Union hope to have Przybylko back for playoff opener
CHESTER >> By the time rain started to fall on the end of the Philadelphia Union’s training session Wednesday, both Alejandro Bedoya and Kacper Przybylko were more than happy to feel a few drops. The precipitation was a sign that both are on track for Sunday’s playoff game at Talen Energy Stadium.
Bedoya trained fully, the first time he’s been out there since a quad strain incurred against Columbus Sept. 29. Przybylko is rehabbing a foot strain that kept him out of the finale against New York City FC 10 days ago, but manager Jim Curtin is confident that the German striker is on track to be back Sunday.
“Those two guys, I mentioned last week, they’re not going to miss this one,” Curtin said. “We have to be smart and our medical staff has done a good job with them, but (Bedoya) trained fully with no restrictions.”
The restlessness is evident with Bedoya, who is eager to end a threeweek hiatus when the sixth-seeded Red Bulls visit the No. 3 Union (3 p.m., FS1) in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs. Bedoya’s work last week was confined to rehab in the weight room, so being back with teammates is a boon.
“It’s just getting that feeling back because being in that room sucks,” the captain said. “It’s nice to be out here, touching a ball. My quad, it’s coming along. It’s not 100 (percent), obviously, but I’ll be ready for Sunday I hope.”
The Grade 1 quad strain, which Curtin estimated at the time as being a one-to-two-week absence, is the first muscle injury Bedoya has suffered, adding a dose of unfamiliarity to the process. But Bedoya is encouraged with his progress.
“It’s the sensation of, what am I supposed to feel? How am I supposed to feel?” Bedoya said. “And the rehab work, it sucks being in there but it’s part of the game. You do a lot of things in there in the weight room that maybe I haven’t done all year, but it was also a chance for me to work on getting my body right in other areas and try to recover. Being away from this, this is going on the third week without a game, so that part of it sucks mentally. It’s mentally draining, but it’s nice to be back out here.”
Bedoya doesn’t get many layoffs this long. The 32-year-old started 32 games this season, all save for the Aug. 31 game against Atlanta United (when he was suspended for yellowcard accumulation) and the finale. He played in 33 games last year and started 28 in 2017. Bedoya has been lauded as one of the Union’s top players, tallying four goals and four assists in addition to his tireless defensive work, leadership and general off-ball industriousness.
Przybylko signed last fall, has been just as big a piece. He has 15 goals and four assists and was named a finalist for MLS’ Comeback Player of the Year Award after hardly playing the previous two seasons due to a series of foot injuries.
The foot ailment that flared up before the New York City game is unrelated, but club scans determined it was something the Union could work with in the weeks before the playoff opener.
Przybylko didn’t participate in any ball work Wednesday. But Curtin has a plan, that he didn’t elaborate on, to reintroduce him to training ahead of Sunday’s game.
“He was out on the field doing things on the side today,” Curtin said. “There’s certainly a plan in place and that fully involves him starting on Sunday. Everything has gone according to plan so far. There’s been no setbacks. There’s been no surprises.
“The plan is clear in his head. It’s clear in our medical staff’s head. It’s clear in my head. That’s what we’re sticking with now.”
Aside from the scoring, Przybylko has been a workhorse. From his first start April 27 to the penultimate game of the season — a stretch of 25 games — Przybylko was off the field for a mere 18 minutes. He’s gone the full 90 on 23 occasions, including 17 straight times. To say he’s a pivotal piece would be understating it.
If Przybylko is limited, the Union will have attacking subs ready. Sergio Santos, who Curtin called the club’s “wild card,” has been sharp in training in recent weeks, ahead of schedule in the recovery from a hamstring issue. Fafa Picault fought off hamstring soreness last week but is fully healthy. And Curtin reiterated his praise for Andrew Wooten’s performance in the NYC game, despite the fact that the midseason acquisition remains in search of his first competitive goal for the club.
Whoever gets the nod, Curtin has seen a rise in level of his players in training this week. He credits it to the playoff mentality, with the international break giving the Union ample time to prep. Unlike previous playoff qualifications in 2016 and 2018, when the Union went from the regular-season finale on Sunday to eliminated in the Wild Card game Wednesday night, the twoweek prep has allowed the magnitude of the moment to settle in.
“The playoffs are where we want to be,” Curtin said. “It’s where good players can become great players, and its’ where great players can become legends. These are the games you want to play in. It’s what motivates you. … These defining moments are special, and as professional athletes, it’s what you want to work for, what you want to compete for.”