CHESTER — The Union’s schedule will enter a new phase this weekend, and they hope Andre Blake will be part of it.
Blake left last Saturday’s 2-0 win over Minnesota United and has spent this week in concussion protocol. Manager Jim Curtin said Thursday that Blake is “in the final stages” of clearing the treatment program, which would position him to join the team for Saturday’s trip to Nashville (8:30 p.m., AppleTV+).
“Andre was on the field today,” Curtin said at his weekly press conference. “He’s in the final stages of clearing concussion protocol. Head injuries are something we take very seriously, at the Philadelphia Union and in the league. He has progressed and felt better each day, good enough to be out on the field today, but the final test is what goes on with the medical staff. If he passes that today, he’ll be good for the game.”
If Blake cannot go, Oliver Semmle will get the start. Semmle closed out Saturday’s game, entering in the 76th minute of what was then a 1-0 game. It’s Semmle’s fifth appearance in all competitions. Through nine games, Blake has five starts and Semmle four.
Semmle looked much better in the 3-1 win in Portland two weeks ago with Blake away on international duty, making seven saves as the Union got their first win. He seems to be growing into the role.
The increasingly complicated question is over a backup. Holden Trent remains sidelined after surgery on a broken finger. In two MLS games that Blake has missed, for international duty and an early-season adductor strain, the Union have called up Academy player Andrew Rick as an emergency backup. They can only do that a limited number of times during the season. When the maximum is reached, they would have to acquire another professional for the roster. Curtin said that time isn’t now, as they “haven’t seen anyone or felt the need to make a move yet.”
In any event, Saturday marks a shift for the Union (2-0-3, 9 points). One of only three unbeaten teams left in MLS, the Union played four of their first five games against Western Conference opposition. They have only two more cross-conference clashes the rest of the season – April 27 against Real Salt Lake and the rescheduled rainout against Seattle on April 30. Their three longest road trips – Kansas City, Portland and Austin – are behind them.
The scheduling quirk has allowed the Union to work out some of the kinks early in interleague matches, where a draw that feels like two points dropped isn’t also one point gained for a team they’re directly competing with for playoff spots.
That changes this week. The Union are in the midst of four out of five on the road. Nashville sits 11th in the East, while next week’s opponent Atlanta United is a spot ahead of the Union in sixth. By the end of the Mercedes Benz Stadium trip, the Union will have played just two home games against five on the road.
Curtin said that it’s too early to discuss a game as a six-point affair, a win being doubly important as three points gained and three denied the opponent. But the in-league games are more important.
“The Eastern Conference games, where you’re taking points from direct opponents, have a little more weight to them,” he said. “Going on the road, either a point or three, is big. It has been unique where a lot of our Western Conference games are now done. I think that’ll help us on the travel side as we get into the later months, for sure. So there are some advantages.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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