Curtin going all out for 3 points in Atlanta
Saturday’s trip to Atlanta marks the midway point of five games in 14 days for the Philadelphia Union. And with the way the first portion of that gauntlet has gone, Jim Curtin is in no mood to make many changes.
Getting a result at MercedesBenz Stadium will be a daunting task Saturday night (7:30, PHL17). But with the Union riding a four-game unbeaten run, Curtin is hoping to strike while his club is hot, meaning that next Tuesday’s Open Cup tie with Richmond is of secondary importance for now.
“We have to try to get points on the road,” Curtin said Fri- day at training. “We’re in good form right now, so the league results are incredibly important. … We have a deeper team right now, so we’ll approach Atlanta and go after all three points and then regroup, see where we’re at, how we get through it physically, how we get through it healthwise, but there will be some opportunities for some young guys to step up against Richmond.”
One of the guys who could keep his place is Mark McKenzie, the rookie center back who left Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Chicago with a knee injury. The non-contact knock deeply concerned Curtin, but an MRI showed no structural damage and McKenzie trained fully Friday, putting him in the mix for Atlanta. He’s officially listed as
questionable with a right knee contusion.
“Just landed funny,” McKenzie said. “It’s part of the game. That’s how the game goes sometimes. But I put in a lot of work with the training staff and do a lot of strength training. It was a little scary but I’m good to go.”
“When the play happened in the game, I instantly feared the worst just because there wasn’t a ton of contact,” Curtin said. “Looked like there might have been a serious injury to the knee. But he had an MRI yesterday, showed no structural damage at all, so it was basically what he could tolerate. He got through today, through the warmup f irst , and step-by-step felt fine, so he’ll be good to go on the weekend, which is very good for us.”
McKenzie has started f ou r s t r a i g ht ga me s for the Union (5-5-3, 18 points), coinciding with an unbeaten streak (3-01). If he can’t go, Jack Elliott would likely replace him.
Curtin is likely to preserve as much continuity as he can at the back, and he’s spoken of his desire to keep the midfield pyramid of Haris Medunjanin, Alejandro Bedoya Union center back Mark McKenzie, heading a ball against the Montreal Impact earlier this season, was back on the pitch Friday after leaving Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Chicago with a knee injury. The Union look to extend their unbeaten streak to five games in Atlanta
and Borek Dockal intact. That requires a level of trust with his veterans about how much effort they can give, especially playing on artificial turf for the first time this season.
“I think you ju s t have honest conversations with them,” Curtin said. “They’re guys that have been through these stretches, whether it be in big competitions in Europe or i n leagues at the highest level, so they know their bodies well. We have the data that comes back physically that gets analyzed by us and we see where they’re at and how they’re responding. It’ll be a situation where I want all three of them to be hon- est with me, let me know how they’re feeling but also when they’re in the game.”
The more likely area for change will come on the wings and up top. Curtin has rotated platoons of front-three attackers each of the last two games w ith good results, and fresh legs are i mportant to maintain the Union’s high pressure. Swapping in Fafa Picault and Marcus Epps could ensure a consistent level of work at those positions, while Cor y Burke’s midweek goal could i mperil CJ Sapong’s place.
W hichever way Curtin goes with his selection, it’s going to have to be all-in. Venturing to Atlanta with a half-hearted or half-strength side isn’t just a recipe for disaster; it’s a blueprint for embarrassment.
“We can’t go in and pace ou r selve s,” C u rtin said. “We’re not a good enough team — no team’s good enough in MLS — to go in with the mindset that I’m going to ease my way through the 90 minutes, because the league is too competitive and you get punished. The message is for the 11 that’s on the field that we choose — there will be some rotation on the field this weekend — have to give maximum effort. If it’s for only a half, it’s for only a half and we have to adjust accordingly.”