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Berwyn’s Andrew Rick Deserving of a Nickname After Clean Sheet Sends Union Top of the Eastern Conference Table
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Ho hum, just another Philadelphia Union victory, this time Bradley Carnell’s team gutting out a clean sheet in Atlanta to take three points straight to the top of the Eastern Conference table:
Andrew Rick was man of the match in my mind, and probably yours as well. Not only has his shot stopping been on point, but he distributes the ball well and seems settled in goal. It doesn’t look like the moment is too big for the academy product, who is from Berwyn and needs a clever nickname. We could go with “The Berwyn Buffon” in homage to Italian legend Gigi Buffon. I was tossing around “The Berwyn Barthez” as well, for Fabien Barthez, and considered “The Tredyffrin ter Stegen,” but wasn’t sure if he’s on the Easttown side of Berwyn. Regardless, I think “The Berwyn Buffon” is right up there with other great Union nicknames like “The Medford Messi” (Brenden Aaronson) and “The Morgantown Mertesacker” (Jack Elliott).
Anyway, Rick’s performance was the difference between three points and one. That’s a game last season that they would not have won. For as much as the Union struggled defensively at times in 2024, there is no doubt that Andre Blake’s early absence was a significant deal, and the dropoff from GK1 to GK2 was chasm-like. The Oliver Semmle starts coincided with a stretch in which they just weren’t getting the desired results.
In a way, this is kind of like the conversation we used to have about the 76ers and the backup center position. Who would spell Joel Embiid when he needed a rest? The Sixers cycled through Amir Johnson, Andre Drummond, Dwight Howard, Paul Reed, and others long forgotten, but in order to frame the discussion properly you first had to understand that no matter who you picked, Embiid coming off the floor was a net negative. Nobody could do what he did. That’s the same for Andre Blake, who remains one of the best goalkeepers not just in MLS, but in CONCACAF as a whole. You’re going to see a dropoff when he’s not available, it’s just about surviving the dropoff and making it less gappy, which is what the Union are getting from Rick at 19 years old.
Also notable is the fact that the Carnell continued to rotate the team this past weekend, changing the formation while handing starts to Bruno Damiani, Chris Donovan, Jesus Bueno, Alejandro Bedoya, and Olwethu Makhanya. That group got to halftime, scoreless, then on came the subs and Tai Baribo scored his league-leading 11th goal from the penalty spot, which was all they needed against a wasteful and underwhelming Atlanta side. Now they’ve got Pittsburgh midweek in the U.S. Open Cup and should have legs rested enough to run those guys off the park.
It’s all looking good in Union land. They continue to find ways to win and they are stacking points.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com