Jim Curtin defends the Union’s loan of Brandan Craig for the player and the team

Union manager Jim Curtin spent his Thursday news conference answering most of the remaining questions about why the team loaned marquee centerback prospect Brandan Craig to Austin FC. And as Curtin typically is, he was pretty direct.

“We feel as a club that we need to find creative ways to get him minutes,” he said. “We happen to have, I think, three of the best centerbacks in the league, and that’s no slight on Brandan. He needs to experience MLS minutes.”

Few outsiders would disagree with Curtin’s view of Jack Elliott, Damion Lowe, and reigning MLS Defender of the Year Jakob Glesnes. Nor would they disagree with Curtin’s view that the 19-year-old Craig deserves to play, even if critics of the move would rather see Craig play here.

When Austin came along to pitch a deal, it helped that manager Josh Wolff was a teammate of Curtin’s in Chicago back in the day. Curtin also happens to know the team’s new sporting director Rodolfo Borrell, who moved to Texas from Manchester City’s coaching staff last month.

Austin plays a more possession-based style than the Union do, out of preference and some necessity in the sweltering Texas summer. That will suit Craig’s passing skills well. So will the fact that the team is short on centerback depth at the moment because of an injury. And Austin sweetened the pot by offering up to $125,000 based on performance incentives.

» READ MORE: The Union loan centerback prospect Brandan Craig to Austin FC

“He’s still a player that we believe in very much here, and we want him to get more MLS minutes,” Curtin said. “That’s not a slight on Union II [the reserve squad] or anything like that, but it is a step up, and a step forward in his growth and development. So I think it’s a positive thing for both teams.”

Not that he would slight the reserve squad, but it’s not just in traditional American sports where the big leagues are the big leagues.

Curtin hinted that his team will return to a 4-4-2 setup for Saturday’s game at the Los Angeles Galaxy (10:30 p.m., Apple TV, free), and stick with it for Wednesday’s big one at second-in-the-east Nashville (8:30 p.m., Apple TV, paywalled).

The following Saturday’s home game against perennial rival New York City FC could see a return to the 3-5-2, especially if Lowe and Andre Blake are back from Jamaica’s Concacaf Gold Cup team by then. But don’t be surprised if they aren’t, because the Reggae Boyz looked great in the group stage and seemed primed for a deep run.

Up first is upset-minded Guatemala in the quarterfinals in Cincinnati on Sunday (5 p.m., FS1, Univision 62, TUDN). A win would mean a trip to Las Vegas to face Mexico or Costa Rica in the semifinals next Wednesday (10 p.m., FS1, Univision 62, TUDN).

Mexico will be favored, with the usual huge crowd expected to rally behind El Tri. But a group stage-ending loss to Qatar showed the team’s flaws, and Blake surely would love to steer his team to its third final in the last five tournaments.

» READ MORE: Jim Curtin and the Union have a deal on a new contract through 2026

If Jamaica stays alive and the Union still go back to the 3-5-2 vs. New York, expect Nathan Harriel or Matt Real to step in at the extra centerback spot. Harriel did so at left centerback in this past Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Atlanta, with Leon Flach at left wing back for the injured Kai Wagner. It didn’t go too well, and not just based on the score.

Which brings us back to the one question Curtin knew he couldn’t fully answer Thursday: With just three centerbacks on the squad, what if giving up Craig for the rest of the year backfires?

“There’s a risk,” Curtin said. “There’s always a risk. but when it comes down to what’s best for the player in his growth and development, I think we’ve shown that we’ll do the right thing.”

As the late-morning sun blazed down on the Union’s practice fields, Wagner was an enthusiastic runner on the sideline. He wasn’t quite a full participant, but Curtin said he hopes the back-line stalwart will return from his hamstring injury by the Nashville game.

“He was able to push himself fully today, which was good, for the first time,” Curtin said. “We’ll check in now and see how it responds. But things are certainly improving.”

» READ MORE: José Andrés Martínez is the Union’s only All-Star this year

In the first year in a while in which Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference is outpacing the West, the Union know they could do with a little more firepower for the late-season run to the playoffs. The league’s summer transfer window opened Wednesday (which is why Craig moved when he did), and Curtin acknowledged his team might do some shopping.

An extra forward would be especially handy. Quinn Sullivan and Joaquín Torres are depth for the group, but neither is a striker. Chris Donovan is the only true backup striker behind Mikael Uhre and Julián Carranza.

“We have a lot of different ideas and players that we’re tracking and scouting,” Curtin said. “If a deal makes sense, we’ll certainly look to add somebody. … I don’t think we’re perfect right now, which is OK. But I also know that this group is good enough in this league right now to make another run at MLS Cup, and I’m happy with that.”