Late-game debut left de Vries feeling fulfilled
Jim Curtin’s one regret in assessing the performance of Homegrown midfielder Jack de Vries was the kind you want as a coach.
The 18-year-old was playing so well in training, Curtin said repeatedly, that he was in line for his MLS debut sooner rather than later. The only problem? It would likely arrive in Orlando during the MLS Is Back tournament, not at home in Chester, in front of 18,000 raucous fans.
That scenario came to pass Thursday, de Vries getting the last six minutes of the Union’s 1-0 win over New York City FC in the opener. But de Vries is happy, no matter who was on hand. Fans or no, he came out of his debut feeling like he’d played in a tilt between playoff teams each of the last two seasons.
“When I was imagining it, I was always imagining it at Talen (now Subaru Park) and in front of the home fans,” de Vries said by phone Sunday. “But the atmosphere on the field felt like an MLS game. Everyone was pushing. I still got my first MLS feel because we really wanted to win the game and it was a really important game. I still felt the pressure and still felt that MLS game atmosphere.”
De Vries didn’t have much to do in his debut. The attacker’s instructions centered on helping the team stay compact and keep the clean sheet, the Union’s first in 19 matches (playoffs and regular season).
The MLS Is Back tournament presents a profound opportunity for players like de Vries. Advancing to the final Aug. 11 would require the Union to play seven games in 32 days. For players that were unable to train for three months and didn’t play a game for four months, that’s a short runway to test match fitness in the sweltering heat of Florida.
MLS has accommodated those challenges by upping the number of available substitutions to five, which has worked in other leagues.
The team that emerges as the champion might be the one best able to keep its level high gameto-game, which opens chances for players outside the starting lineup.
The variables in the Disney World bubble are numerous. But one that de Vries might adapt to better than most is the varied start time. A 9 a.m. kickoff isn’t unusual for academy games, which he played just last year. A 10:30 p.m. start against Inter Miami Tuesday is a little further afield.
But with his debut in hand, de Vries is ready to redouble his efforts to fight for more.
“My goal is to be getting more and more minutes and push into the starting XI in the coming years,” he said. “The energy is going to stay the same. I’m still going to be pushing, I’m still going to be working hard and obviously now that I got the taste of what it’s like to play in an MLS game, it’s going to add more hunger to how hard I work at training and give me that extra edge because of how exciting it was.”
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In the span of five days, the Union go from what Curtin called the earliest kickoff of his pro career to the latest, the 10:30 p.m. start against Inter Miami. Curtin has heard from other clubs on how to crack the 9 a.m. puzzle given the Union’s success. For the later start, which avoids the heat and inclement weather of swampy Central Florida, Curtin has scheduled training sessions at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday and Monday.
The Union will get reinforcements for the forward line. Sergio Santos has been back in training since Friday and is available for selection. Michee Ngalina is also back in training and will face a race for fitness. Andrew Wooten remains a few days behind that pace.
The Union escaped the opener without injury. Early withdrawals of Ilsinho, Brenden Aaronson and Alejandro Bedoya were due to cramping in the real-feel 100-degree heat.
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After Thursday’s game, Curtin expressed optimism that the club’s unannounced decision to replace player names on jerseys with those of African-Americans killed by police wouldn’t result in league discipline. The calculus in the statement for Black Lives Matter was to ask “forgiveness instead of permission.”
It appears forgiveness has been granted, with Curtin saying he doesn’t expect fines or disciplinary action.
“Through several discussions with some people within the club, with our organization and within the league, I think when terms were explained on both sides, there was a good understanding, a good respect for the actions that took place,” Curtin said. “While we didn’t ask permission, I think it was a unique opportunity we had to choose action over asking permission, and the league has been understanding of that.”
Probably doesn’t hurt that the Union’s powerful gesture has made the rounds of MLS’ media channels and gotten the league some views from other media outlets it wouldn’t ordinarily receive.