CHESTER, Pa. – The seemingly endless drama surrounding the Philadelphia Union’s goalkeeping situation took another bizarre turn this week.
On the same day Rais Mbolhi returned to the practice field after a month away from the club, the Union’s two other 'keepers – John McCarthy and Andre Blake – went down with injuries that will keep them out for at least Saturday’s game at Vancouver (7 pm ET, MLS LIVE in USA and TSN1 in Canada).
Even still, Union head coach Jim Curtin didn’t yet declare Mbolhi the starter this weekend, showing that the divide between the club and the Algerian World Cup veteran may not have necessarily ended after his sabbatical in Europe.
“It’s only been two training sessions, so I can’t say I’ve seen anything different,” Curtin said of Mbolhi, who returned to practice Tuesday after Curtin told him to take time away from the team in early April. “We have two injured goalkeepers and he’s our third under contract. We still will explore what the best option is to give us a chance to get a result in Vancouver.”
Even if Mbolhi does start, the Union will still need to acquire a back-up goalkeeper to make the trip to Vancouver -- whether that’s via a pool goalkeeper, a short-term loan or a signing. Curtin said he’s made some calls to see who’s available and mentioned as a possibility Carolina Railhawks 'keeper Brian Sylvestre, who trained with the Union in preseason and used to play for Philly affiliate Harrisburg.
When asked what he’s looking for in a backup or potential starter, Curtin joked: “Any goalkeeper in the good ol’ U.S. of A right now.”
Meanwhile, the injuries to his team’s current goalkeepers are no joking matter as McCarthy – who started all five games since Mbolhi was benched – suffered a concussion Tuesday just seconds after Blake tore the meniscus in the other knee as the one he injured in the preseason.
Blake, who had knee surgery in February, will likely have surgery again this week -- which comes as terrible timing for the former No. 1 overall SuperDraft pick who was poised to take over as Philly’s starter and play for Jamaica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer.
“You can’t make it up,” an exasperated Curtin said. “I’d say the timing is beyond crazy. I’ve never seen two goalkeepers get hurt in one training session. I’ve never seen two goalkeepers get hurt in one season, let alone literally 45 seconds apart. So, yeah, I don’t know.”
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Given the Union’s injury troubles in net, it may seem like having Mbolhi back is a blessing. But Curtin made it clear that the Algerian returned before Blake and McCarthy went down and that the Algerian’s tenure with the Union still might end this summer when the transfer window opens.
Mbolhi, who is 1-4-4 for Philly since being signed to a long-term deal following the World Cup last summer, declined to talk to the media as he has all season.
“He is a Philadelphia Union player still,” Curtin said. “That part never changed. There have been teams that have inquired about him in the future. The windows aren’t open right now. We’ll always listen and explore but he is a Union player first and foremost.”
Dave Zeitlin covers the Union for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com.
