Jones states case for more playing time
CHESTER » It’s seems an annual occurrence, at the Union’s perennially pointless international friendly, that the method for a player in the depths of the pecking order to state his case.
For a couple of years, it feels like that person has been Derrick Jones. So it was Saturday, that the Homegrown midfielder scored in a 1-0 win over German club Eintracht Frankfurt and maybe burnished his credentials for more playing time.
“It was a good opportunity for me to come out there and play well, work hard for my team and just get the confidence going,” said Jones, who has played just three MLS matches this year. But he’s excelled with Bethlehem Steel and Saturday had the chance to prove it with the first team, starting with a group of reserves.
The starting second unit provided the goal. Jay Simpson pressured Frankfurt goalie Felix Wiedwald in the 49th minute, leading to a loose pass. Jones pounced on it, drove at the center of defense and unleashed a perfect shot that swung outward and eluded Wiedwald’s grasp.
“Jim (Curtin) told us to press them for our last 15 minutes, so we went out there to step forward, press and try to get a goal,” Jones said.
“I thought that he did a good job for us, broke up some plays, and physically it’s never a question with Derrick,” Curtin said. “It’s just changing speeds, doing it at that intensity. He has the quality to make a play, and that’s what he did on the goal. Stepped in front, won a good ball, continued to dribble and picked out a corner, which is good. Happy for Derrick in that regard.”
Curtin did dock Jones for being too defensive in his passing early, one of the higher-order functions he’s hoping to get the 21-year-old to integrate to his game. Curtin singled out Fabinho, who wore the captain’s armband, and Marcus Epps as impressing in the first half.
Frankfurt deployed platoons in each half, mixing reserves and starters. American defender Timmy Chandler was in the first unit, as was last year’s leading scorer, Frenchman Sebastien Haller. Dutch international Jetro Willens came closest to scoring in the first half for the visitors with a curling effort toward the back post that Nicolai Mueller nearly latched onto.
Goalie John McCarthy preserved the clean sheet with a double save in the 76th, stoning Danny Blum and Mijat Gacinovic in short order after forward Branimir Hrgota created room in the box.
The Union made one change at halftime, introducing Haris Medunjanin for Warren Creavalle, who took a clearance off the face late in the opening half. A shift change of starters entered in the 58th, with Bethlehem Steel loanee Michee Ngalina and Homegrown defender Matt Real the only exceptions. The Union’s Derrick Jones tries to dribble through traffic during the first half of an international friendly with German club Eintracht Frankfurt Saturday. Jones scored only goal in a 1-0 Union win.
Of the Union roster players, reserves Josh Yaro (concussion) and Eric Ayuk (illness) didn’t dress. CJ Sapong and Ilsinho, who picked up knocks in a win against Chicago Wednesday, were held out. Adam Najem and Jake McGuire were loaned to Steel for its game.
Eintracht Frankfurt finished eighth in the Bundesliga last year and lifted the DFB-Pokal, the German league cup, to qualify for European competition for the first time in five years. Two of the Eagles’ top players from last year, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Marius Wolf, have moved on to other clubs.
The team was also without its contingent of six World Cup stars, including Ante Rebic, who will play in the final for Croatia Sunday. Luka Jovic of Serbia, Gelson Fernandes of Switzerland, Mexicans Carlos Salcedo and Marco Fabian and Japanese captain Makoto the
Hasebe were also absent. Eintracht starts its season with the DFL-Supercup against Bundesliga champs Bayern Munich Aug. 12. (Bayern will be in Philadelphia July 25 to take on Italian champion Juventus at Lincoln Financial Field.)
The Union have a busy week ahead, with Orlando City visiting Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup and the L.A. Galaxy and Zlatan Ibrahimovic blowing into town next Saturday. The regulars’ 30-minute training run was valuable, Curtin said. The outing could also prove useful for someone like Jones.
“For me, whenever I get the opportunity to go on the field, I try to work hard and get on the first team,” Jones said. “… I’m just going to keep working hand try whenever I get on the field to give 100 percent.”