CHESTER, Pa. – With their first US Open Cup game smack in the middle of two important league contests, the Philadelphia Union coaching staff has an important decision to make: How many of their regulars will be on the field Wednesday night when they visit D.C. United in an Open Cup qualifier?
“We would love to [get younger guys involved] and we’re still discussing that as a staff,” Union assistant coach John Hackworth told MLSsoccer.com. “But also, this is an important game for us, so we have to balance that out.”
Last season, the Union trotted out a makeshift starting lineup for their USOC qualifier and lost to the New York Red Bulls, 2-1.
Hackworth, however, noted the situation this season is different. The club’s first reserve league game, which is set for Sunday, will give Philly’s more inexperienced players a chance to develop, meaning they don’t necessarily need to see the field against DC.
“Last year, I don’t think we de-emphasized it at all, but there was a greater need for us to give our younger guys a game right away, to let them get 90 minutes under their belt,” Hackworth said. “We’re not looking at [the USOC game vs. DC] like, ‘OK, here’s how we have to get guys minutes.’ This is a game that we very much want to be successful with.
“If we’re successful, it’s a chance to win a trophy," he added, "which is something as an organization we don’t have any of yet.”
[inline_node:327914]Of course, there’s more to the balancing act that just whether or not to give the youngsters playing time; there’s also the tricky situation of resting players and trying to avoid injuries.
The Union have a few banged-up players and are in the middle of a grueling week, having just made the cross-country trip to Los Angeles to play the Galaxy are and now preparing for a huge home game Saturday against rivals Red Bulls.
The Philly coaches are also not likely to forget the scary US Open Cup moment last year when star striker Sebastien Le Toux was carried off in a stretcher, though the injury turned out to be not nearly as bad as it looked.
“It’s a really tough stretch for the players,” Hackworth admitted.
Still, with Wednesday’s USOC game and Sunday’s reserve league game approaching, Hackworth is excited to see the progression of those players who will undoubtedly be a big part of the Union’s future, if not their present.
A mix of first-team players, trialists and members of the youth academy will make up the 18-man roster for the reserve league game against the Red Bulls at Chester Park on Sunday at 10 am ET.
“This is a great opportunity for some development to happen with some of our younger players, even guys that haven’t seen minutes,” Hackworth said. “Reserve games for us are truly about player development and to try to stylistically play the same way as the first team plays.”
