Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Squad ramping up for July 9 re-opener
As the Union build step-wise to MLS’s early-July return to play, two important pieces have fallen into place this week.
The first is a return to grass, with the Union swapping the turf field at the 76ers Fieldhouse in Wilmington for Kirkwood Soccer Club’s grass facility in New Castle for full-team workouts. While they’re hoping to get back to Chester before decamping for Orlando late next week to train for the MLS Is Back Tournament, Curtin has what he needs to get his players ready either way.
The other piece is a start date, which the Union unofficially have: July 9, time TBD, against Nashville,
Curtin said during a video conference Wednesday.
That scheduling offers a definite target to aim at.
“Overall, the training sessions have been really intense, really sharp from the players,” Curtin said. “I’m excited where we are in terms of fitness. Obviously I thought we would lose a little bit having such a long layoff, but the players continue to impress.”
Curtin is hoping to have his players ramp up game fitness in three week-long blocks, culminating each week with a game-like exercise of increasing intensity, from 30 minutes to 60 to hopefully 90 by the time they hit Disney World’s Wide World of Sports complex. The MLS Is Back Tournament begins July 8, and the Union are guaranteed at least three group-stage games that will count toward the regular-season standings and to advancement in a World Cup-style tournament with a hefty prize pool and an automatic berth in the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League on the line.
One aspect absent from preparations is friendlies against other teams, which Curtin had been hoping for. MLS put the kibosh on that, not allowing teams outside the bubble or even other MLS clubs within the Disney force field to add games.
One thing that remains up in the air is the mathematical disadvantage the Union face. MLS’s 26 teams are drawn into six groups – three four-team groups in the Western Conference, two groups
of four and one group of six in the East. The Union are in the six-team Group A, with Orlando City, Chicago Fire, Inter Miami, New York City FC and Nashville. The Union play the latter three teams.
The competition rules state that group winners, group runners-up and the four best third-place teams will advance. But Curtin is hoping that, because of the oddly sized group, the league will allow the team that finishes fourth in Group A a chance to advance.
“I think a real simple solution to things, and I hope it’s being discussed internally right now, would be, regardless of group, the top four remaining teams, should go through,” Curtin said. “I think a group of six should not be punished by not having the fourth seed go through. I think that should be the simple and clear and easy fix, and I hope that gets taken care of.”
Curtin and others have been vigilant about reports of spikes in cases in the Orlando area. But he remains confident in the testing protocol and health regimen the club and MLS have in place.
“We’re all aware of it,” Curtin said. “It is something that we’re all living with and the ebbs and flow so what’s safe, what’s not safe. … All we can do is control our own safety and I can say with confidence, I’ve never felt more safe in terms of the safety and the precautions that our club has taken and our league has taken.”