The Philadelphia Union announced Saturday that they have extended goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre’s short-term loan for eight weeks, likely keeping the Carolina RailHawks netminder in goal for Sunday’s I-95 rivalry clash with D.C. United (7 pm ET, Fox Sports 1, FOX Deportes).
Philly also announced that rookie forward Dzenan Catic is moving in the opposite direction, joining the NASL’s RailHawks on loan.
Sylvestre, 22, made his MLS debut for the Union last Saturday against the Vancouver Whitecaps and made seven saves, a season high for the club, in a 3-0 road loss. A product of the Whitecaps’ Residency Program, Sylvestre spent much of the 2015 preseason with the Union and had previously played with Philadelphia’s USL affiliate the Harrisburg City Islanders.
“We were pleased with how Brian handled a difficult situation even though we didn’t get the result we wanted in Vancouver,” Union technical director Chris Albright said in a statement. “We’re happy to have been able to secure Brian on a longer-term loan.
“This is also a great opportunity for Dzenan to continue his development. I know [Railhawks coach] Colin Clarke thinks highly of him and we’ll obviously be following him closely.”
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Philadelphia found themselves in a goalkeeping crisis earlier this month when Andre Blake and John McCarthy both suffered injuries within minutes of one another during a May 5 training session, a development head coach Jim Curtin called “beyond crazy.” Previous starter Rais Mbolhi remains on the Union’s roster but did not travel to Vancouver and is currently training separately from the team.
Catic, 22 (pictured at right), has yet to play this season for the Union. He was the club’s first pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft at No. 31 overall after playing two years at Davenport University, located in Caledonia Township, Michigan. He scored 39 goals and had 11 assists during the 2014 season and led his team to a national title, earning NAIA Player of the Year honors.
