a bit around Chester with last year’s long-awaited playoff berth. And while the Union aren’t suddenly so wildly successful that the Open Cup is beneath them, the reason for still prioritizing the competition has changed.
Wednesday’s fourth-round Open Cup tie with Harrisburg City gives manager Jim Curtin an opportunity to flex his depth on the squad, getting players usually on the fringes into game action in the hopes that he might find something valuable to employ toward the MLS challenge.
A few regulars won’t be in the picture Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. — Fabian Herbers (adductor) Warren Creavalle (hamstring), likely not Oguchi Onyewu (head, though he’s been cleared to return). Curtin said both Herbers and Creavalle are probably more likely to recover in time for the D.C. United game next week more so than with the Red Bulls match looming this Sunday.
Alejandro Bedoya is shaking off a slight hamstring strain and a pair of long flights from international duty, while Chris Pontius has worked hard on the side this week and is likely to get the midweek fixture off thanks to complaints of trouble breathing.
What remains is the cavalcade of players Curtin has praised as fostering competition in training that are just on the cusp of the first team. The extra game in the Open Cup provides a platform for them to state their case.
“When I look at that lineup, every guy that we chose — a lot of them have started games this year, a lot of them have the potential to be starters in the Philadelphia Union in 2017,” Curtin said. “That’s a good thing.”
John McCarthy will be in net, with Andre Blake away with Jamaica. Players like Giliano Wijnaldum, Derrick Jones, Keegan Rosenberry and Jay Simpson, who’ve been shunted to the bench as others have seized starting roles, could be in line for nods. Of the group of Union players who haven’t started yet, as Curtin alluded to, Adam Najem could be the one to break into the lineup for the first time, while Marcus Epps, who’s played in MLS, would be another candidate for minutes. Open Cup rules permit no more than five internationals in the matchday 18, which also helps shift the selection balance.
It’s the fourth time in six seasons that the Union have played their former developmental affiliate. Even though Curtin has repeatedly lamented the lack of luster in the redundancy of the fixture, most encounters have been tight. The Union once required extra time in 2014 and last year needed a Roland Alberg goal in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time off a free kick to make the difference.
“We got bailed out by a bad call by the referee, to be honest,” Curtin said.
The Islanders roster includes former Union players like Pedro Ribeiro and Aaron Wheeler, among a couple of one-time MLS players. That creates a hungry group that Curtin knows his team must be wary of.
“We’re very aware of them,” Curtin said. “We know what they’re about. We know that they’ll have a chip on their shoulder. They want to be in MLS, I’d imagine. That’s the goal of these players, to play at the highest level possible. In a lot of cases, they want what our guys have. We really have to approach things with the right mentality and be greedy.”