Union Presser Round-Up: Jim Curtin Previews final home game of regular season against Nashville SC – Injury Updates, Players’ Mental Health, and Kai Wagner

Union Presser 10/6/2023

It’s come too quickly, but tomorrow against Nashville will be Union’s final regular season home game of the season against Nashville SC, an Eastern Conference playoff team. Here’s what head coach, Jim Curtin had to say leading up to the match.

“Yeah, just to reflect back on Atlanta, I thought, again, a really good performance from the group.  I think the goals that we scored show that we can break down teams in a variety of different ways, whether they’re sitting deep, whether they’re pressing us, whether we’re going into transition.  I think we scored some good goals, some important goals.  You know, second half starts and we have the little boof penalty, which is a penalty.  Kind of have to scramble a bit from there, but I give full credit to the group, a group that was fatigued, right? Playing against a fresh team in Atlanta, a really good and in form team. And getting three points at this stage of the season is kind of all that matters. We’ll regroup quickly now. I mentioned to the guys, obviously, with Columbus and Atlanta, you have two teams that are more ball-oriented and want to be on the ball as much as possible. We’re both fresh, completely fresh when we played them, and we’re both two of the best-informed teams in the league, so it was difficult. I think we navigated those two games really well. I mentioned to our guys, this Nashville team, though, is a team that can match us in terms of physicality, intensity. They can play direct, they can be in transition. Gary Smith does a great job organizing his group. They’re very, very disciplined. And that can be seen just in the amount of goals they concede, which is not very many. So we have a really tough opponent, one that has a couple little knocks and injuries and a red card suspension. So it’s tough to exactly piece together how they’re going to approach the game. But we know anytime you play Nashville, they’re a really good opponent, really good team.” 

Union Head Coach, Jim Curtin

Jim admitted that Columbus and Atlanta liked to play with the ball at their feet more, so the next question was to ask whether a change in tactics from Nashville might change the way Union play

“Yeah, look, we’re at home. So we have to be the team that’s proactive. You saw us when we went to Columbus, right? We approached that game a little differently, where we sat deep, played a different formation. And then at home against Atlanta, I think you saw us play pretty, still aggressive. You know, we knew they would have the ball and put together a ton of passes, but our goal is always to have teams go around us and never through the middle, and really protect the middle part of the field. I think we did that. So with Nashville, again, starts with Mukhtar coming off of that line, and we have to do a good job protecting against him. You’re right, they don’t concede a lot. But their offense isn’t firing on all cylinders right now, but they have a group that can break out at any moment. When you talk about Bunbury, Fafa, Schaffelburg, and Mukhtar leading the line for them, when they get going, they’re as hard to play against as anybody in the league. So their foundation, similar to us, is defense first. I think that’s clear. That’s what makes it difficult, because I always say, when the weather gets cold and the games get hard, Nashville is one of those teams that can roll up their sleeves and can match the intensity. That’s why they’re successful and really good at what they do. So similar to us in that regard, and it’s gonna be a really tough test. I think there’s a bit of light at the end of the tunnel for both teams as well right, we’ve had brutal schedules, you now play each other and then that international break before the final game of the season is probably welcomed for both teams even though we’re both missing some players to the national team.” 

Union Head Coach, Jim Curtin

Next Curtin was asked about playing against teams that are all inside the Eastern Conference Playoff picture down the final stretch of the season

“Look, every team right now, whether you go Orlando and the great form that they’re in, obviously it starts with Cincinnati – Congratulations to those guys again for winning the Shield – But in our conference now, you go, the teams you mentioned, we all play each other in these final games. So it’s going to be fun. It’s Orlando. It’s New England. It’s Atlanta. It’s Columbus. It’s us. It’s Nashville. We’re going to cannibalize and take points from each other. It’s going to be a real fight to the finish. And you can’t even, I always laugh when they start doing that “here’s the potential match-ups in the season and today”, you can screenshot that matchup right now and it’s gonna change 55 times from now to the end of the year. So, it’s gonna be a fight. Every point’s gonna matter. Goal differential, like I always say, is going to matter. Win total is enormous, as we learned last year. The difference between hosting, I wish it was goal differential. It should be goal differential, but that’s a story for another day. But we play by the rules. Wins, and that tiebreaker, a little differential is going to come up. It’s the difference between a team getting home field advantage versus having to go on the road, which is significant in this league. You don’t want to go to Columbus or Atlanta twice, or New England twice, or Orlando twice, or Nashville twice. That just makes it really hard. So, top four is a priority. 

Union Head Coach, Jim Curtin

Schedule congestion and fatigue have caused injury amongst Union’s lineup in the last few weeks, but it seems they’re getting healthy at the right time with Leon Flach, Julian Carranza, Jakob Glesnes, and Jose Martinez all returning to the lineup Wednesday night.  But as some come back, another goes down.  Jim provided an update on Jesus Buneo and the knock he picked up against Atlanta.

“Yeah, yeah, with Jesus, he didn’t break anything, I was concerned there might have been a fracture and a break in there, just the way it swelled up like I’ve never seen, like I mentioned to you guys before. Actually, quick healer, because he was gonna try, I mean, he was all taped up and went through the, I’ll just say, our prehab that we do in the weight room before we come out, and he made a strong effort to join the group for training today. We’ll reevaluate it tomorrow morning, but as of today, it was too much pain, and you don’t wanna risk and force a guy at this point when he has obviously played big minutes for us already. You don’t wanna further make the injury worse. He also has a national team coming as well, so we’ll be cautious right now. If he wakes up tomorrow morning and tells me I can give you 10, 15 minutes at the end of the game, great. All for trusting players and where they’re at. They know their bodies the best. But as of right now, the smart thing is to say, let’s see how you feel tomorrow morning. We need to push them through today’s training session. That’s the only one that is out with injury.”

Union Head Coach, Jim Curtin

Next, Curtin was asked to address the Elephant in the room – the ongoing Kai Wagner contract saga. Yesterday Kai Wagner, whose contract expires at the end of this season, posted what felt like a farewell message – or a negotiation tactic, depending on who you ask –  to Union fans.  Jim was asked about the situation and how all parties are handling it.

“Yeah, look, my relationship with Kai is a very, very strong one. It’s a very, very good one. I watch him get better and better each year. So I speak in the truth and I speak honestly and open to you guys and I say Kai, I say what I say all season and his entire career – Kai’s the best left back in the league. That’s a fact. He is. He’s been voted best 11, so it’s not just my opinion, pretty consistently. He’s had another great season for us. Call me an optimist, most people wouldn’t say I’m an optimist, but in this situation I’m still very optimistic and hopeful that he can stay here. I know his family wants to be here. They want to stay, I think he’s voiced that. So again, all I can do is report the truth. And that’s kind of where the situation is. I don’t write the checks. So hopefully something can get fixed and we can have him here because we’re a better team when we have him.”

Union Head Coach, Jim Curtin

I was able to be present for the press conference and was able to ask him the following two questions.  The first one was centered around Leon Flach and his return to the lineup on Wednesday after suffering what we all thought was a season-ending injury.  In particular, I asked Jim about the mental obstacles players go through during a season, and especially while dealing with an injury.

“Yeah, look, I think, first of all, the mental health of players is finally starting to get talked about more. I think too often we think of professional athletes as robots or superheroes and these people that just are tough at every moment, every situation, and they don’t have feelings or they don’t go through hard things at home, whether it be a loved one struggling with cancer, whatever it might be a million different things that can happen in the life of an athlete. So, yeah, it’s not easy on your mental state.  Even rewinding further, you know, Leon was this close about ten times to getting called in with the US national team, and that kind of roller coaster you’re in, and then just not making it the last second, I think played a mental toll on him as well. So he also now goes through a scenario where for the first time in his career really he’s got an injury, and his body doesn’t feel right. And I could go through a million conversations I had with him, but I could feel it in his face that something wasn’t right. And he did the thing that most athletes do, he tried to push through the injury and think it could be okay. But ultimately, in the Toronto game, he basically kind of collapsed it and said “this is too much pain”. So I’m happy for him that he was able to get peace of mind, the diagnosis from multiple doctors now. Do we have the exact perfect solution, and has everything gone exactly to plan? No, because it’s a new situation for him. It’s an area of the body that there’s so many nerves and muscles in there that it’s hard to differentiate what is what, but long story short, I know I said a lot there, but long story short, Leon has worked his way back. He’s available for selection now, and he’s gonna play a big role in this group down the road. And similar to Kai, these are guys that I love working with. I love being with them, and I want them to be part of the union family for as long as I’m here. That’s the reality of things.  Leon is a great player.  Still so young, people forget.   So to have that peace of mind back in Germany,  to be around family, to get that support,  I think gives him now confidence to end the season the right way.  But that mental part of the game is everything. We talk about muscles and these guys being strong and all that, Yes, that matters.  But when you don’t have peace of mind and feel good up here(in the head), there’s not a great athlete in the world that can perform in front of 20, 50, 60, 70,000 people.  I’m happy for Leon and for his recovery now and hopefully that’s behind him and we can move forward and keep sealing him”

Union Head Coach, Jim Curtin

Next, with the Phillies moving onto the NLDS and the Eagles being undefeated, it’s a fun time to be a sports fan in Philadelphia.  I asked Jim about what it’s like to be the coach of a professional sports team in a city that values its teams so highly, and how it feels to see Union part of that buzz.

“Yeah, I love it. It really does already have the same vibes and feeling and buzz in the city as you felt last year. The weather, well it’s hot as hell today, but it starts to get a little cooler, you start to put on the hooded sweatshirt, we’re starting to get used to a fun Phillies run. And by the way, baseball players, they celebrate. They celebrate winning or making the playoffs and playoff victories harder than everything. And I love seeing that. It’s fun to watch. So those guys are together. You see a locker room that’s really cohesive just like ours. And the Eagles, obviously, are on the tear, too. I’ll just say, you can get the buzz and the feel in this city on how the teams are performing just in your local Wawa. You can tell right away whether the Eagles won or whether they lost, whether the Phillies just had a big win because everybody’s a little more upbeat. And now the union’s part of that as well. We’re pretty consistently now getting into the postseason and can do some special things. And this group, I think, can still peak at the right time. And I’ll throw a stat at you that blew my mind. So to answer your question, the Phillies’ success is, I get really proud of the other teams, but certainly my own team. And we talk about guys getting hot at the right time. And I think last game was a good indicator of that front three that we have. And I told them today, just now, when confidence starts to waver with you guys, or you doubt yourself, I said, that’s BS. Because this season, even this season, those guys, 47, I’m sorry, they have 48 goals, 48 goals this year and 21 assists, right? In the last two seasons, that front three, this is insane, 100 goals and 48 assists. 100 goals and 48 assists between three guys. So, you know, when we’re hard on them, and even I’m sometimes hard on them and say, you know, we need them to do more, do this, and I talk about carrying a load – 100 goals and 48 assists in two seasons from three guys. So yeah, to your point, our fans will back those guys. And now it’s time to finish the season the right way in these last two games, and then get on a run in those playoffs.  It’s gonna be special.”

Union Head Coach, Jim Curtin

The next question was directed back to Kai for a bit, who at one point was pretty vocal about wanting to test himself in Europe.  Jim was asked what changed to make Kai want to stay in Philadelphia.

“Look, there’s always promises from various different agents or various different clubs of  different places in the world, but when push comes to shove, Ernst can only react to what comes across his desk, you know, and to be fair not a ton did. Sometimes that reality can change a situation. So we’ll see how it plays out. Again, I coach the team, I coach the players that are here, and I try to do it the best I can. I think I’m open and honest with you guys. I still have hope that something can still be agreed to that benefits both sides. But you know how good he is. I am blown away because I do think he can play in the Bundesliga. I do feel he can play in England, certainly in the championship. He can play in so many leagues in the world. Sometimes I am surprised that the big offer didn’t come across for the best left back in the league. In some ways that kept him here and helped us win games as well. Again, we have to finish the season the right way. Hopefully, I’m still optimistic that something can work out because he’s such a great player. I think he’s really valuable to the group.

Union Head Coach, Jim Curtin

Curtin was then asked if it’s difficult being in the middle of a situation like this while trying to stay focused on the team’s end goal

“That needs to be said too. He’s been pretty professional, right? I know a lot of people in a situation like this, that would take the easy way, which is just that I’m not even going to help the team, but he’s done everything a professional can do. When he steps on the field, he trains very hard and he plays very hard in every game. I think that’s him. The 90-minutes tell the truth. I always say that. He gives everything every time he steps on the field. So that’s not easy when you have other things on your mind. A family, travel, changing countries, whatever it might be. But he’s been great for us this season.

Union Head Coach, Jim Curtin

Lastly, Jose Nunez asked Jim about the versatility of Nate Harriel, and how he plans to keep Nate in the good form he’s in during the International break.

“Yeah, so Nathan’s shown real versatility. He’s played as a right wing back for us. He’s played as a right back for us. He’s played as the right side of the right center back in a three. He’s played on the left in a three against Cincinnati. And he’s now played left back. So that’s a lot of positions. That really helps the team to be able to do that and to do it well. Because a lot of people can do it physically and be out there, but they don’t impact the game like he does. So defensively, he’s been excellent 1v1. He’s as good as anybody at shutting people down. What I liked on the left, in a tough spot for him,  he’s a good dribbler, right? So all he does is drag that ball from his left foot to his right. And now you’re in the middle part of the field as a left back on your strong foot. The whole game opens up. You can play the ball that goes to the opposite center back, you can bring in the right back into the game, you can play through the lines. So in some ways, cutting inside as a left back on your strong foot, if you look at the Atlanta game, it really gave them problems. It made it hard for them. So he’s able to find Jack McGlynn probably 100 times in that game, and Jack now is open in space.  He just did the simple things perfect.  So really happy with Nathan. I think he’ll keep progressing and getting better and better. He’s a young kid that improves again in our environment with the way that the players push each other. You can really raise your level and get better even at a young age. You can really raise your level and get better even at a young age.”

Union Head Coach, Jim Curtin