The Union return to action with three key players missing
Andre Blake and Damion Lowe are away for a while with Jamaica's national team at the Gold Cup, while Dániel Gazdag is just getting back after being called in for Hungary.
As the Union resumed business this week, manager Jim Curtin put on the straightest face he could to say his team “will be fresh and healthy, and fully ready to go.”
The attempted ruse lasted barely a breath, though. Curtin knew the Union would be without three key players for Wednesday’s game at Orlando City (7:30 p.m., Apple TV, paywalled).
Goalkeeper Andre Blake and centerback Damion Lowe are away with Jamaica’s national team for the Concacaf Gold Cup, which kicks off Saturday in Chicago when a quite talented Reggae Boyz squad faces the United States’ B-team (9:30 p.m., FS1, Univision 65, TUDN).
It’s a certainty that Blake — Jamaica’s captain — and Lowe will miss three Union games, since the group stage runs through July 2. If Jamaica advances to the quarterfinals, which it should, that will be four games, and a run to the final would make it six.
Joe Bendik will start in net in Blake’s absence, and Curtin was firm in announcing that on Monday.
“He’s an experienced backup, a guy that’s been a starter in this league for 100-plus games,” Curtin said. “This is the moment now that he’s earned and deserves. … Joe will get an opportunity now in a run of games, and we know he’ll do a good job.”
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Bendik played four games earlier this year when Blake was injured. He won the first two, subbing in vs. Chicago then starting vs. Alianza in the Champions League; and lost the last two, at Montreal then vs. Orlando with a shorthanded roster.
The Union’s goalkeeper prospects, rookie Holden Trent and reserve team regular Brooks Thompson, haven’t done enough to overtake the 34-year-old Bendik on the depth chart. Trent recently rehabbed a broken pinky finger, and just got back to full training.
“Holden, as of right now, will be the backup,” Curtin said. “We know where we’re at there.”
Lowe’s absence won’t be as profound, but it likely signals the end of the Union’s 3-5-2 setup for a while. Playing it with Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, and Brandan Craig could work, and would offer Craig his long-awaited first major MLS playing time, but it would also leave no centerbacks on the bench.
Dániel Gazdag will also miss the Orlando game, though that’s the only game he’ll miss. He was away with Hungary’s national team, which beat Lithuania 2-0 Tuesday in a 2024 European Championship qualifier. Gazdag played 79 minutes, registering four shots, two chances created, and 54-of-57 passing. Before then, Hungary was held to a scoreless tie Saturday at lowly Montenegro, with Gazdag not playing.
“You guys can see the timeline, unless he’s flying in on someone’s jet that’s incredibly fast, it’s going to be tough to get him here in time,” Curtin said. “It will be up to whoever we choose to step in and do the job. I don’t want to reveal that right now, but we have good options and a couple different things we can do, formation-wise and also personnel-wise.”
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