Jim Curtin is feeling the pressure as the Union’s struggles continue

The Union’s woes this season aren’t solely manager Jim Curtin’s fault. But that doesn’t mean he’s exempt from all responsibility, and on Friday he admitted he’s feeling pressure as much as anyone.

“There’s always pressure in all pro sports,” Curtin said on the eve of Saturday’s home game against Charlotte FC (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). “You always want to win first and foremost — winning cures and masks everything, so that is number one.”

The Union (4-6-8, 20 points) are mired in a five-game winless streak, including losses in their last two games. Wednesday’s 4-3 defeat at FC Cincinnati was, remarkably, the first road loss of this regular season, and it left them in 10th place in the Eastern Conference.

“Naturally, that does put a little more urgency on things,” he said. “We know we haven’t performed the way that we’re capable of … we have to recognize that we have to fight our way out of it, [and] it starts with getting one result. And if we do things the right way at home against Charlotte that can be something that starts us on the right direction.”

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Curtin asked for the crowd at Subaru Park to back his players, but unusually he admitted to knowing he might not get it. There have been plenty of boobirds in Chester lately, and another loss Saturday will bring them out again.

“As hard as it sounds we’re going to need the fans to be 100% behind us now behind the players as we go into a tough game against Charlotte,” he said. “It hurts right now. … A lot of things have gone against us. But at the same time, we know that we have the quality to get on a run in this league as we sit with a point total that we’re not happy with, and still half of a season left to make things right.”

Curtin has done some extra coaching off the field this week too, thanks to Markus Anderson’s giveaway that led to Cincinnati’s game-winning goal.

As bad as it was, it’s not going to be the end of Anderson’s soccer career. Even fans who are rightly annoyed with him would hope the 20-year-old forward learns from the mistake and plays better in the future.

“He’s going to be a young player that learns from this instance,” Curtin said. “It’s a teachable, coachable moment for him.”

But when Anderson will get to prove he’s learned? That’s on Curtin to answer. Is it better to send Anderson down the forward depth chart for a while, or give him another chance soon to help his confidence — something that especially matters with forwards?

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“There’s two approaches, and I’m not going to give you mine right now, just because we have a game tomorrow and we’re going to need everybody to be ready as always,” Curtin said. “So for me to sit here and rule him in or out, or starting or off the bench, it just doesn’t benefit us right now. But certainly, it’s something we’ve talked about, and how to handle it. And I think he will improve from that moment.”

Goalkeeper Oliver Semmle, meanwhile, isn’t going anywhere, even after allowing two ugly goals on Saturday. The only other option is 18-year-old academy product Andrew Rick, and he isn’t ready for the top level yet.

Andre Blake remains sidelined, and Curtin said it “will be still a couple weeks before he’s back out on the field training again.”

That would almost certainly rule Blake out of playing for Jamaica in the Copa América, which no one has formally done yet, unless the Reggae Boyz make an unexpected deep run. As things stand, it’s unlikely they advance out of a group that also has Mexico, Ecuador, and Venezuela, with the last of those teams in the group stage finale on June 30.

Curtin refused to say it, though, when he was asked.

“I don’t want to say never, because — please put this part in there — Andre is superhuman, so you never know,” he said, “but I don’t want to damper or put expectations in the eyes of the Jamaican fans. I’m not sure exactly when it’s going to be, guys, but yeah, you can piece together some timelines.”

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CJ Olney hasn’t gotten as much attention as more-hyped prospects Cavan Sullivan and David Vazquez, but the 17-year-old central midfielder has a lot of talent and is rising up the Union’s ranks fast.

Olney turned pro with the Union’s reserves last November, and has three goals and four assists in nine games for the reserves this year. Because Curtin had a shorthanded bench on Wednesday, Olney made his first roster appearance for the top club this week and traveled to Cincinnati.

“You guys have seen through a lot of the goals at Union II, he’s involved in them with that early service that he gives behind a back line,” Curtin said. “A really talented young player who is pretty fearless and relentless with his attacking and defending.”

Olney is still on a reserve team contract, and Curtin signaled that is likely to stay the case for a while. But there’s little doubt that like Vazquez and Sullivan, Olney will play for the first team in time.

“I know everybody wants it to be immediate, but those guys are I think in a really good spot right now,” Curtin said, “and really showing the staff that they’re getting closer and closer to those first-team minutes.”

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