Jones in line for starting chance

While injuries have opened the opportunity for Derrick Jones to potentially make his debut two days after his 20th birthday, his preseason performance has solidified his grasp on the spot.

CHESTER >> The significance of Derrick Jones’ first game for the Philadelphia Union, whenever that occurs, will resonate as pivotal in club history.

But as the team prepares for the season opener in Vancouver this Sunday, the symbolism has taken a back seat to the tactical importance of Jones’ presence in midfield.

Increasingly, it appears that Jones will get the starting nod against the Whitecaps, pairing with Haris Medunjanin. While injuries have opened the opportunity for Jones to potentially make his debut two days after his 20th birthday, his preseason performance has solidified his grasp on the spot.

“Derrick’s been excellent all preseason,” manager Jim Curtin said Wednesday. “… Completely comfortable to put Derrick out there. Will I be nervous for him as a guy that I’ve seen go through this progression? Of course. He’s a young player, but with me, there’s not young and old, there’s only good and bad, and Derrick’s a good player.

“We have to have the courage to put a young kid out there, and I think he’ll be able to rise to the occasion.”

Jones is a Union trailblazer, the first player tracking from Union Academy through Bethlehem Steel to MLS as a Homegrown. His signing last August portended an era shift, from the early incarnation of the Union’s buy-local approach that sputtered to a close with just three prospects making few meaningful contributions. But Jones’ inclusion against Vancouver would be a step toward putting that ignominy in the past.

Injuries have cleared Jones’ way. Maurice Edu is nowhere near returning (Curtin said Edu is disappointed not to be further along, only jogging when the hope was to be running by early February).