Blake still building Ring of Honor resume

The Union’s Ring of Honor is all of one name long, encircling nothing, just covering two sections of the facade on the Stadium Club end of Subaru Park.

Recognizing the contributions of a franchise legend, it’s a proper tribute to Sebastien Le Toux for his big goals during two Union hitches over six seasons. And there were plenty. Yet it also appears lonely, as if waiting for company 12 years after pro soccer’s arrival on the Delaware County waterfront. So, who’s next? Andre Blake is next. That’s who’s next.

Twice the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and a finalist last season for MVP as the Union grabbed the Supporters’ Shield for achieving the league’s best regular-season record, Blake is 30 years old and still improving. The Union’s 1-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls Saturday night was the result of good team defense, but it was not without timely goalkeeping, too, including with three minutes left in regulation when Blake darted to his left to deflect a Patryk Klimala shot just wide.

“He makes you sleep easier at night,” Jim Curtin has said. “It’s kind of like a warm blanket back there, where if we do get beat or make a mistake, he’s the guy that bails you out.”

Three minutes into a match that would propel the Union past the Bulls and into fifth place, Blake leaped to make a special save, drawing a seatrattling roar from the ever rambunctious River End mob at his back. Yet he would collide with Jack Elliott in the process, the teammates crashing to the grass. Neither quickly got back up. And when trainers rushed onto the field to provide aid, Curtin had a natural reaction.

“You panic,” he said. “Your heart kind of freezes because if you lose those two guys, we become a very different team, I’ll just say. It’s hard to replace two great players like that.”

Both Blake, his hip a little sore for the collision, and Elliott recovered. If anything, Blake seemed strengthened by the challenge. He had entered the match with a 1.00 goals-against average and lowered it with his third league shutout and sixth overall of the season.

Typically, goalkeepers will peak later than attackers, and often play their best from age 28 through 32. That puts Blake squarely in his prime in a year of particular Union optimism.

“Certainly, I think Andre is getting better with age,” Curtin said. “He is improving each year. He is the best goalkeeper in the league. He has the ability, in my mind, to play anywhere in the world. I think he’s that talented and that special.

“He plays such an underappreciated position in our league, and it’s a down position in our country. So when you have a good goalkeeper, it’s worth 12, 15 points in a season. And Andre is that for us. We’re fortunate to have him.”

Blake was spectacular in a 3-0 Champions League victory over Atlanta, twice snuffing first-half breakaways. When he repelled five shots on target in a scoreless draw at Columbus to open the MLS season, it was a reminder of why he was among the five finalists for the MVP Award, won last season by Alejandro Pozuelo of Toronto.

From there, the excellence has multiplied.

“I am just trying to get better every day,” the 2019 All-Star said. “I am working hard and just trying to keep a clear head. I try not to get complacent. I am always searching my mind and re-watching my games to see where I can build. I am a student of the game. And I want to be like that until I retire.”

Internationally accomplished in his native Jamaica, and twice Big East goalkeeper of the Year at Connecticut, Blake came to the Union in 2014, not really knowing how long he’d stay.

Eight seasons on, he is in no rush to leave.

“This is my home,” he said. “This is the only MLS club I’ve ever represented, 151 games. This club has welcomed me and my family here and the fans have shown nothing but love. For me, the least I can do is go out there every chance I have to play and show that I appreciate them for welcoming me into their city and club. And I want to repay them any way I can.

“Getting individual accolades is important, but it is a team sport. I’ve always said I don’t do track. If at the end of the day I only have individual accolades to show my kids, it’s good. But I need to win for the team, for the Philadelphia Union.”

It’s what Ring of Honor players do.