Jim Curtins Commentary After 0-0 Draw With NYRB – The Philly Soccer Page

Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union

Pick up line:

Curtin: “Thanks to the fans for pushing the lads tonight, it means a lot. I know it’s not our best moment but I think they really helped. A really warm night, third game in a week – I think the bleeding stopped a bit just by getting a shutout so we can build on that which is important. Had some chances to steal the game, Red Bull had some chances. I thought we cancelled each other out a bit in the first half but in the second half we had some chances. The ball didn’t bounce for us but at the same time we defended quite well as a team against a strong opponent so no moral victories but still good to keep a clean sheet.”

To ask:

Jim, you’ve been here a while. How’s the mood in the locker room like you saw tonight, compared to the past? As we’ve talked about for days, it’s been really good the last few years, but how did that feel compared to other things you’ve seen?

Curtin: “In what sense?”

The atmosphere, the need to do something to stop the rolling.

Curtin: It’s tough now, we’re on a losing streak, we don’t have all our tools, our weapons here. Even though we say it’s the same group, if you look at how often the groups have really played together without multiple absences, it’s not that often. Hopefully a few pieces will trickle back. Obviously Jose played really well with Venezuela, Andre will come back into the group now, Julian’s not coming back, that’s a reality, but we’ve still got a few guys who I think are big contributors to what this group is about but just haven’t been there. Guys have been working hard, it’s not getting any easier. We’re losing Jack McGlynn and Nathan, who I thought were both excellent tonight. Jack is probably his best game in a long time. He always plays well against Red Bull because he’s got the composure when they come at him and he made some really good, key passes for us and gave us some good numbers. We’re going to miss those two, so every little step forward that we take Jonathan, we’re still not over that threshold of getting a win, and that’s what we need now. It’s tough.”

What did you think of Damien Lowe’s return? And how was the form of the back three and how did they defend tonight?

Curtin: “Great. Yeah, I think you guys know I don’t like playing in the back three but when you’ve conceded as many goals as you’ve conceded in the last few weeks we decided to do it because of the bodies that are here, the quality of the players that are here and the experience that they have. That position is one where we’ve got three guys that have been through those kinds of battles against a strong Red Bull team so I thought Damion was really good, he won a lot of battles and put out a lot of fires. There’s still some things that we can clean up because Red Bull had a few chances as well as we did but overall a really solid performance and it’s definitely good to have him back.”

What did you think of Andrew Rick compared to his first start?

Curtin: “Very good. Any time you make an early save I think you gain confidence and belief. Are there things he’ll work on with Phil and watch the film and work on some kicks and other things? There’s always going to be learning moments for him, but he made some big saves tonight that we needed and it’s a clean sheet for a young keeper. So that can only build confidence. There are times like at the end of the game when guys are exhausted, and he goes quick for the goal kick, and we lose the ball. There are times when you have to learn when to go quick, when to slow things down or at least get guys in their positions, but definitely a great performance from Andrew, so proud of him.”

Jim, how do you find that balance between feeling like you’re in a position where you need as many points as possible, but also exhaling a little bit when you want to stop the bleeding?

Curtin: “Yes, there is – it’s not enough and it’s not going to make anyone happy, but the group has to believe that we can keep a clean sheet against the good teams. When the lads come back, I think we’ll get stronger as a team in defence. We’ve scored enough goals this year and the data shows we’ve created enough chances. Tonight, of course, we didn’t score a goal but if you look at the numbers, we’re actually doing well in attack, but where we’re small as a team is in defence, and when you concede goals in the way that we’re having the moments that we’re having, it’s really, really draining on the lads physically, emotionally, mentally, because you have those moments where it’s ‘here we go again’. I thought they at least pushed through tonight. Red Bull had chances as well, don’t get me wrong, but there’s still something to build on. I think we’ve got six games home and six games away and it’s up to us whether we want to get into the play-offs. We will definitely have to make a run.”

How about bringing Alejandro in with 10 minutes left, and

Were you hesitant because he was just coming off that injury and what did you think of his performance?

Curtin: “Alejandro has been through these types of games, we wanted to give him 15 to 20 minutes as his first game back. He’s a bit more of an attacking player than Leon. I thought Leon had a solid game, but at that point we wanted to go for it. They weren’t really playing with a 10 in the middle of the pitch, so we were hoping Ale could get the ball and make some passes forward – which he did. Overall, his experience of closing out a game, which we haven’t done very well in the last few weeks, was helpful to have him there.”

When will the two Olympians be officially announced and when will they actually leave the selection?

Curtin: “Unfortunately this is their last game with us unless something changes. I would love for them to stay and we will communicate with the coaches but you don’t want to put them at risk by missing out on a once in a lifetime opportunity. It hurts but it’s who we are as a club and what we believe in. They’ve worked really hard throughout the cycle. Often guys get a team to qualify for the Olympics and they don’t get selected and that’s happened to a lot of players. Luckily for our guys they were there all the way. They’ve earned this opportunity. So if we were a bit selfish now and held them back I wouldn’t sleep well at night. So we’ll definitely miss them, they’re both playing really, really well. I think they’ve played almost every minute for us this year or most of the minutes for us this year, they’ve done well but they’d be the first to tell you they want to stay and help us get out of this tough time that we’re in.”

About Jose’s reintegration; when will he arrive midweek? Available for this weekend I assume?

Curtin: “Yeah, well, we’ll give him a day or two to recover emotionally – he’s been outstanding in the games by the way. Venezuela had a great run, the game could have gone either way last night with Canada, but he’s a great player. You know I love Jose. Hopefully he’ll be back on Tuesday – that’s the hope – and then we’ll build towards Toronto.”

You have coached Olympians in the past, but I believe Jack and Nathan are the first current players playing for the Union that you have coached. What does it mean to you as a coach to have two players representing this country?

Curtin: “They’ve earned it, first of all they deserve all the credit for that. It’s a tough one to make because the squad is so small, there’s such a small group that gets the chance to do that. It’s also really special to do it in France, in Paris, which will be a once in a lifetime opportunity. I hope they go there and maybe exceed expectations and win a medal, that would be an incredible achievement. We’re already really proud of them and the things they’ve done here for the Union as great home-grown players. They’ve become guys that I think we forget how young they are, because they’re in the schedule and playing every minute for us. They can dominate games here at a professional level, so hopefully they’ll go there with confidence. That competition is a great stepping stone, there are so many stories of young players dominating at the Olympics and then going on to the top clubs in Europe. There’s a lot of eyes on the competition, so we know they’ll do well. They are great players, hopefully they go there with a higher group, don’t miss too many games with us, but perform well and then come back to help us with that final push to get into the play-offs.”

Can you tell us a little bit about the atmosphere in the stadium tonight? The Sons of Ben started the game very quietly, and then some fans started booing when your name was called. And then some fans walked off the field tonight. What was the general atmosphere like tonight?

Curtin: “I said it in my press conference – I think you know I understand where we are as a team, I think you understand I know how it works, not just Philadelphia, but the world, when you win they cheer, when you lose they boo. That’s the right thing to do, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. So I understand that. We want to give them that winning feeling again, we’re working as hard as we can to do that. Are we a little short-handed right now? We are, that’s the reality. I’ve talked to you guys about it a hundred times, I’ve taken the blame and I’ll continue to take the blame until we turn it around. So, that’s life as the leader of the group. I take the bullets, that’s fine, but I still know what we’ve done here and what we can do and that can turn into cheering very quickly when you put the ball in the net and keep the ball out of the net. That’s what we’ve struggled with this year.

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