Injury news, Cavan Sullivan dominate Curtin presser

Questions about injuries to key starters and whether Cavan Sullivan will play on Saturday dominated Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin’s press conference ahead of the team’s return to the pitch at Inter Miami on Saturday.

Tai Baribo, Andre Blake, Danley Jean Jacques and Daniel Gazdag all have injury concerns coming out of the international break.

Curtin said Baribo and Gazdag have trained and will be available for selection but that Blake and Danley both did not train today and are questionable.

“It’s got to be a next man up mentality because we play the best team in MLS this weekend, in their building with the possibility, obviously, of Messi maybe coming back,” Curtin said. “We have to prepare for that, prepare for their best group. And again, it will take a perfect performance on the road to bring back points to Philly.”

Baribo picked up a hamstring injury but has trained the last two days and “will be ready to go.” Gazdag also had a hamstring issue leaving the Union’s last game at Red Bull but is back training. “I was a little nervous at first, but he’s been able to train in recent days, and look sharp and confident after we gave him about a week off,” Curtin said.

Blake picked up some groin discomfort in his last game with Jamaica. “He just really felt pain when he was kicking balls at the end of the game, which is obviously a big part of the game for a goalkeeper,” Curtin said.

Danley was injured in a match for Haiti on Monday on a crunching tackle at midfield.

After sharing the injury updates, Curtin was asked about Cavan Sullivan, who did not play last night with Union II after being away on international duty with the U.S. Under-17 team.

“Whether (Cavan) plays, whether he doesn’t, depends on how the game state is and how the game goes but to be there to experience all the things that go along with the atmosphere when Messi is on the field, I think that is part of development, too,” Curtin said.

The younger Sullivan’s lone first team appearance was a five-minute cameo for his MLS debut at home on July 17. He has 3 goals and 3 assists in 14 appearances and 819 minutes for Philadelphia Union II.