With his team in a holding pattern until a huge September 15th matchup with sixth place Montreal Impact, Jim Curtin discussed the seven point week the Union recently completed, academy players training with the first team, and how he’ll handle key injuries in the squad.
Keeping the energy up during a lull in games
“I continue to stress to the group, we haven't accomplished anything just yet,” Curtin began. Indeed, the Union are in great position to make the postseason — FiveThirtyEight currently gives them a 95% chance to be a playoff team — but a lot can change between now and the end of October in a volatile Eastern Conference.
“We control our own destiny, which is a good thing,” the Union coach continued. “But we obviously have a little bit of a break now. A perfect time to recharge some of the batteries, get some guys some treatment for injuries, take a look at some young players this week, some academy kids that are in and impressing, so overall a good time to refresh, recharge, and go into now what will be a big September for the club.”
Borek boinked from behind
Union playmaker Borek Dockal will be in a race to be fit for the team’s September showdown with Montreal in a week and a half. “It'll be a couple of weeks, it looks like,” Curtin said of his No. 10’s health. “We're going to push like crazy to get him ready for Montreal because of the importance of that game. But obviously we still have an eye on the Open Cup final as well.”
Delving into why Dockal was so upset by the tackle that led to the injury, Curtin pointed to both the nature of the tackle and the implications for the player’s national team status.
“It's a little bit of a tackle from behind by [Cristian] Higuita,” the Union head man said. “Obviously Borek was frustrated by it because it had some implications on the rest of those 90 minutes, for sure, where I think we would've been in a lot better shape with him on the field. But also his national team implications with Czech Republic that he was looking forward to doing. Not able to do that now, but we will take every means necessary to get him back as quick as possible.”
Youth in the ranks
With Dockal out, others will need to step up, and with Anthony Fontana recovering from a slight injury it looks as though Derrick Jones will have the first opportunity to step into the first eleven.
“I think teams are defined not when things are going perfectly. They're defined by how you respond to a little bit of adversity, and this would be no different.
“Derrick Jones came into the game, wasn't his sharpest — I talked to him about that — kind of found his way into the game but maybe was a little complicated when he first got in and got caught on the ball a little bit. But he's going to play an important role. This is an important week for him of training. In the event that Borek can't go, stepping in and playing some big minutes for us.”
Jones is one of five Union homegrown players on the roster, and there are a number of academy prospects pushing to be the next one as they train with the first team this week. “[Academy U17s player] Patrick Bohui was down, [U19s and Bethlehem Steel player] Brenden Aaronson has been a familiar face in and around the first team a lot. [Steel midfielder] Drew Skundrich joined us today and did really well. Selmir [Miscic of the U17s] is here as well,” Curtin said. “Good opportunity for us to take a look at these guys up close and see how they do against some of our top guys. I think it's a time for them to learn about themselves and where they are, and where they maybe stand. It's certainly a lot different from playing in a U19 or U17 match on the weekend. But it's also an opportunity for them to learn from top players who play their positions. It's two-fold. Where do you stack up against some of the top players our club has? And then also having those same guys that are getting after it out here with them putting their arm around them and teaching them a little bit. And having a lunch with them and discussing how the training session went.”
The Union are off this weekend as they rest, recharge, and prepare to face surging Montreal Impact on September 15th at Talen Energy Stadium.
