When 17-year-old CJ Olney was warming up in front of the River End on Saturday night during Philadelphia Union's battle against Charlotte FC, he didn’t know if he’d see the pitch by the end of the match.
It was just his second time listed on the first team matchday roster; he'd traveled to Cincinnati with the team days prior. But since it was his first at home, his parents, grandparents, and extended family made the trip to Subaru Park just in case the opportunity came his way -- and it did.
In the 72nd minute, Olney’s name was called when Head Coach Jim Curtin selected him to replace an injured Leon Flach in the midfield.
“When [Equipment Director Brandon Comisky] came over to the sideline to tell the sub to come in, I was next to [Olivier] Mbaizo. He pointed at us, and I was like ‘Mbaizo you're going in, you’re going in!’ He was like ‘No, it’s you,'” Olney said, reflecting on the moment. “I was so excited -- I didn't know I was going in that early. It just caught me off guard but I ran over and thought, ‘Oh my God, I'm going in.’”
After a brief chat with Curtin on the sideline, Olney entered the match, earning his Major League Soccer debut.
“He just told me to do my thing. I think he trusts me a lot. I trust him a lot and what he has planned for me and the rest of the guys. He said, 'Just go out there, be yourself, and do your thing,' and that made me feel confident going into the game,” Olney said.
While not an official Homegrown, Olney is on that path -- he's currently part of Philadelphia Union Academy and Union II, most often contributing on the MLS NEXT Pro level while training with the first team. He’s established himself as a difference-maker for the reserve side, totaling four goals and six assists over 10 games. His impressive play recently earned him a spot at the United States Youth National Team U19 camp in Argentina, where he joined Homegrown David Vazquez representing the red, white, and blue.
“CJ has been a guy that's done really well with Union II on that left side of the diamond. Hoped he could give us a little bit of a spark so we rewarded him, but there's levels, right? It's not going to be perfect right away, and that was his first taste of things,” Curtin said.
Result aside, the experience was a positive for Olney, and he’ll look to build upon those minutes should he earn another opportunity in the weeks to come.
“We definitely want to get back on the winning path and I think we have the ability to get there we're just missing the final piece. I think that was a great start for me to get going and find some footing in MLS,” Olney said.
“It was really cool to be out there. I got a little bit of a taste of it when I played against Wrexham with Union II, but nothing like this where you get to finally make your debut, have the patch on the shirt and just get that feeling of running out on the field for the first time in the big leagues. It's a really cool experience.”
