José Andrés Martínez won’t play for the Union vs. Mazatlán, with an expected sale looming

Stalwart Union defensive midfielder José Andrés Martínez won’t play in Saturday’s Leagues Cup quarterfinal against Mexico’s Mazatlán (7:30 p.m., Apple TV), as a deal is in the works to sell him to Brazilian club Corinthians for around $2 million.

The Union and Corinthians have been negotiating for a while now, with reports first surfacing in Brazilian media outlets last Tuesday. The deal wasn’t done yet then, and still isn’t, but it’s likely to be over the line soon.

Union manager Jim Curtin confirmed in a news conference Friday that Martínez likely is heading out, and that the 30-year-old Venezuelan won’t play Saturday. That is standard when a deal is imminent, with Julián Carranza’s departure to Dutch club Feyenoord in June the most recent example.

“Obviously, we’ve seen the reports,” Curtin said. “There’s truth to the reports. Things aren’t finalized yet, so I’m not able to officially comment, but there is some momentum in that area.”

A few minutes later, he gave a more direct answer when asked if Martínez will play Saturday: a pause, then a simple “No.”

Martínez was on the field at practice after that news conference, but he worked on his own.

» READ MORE: Union advance to Leagues Cup quarterfinals with wild 4-2 win at FC Cincinnati

His departure probably will annoy some fans, and he will leave significant shoes to fill. Along with his tough tackling and big personality, the 30-year-old Venezuelan is terrific at turning tackles and interceptions into forward passes to teammates to launch attacks.

But enough fans won’t be too upset, and the same goes for the Union’s coaching staff. As important as Martínez has been in his 4½ years in Chester, he’s as prone to earning yellow cards from hard fouls and has committed a few too many turnovers in key moments this year.

His age matters too, for a team that likely will have a big roster overhaul this winter. The Union already signed Martínez’s likely successor in Danley Jean Jacques, who became eligible to play officially on Friday morning.

Leon Flach likely will play the defensive midfield role for now, as he has done plenty when Martínez is out.

“I’m used to the position,” said Flach, who also plays at the left central midfield spot. “I know the centerbacks. I know the position. I know what is needed to be playing there. I like the position a lot, honestly … I’m ready for whatever position — I mean, I can play everywhere except maybe goalkeeper.”

» READ MORE: Mikael Uhre scores another big goal for the Union after an ‘honest’ talk with Jim Curtin

That presumably won’t need to include right back, since Flach is left-footed, but the Union will be shorthanded at that spot on Saturday. Right back Olivier Mbaizo is out because of a minor hamstring injury suffered in Tuesday’s round of 16 win at FC Cincinnati.

“I think he’ll be possibly available for the next game, but it would be too quick for this one,” Curtin said.

If the Union beat Mazatlán, that next game would be a Leagues Cup semifinal on Wednesday, either at the Columbus Crew or at home against New York City FC. If the Union loses, the regular season is scheduled to resume Aug. 24 against Columbus at Subaru Park, but if either team makes the Leagues Cup semifinals, that game will be postponed.

The Leagues Cup final and third-place game will be played Aug. 25, so any MLS teams in the final four will have regular-season games set for that weekend postponed.

When the Union signed young Danish midfielder Sanders Ngabo last November, it was clear that he was coming in as a prospect. But because the now-20-year-old got a first-team contract from the start — and because there were so few signings of consequence in the offseason — there were expectations that he’d progress well this year.

That didn’t really happen. Though he played well at times for the reserve squad in 17 appearances, there was enough evidence that he wasn’t going to be able to make the jump up to the first team any time soon. So when an offer came across from Danish second-division club AC Horsens, the Union were good with it, and Ngabo was happy to go home.

» READ MORE: Union sign Haitian international Danley Jean Jacques from French Ligue 2 club Metz

“If you go through our group of midfielders, it’s a tough group to go in into, and you have to displace somebody,” Curtin said.

At other clubs around the world, it’s commonplace to take a flyer on a prospect, [and] then sell him if he doesn’t succeed. There’s nothing wrong with the Union operating the same way, but there is more pressure to get foreign signings right because of the salary and roster size cap — and, of course, because of the team’s history of not spending on big names with proven pedigrees.

“It’s not the end of those types of ideas and flyers … but players need to be getting minutes with the first team, and it didn’t work out in this instance,” Curtin said. “We still recognize we have to spend smart. That’s in our DNA.”

Curtin also referred to remarks by Union part-owner Richard Leibovitch at a recent forum with fans where he said has “never once heard Jay [Sugarman, the principal owner] say no” to a request for a big-time signing.

“I think our ownership has voiced recently, very recently, that they are going to have to open up and spend a little more as this league continues to grow,” Curtin said.

At that same meeting, Sugarman said the team will “spend $100 million” on the new indoor sports complex being built next to the Union’s practice fields, “and on covering the operating losses of this team.” The Union’s financial accounts aren’t public, like most sports teams, so we don’t know the details on that.

» READ MORE: Union promote leading midfield prospect CJ Olney to their first team