Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin held his weekly press availability on Wednesday afternoon. Here are a few takeaways from the chat with the press.
Back on grass, ramping up the fitness
After training holding individual and small groups over the last few weeks on the outdoor, turf fields at the 76ers Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware, Curtin noted that the club has moved to the home of the Kirkwood Soccer Cub where homegrown Anthony Fontana played in his youth days. With the team training on grass, the attention has turned from building fitness to developing stamina as the club prepares for the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando.
“The training sessions have been really intense and really sharp from the players and I’m excited at where we are in terms of fitness because I thought we would lose a little bit with such a long layoff but players continued to impress,” Curtin said. “Our goal moving forward is to work in three blocks and this is the conclusion of the first block on Friday with each block seeing a buildup in our minutes. We’re trying to do 45 minutes on Friday, hopefully we can build to 60 minutes the following Friday and ultimately 90 minutes as we prepare for that most important first game [in Orlando].”
Martinez, de Vries making case to for minutes in Orlando
With the group coming in fit Curtin made note the bar has been set quite high as he and his staff look to prepare who will take to the pitch for the tournament. As always Curtin said the team generally picks itself both Jose Martinez and Jack de Vries have made impressions in training.
“Jose has been sharper than he was in preseason by a long shot and Jack de Vries has come in now and is making a real push to get his first minutes in Orlando. Every player has been really sharp but those two have stood out above and beyond and I like seeing guys that grab hold of that and those two are,” Curtin said.
Crowded group at a statistical disadvantage
When the live draw was conducted last week, the Union found itself in Group A alongside Orlando City SC, Inter Miami CF, New York City FC, Chicago Fire FC and Nashville SC. While each team in the tournament will play just three games, only the top two teams in each group will advance along with the four best teams that place third. With six teams in a group that means only half would be eligible to advance while three out of four from another group could move on.
“The difference with being in the six-team group is you don’t really control your own fate because you don’t play each team that’s in your group so right off the bat that’s a disadvantage,” Curtin said. “I’ve seen the articles with the data and statistics that back it up in terms of percentage of advancing. I think a real simple solution and i hope it’s being discussed internally right now would be regardless of group, the top four teams after the first two teams in each group regardless of group. I don’t think a group of six shouldn’t be punished by not being allowed to have the four seed go through. You’d hate to see teams finish 2-1 which could happen and give six or seven points and not advance would be a tough pill to swallow. I think they’ll look at it and hopefully get it right as time goes on.”
Health and safety first
As reports of COVID-19 cases rise throughout the country, Curtin made sure to make note that the club is doing all that it can to protect the players and staff as they prepare for the MLS is Back Tournament next month.
“You see it and we’re all aware of it as we live with the ebbs and flows of what is safe and what’s not safe,” Curtin said. “All we can do is control our own safety and I’ve never been more safe in terms of our testing and the precautions that our club has taken and our league has taken. I’ve been test in the last week three times so it’s pretty strenuous and the protocols we do on a daily basis. I read and see the news like you all do but I trust that the league will have the player’s safety and our safety in the forefront of things.”
Curtin did point out that while the tournament will see the league located at Walt Disney World and the ESPN Wide World of Sports, it won’t be a regular setup but instead one that focuses on keeping all players and staff healthy.
“The brain automatically defaults to rollercoasters and hanging out with Mickey Mouse and it’s not going to be that sort of a setup. We’re going to be in our hotel practicing the right social distancing and will be tested on a regular basis so it will be something that is very strict as it should be and we’ll follow the protocols we’re given.”
The Union will continue training in Delaware until they head down to Florida in late June or early July. The full group stage schedule for the MLS Is Back Tournament in Orlando should be announced in the near future.
