After his team knocked off Eintracht Frankfurt in a friendly Saturday evening at Talen Energy Stadium, Jim Curtin focused on getting minutes for players that will need to come up big as a crowded schedule challenges the Union's roster depth over the coming weeks.
Treating the game the right way
"I thought it was a really good exercise for our young players to see when the intensity and the speed of the game gets ramped up, how they can hold themselves, how they compare," the Union coach said. "I thought that they showed really well, treated the game the right way, and really showed a lot of energy.”
Many players who have yet to play big minutes this year started the match Saturday night, with regular starters and a few new names coming on for the last half hour.
"Overall, all these guys that we're going to call upon in the coming weeks -- because the schedule is busy — have to be ready to step up."
Derrick Jones gets it done
"Obviously, Derrick makes a play on the goal, so happy for him," Curtin said of homegrown midfielder Derrick Jones. "Stepped in front, won a good ball, continued to dribble, picked out a corner, which is good."
Jones has all the physical tools to succeed at the top level of American soccer, so Curtin pointed to small things he wants to see improve going forward. "There were a couple times where Derrick could angle his body so he could get one or two touches to get us out of a tight spot. He didn't lose the ball, but he played safe and backwards, which we encourage our midfielders to always have that first mentality to be play forward. I thought that he did a good job for us, broke up some plays."
Big week ahead
Zlatan Ibrahimovic did not travel to New England this weekend, so it's a good bet he'll show up in Philadelphia on June 21 for the Galaxy's showdown with the Union.
But before Philly faces the big Swede, they must take on Orlando City SC in a US Open Cup quarterfinal match.
"You have your eye on an Open Cup quarterfinal, you have your eye on a quick turnaround to play the LA Galaxy," Curtin admitted. "So from that standpoint it's really important to get guys minutes at that high intensity."
The Union coach singled out a number of players who made a good impression against Frankfurt. "Richie Marquez, to get his first minutes and get some of the rust off. I thought he was very sharp defensively. I thought in the first half the two standout guys for us were Fabinho and Epps. I thought that they showed really well."
