CHESTER, Pa. – For the Philadelphia Union, simply winning their first game of the season was the most important takeaway from the weekend. But 1498715747" tabindex="0">Saturday’s 2-1 victory over New York City FC was significant for another reason, too.
For the first time in franchise history, the Union started three players from the Philadelphia area – and all three played important roles as Zach Pfeffer scored, Andrew Wenger helped set up both goals and, most notably, John McCarthy won his MLS debut in net.
“To have three guys from Philadelphia starting and contributing in a big win was special to me,” Union head coach Jim Curtin, himself a Philly-area native, told MLSsoccer.com. “They all made an impact on the game, and you could see the love they got from our amazing fans.”
No one got more love than McCarthy, who replaced struggling Algerian goalkeeperRais Mbolhi and was showered with applause from the sold-out crowd at PPL Park, many of whom were friends and family members of the new Philly ’keeper.
McCarthy told reporters that there were about three buses filled with people from Mayfair – the section of Northeast Philadelphia where he grew up – and that his aunts each bought about 40-50 tickets.
That naturally led to some nerves – “I struggled to eat my lunch,” he laughed – but the Philly kid ended up making three saves to help the Union take all three points. He remained on the field long after the match, celebrating the win with his people.
“I had tears of joy,” McCarthy said. “I was crying. It’s indescribable. … When you have fans like that, and those were my family when I was in high school, it meant so much to see them there and supporting me and everything.”
Pfeffer is two years younger than McCarthy, but as a fifth-year pro, the 20-year-old midfielder knows how special it is to play in front of friends and family. The fact that the Union started three local players was not lost on Pfeffer, who called it “huge.”
“I always say this is my hometown, this is my team, this is where I’ve grown up,” Pfeffer said. “I love this team, I love this city and I love these fans. It’s a great moment for us and hopefully there’s going to be many more.”
Curtin will likely keep leaning on Pfeffer – the coach was especially proud of a play late in the game when the 20-year chased down David Villa after committing a turnover – and Wenger, one of his top attacking weapons.
McCarthy’s future is a little more uncertain with Mbolhi still on the roster and Andre Blake, the first overall draft pick in 2014, close to full strength after his February knee surgery. But Curtin has already said that McCarthy will remain in net for 1498715748" tabindex="0">Thursday’s rematch against NYCFC at Yankee Stadium (7 pm ET, MLS LIVE), where the 22-year-old will look to go 2-0-0 to start his career.
“We’re both from this city and we both get what it means to win here,” Curtin said. “There’s no better city when you’re winning.”
Dave Zeitlin covers the Union for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com.
