⚽️ Jakob Glesnes the Cal Ripken of Soccer

_{LAST MATCH: Union 4 - New York Red Bulls 1}

_{NEXT MATCH: vs. FC Cincinnati}

_{Saturday, Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m. | Apple TV - MLS Season Pass}

Good morning. We heard from Union head coach Jim Curtin for the first time since the Red Bulls game, so there’s lots to dig into with FC Cincinnati coming to town.

But also, did you hear the one about the CF Montreal player who got suspended for punching a guy in a local amateur league?

In the email today:

Union defender Jakob Glesnes will reach a rare milestone when he suits up for Saturday’s game— it will be his 100th consecutive start in MLS play.

“He doesn’t know Cal Ripken but it’s Cal Ripken-esque,” head coach Jim Curtin said when asked about the streak on Wednesday.

Being able to play through pain and soreness has been a big reason for his durability, Curtin said.

• Former New York Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles holds the record for 183 consecutive games.

• Glesnes has only missed four MLS games since joining the team. All four misses were in his first season in 2020.

• His last game missed was September 2, 2020. He was unused sub in Columbus.

Our take: Glesnes was the center back fans didn’t even know the Union needed when he arrived in 2020. Jack Elliott and Mark McKenzie were the anticipated starters at the time. But Glesnes quickly cemented his legacy with a rocketed shot against LAFC, and he’s been invaluable ever since.

2) 📌 Curtin’s Reverse Bulletin Board Material

It’s not uncommon for a pregame press conference to generate bulletin board material for an opponent. But what about reverse bulletin board material? Union head coach Jim Curtin spent time in his presser Wednesday praising FC Cincinnati GM Chris Albright and head coach Pat Noonan. He said both are deserving of end of year awards.

• “They’re close friends so I am a little biased but at the same time you just sit back and watch what they've done quickly there and transformed the club,” Curtin said.

• Albright, Noonan and players Ray Gaddis, Alvas Powell and Sergio Santos all were previously with the Union.

• “There's certainly some crossover but make no mistake those two guys have done this themselves,” Curtin said. “They've done it and they deserve all the credit for what they built there so that part doesn't have anything to do with Philadelphia.”

Our take: Make no mistake, Curtin wants to win on Saturday. But he also shows yet again that you can be friends with opponents, build them up in the press, and still want nothing more than to knock them off their perch.

3) Tweet of the Day: BJ Callaghan’s Rise

Speaking of former Jim Curtin assistants…

4) 📊 Poll: The Glesnes of Baseball?

Have additional thoughts? Reply directly to this email to comment, and see if we include your response tomorrow.

Results from our last poll: Union MVP Candidate

Kai Wagner and Andre Blake tied each with 42% of the vote.

5) 🔗 Link Roundup:

• 🩼 The Union recently got some potential good news on Leon Flach. He was set to miss significant time with a sports hernia surgery. After getting a second opinion back home in Germany, an alternative to the surgery could see him miss only a couple weeks instead.

• 🇺🇸 The USA beat Oman 4-0 Tuesday night in a “more exciting” and “more dominant” win in Minnesota. Brenden Aaronson scored a dodgy free kick goal but as they say they all count.

• 🥊 If you’re going to moonlight in a local amateur league under a fake name like CF Montreal’s Matko Miljević you should probably not get yourself suspended for punching a player in the face.

• 🪧 The drama in New England continues with players refusing to practice as questions over Bruce Arena's investigation and resignation loom.

The newsletter today was written by: Matt Ralph @MattRalph_

Thanks for reading!