Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz
Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath is seeing his starting job slip away, with the signing of Algerian netminder Raïs M’Bohli.
KYW’s Greg Orlandini and PSP’s Eli Pearlman-Storch talk with MacMath about it on the latest episode of the KYW Philly Soccer Show.
MacMath, who has held down the starting job since the 2012 season, gives some honest answers about the arrival of M’Bohli and the fact that the team used its first-round draft pick this year to get Jamaican keeper Andre Blake.
Then, Kevin Kinkead of Soccerly and CBS3 joins the discussion, which shifts to the fact that, despite the tough season, the Union remains within striking distance of a playoff spot.
Moreover, the team is in the semifinals of the US Open Cup and, with a win at FC Dallas next Tuesday, will host the final at PPL Park against either the Seattle Sounders or the Chicago Fire.
[haiku url=”http://nyc.podcast.play.it/media/d0/d0/d1/d5/dV/dX/dL/15VXL_3.MP3″ title=”Zac MacMath”]
To listen to the pod, click on the link above or visit the Philly Soccer Show iTunes page. Follow the pod on Twitter at @KYWPhillySoccer.
Zack does a great job dealing with bad news with poise.
.
Eli’s crazy to say how “screwed” Zack has gotten by the Union. He was drafted as a very high pick and handed a starting job (intentionally or not) very early in his career. How many keepers as young as Zack get 2+ years starting experience?
.
Even if Zack’s future isn’t with the Union, he’s going to have a good career, and the Union will have been a huge part of letting that happen. Zack leaves the Union much better than he when he arrived.
Natural backup to Maidana at the CAM without mention of Leo Fernandes?
He was playing very well the first few games of the season and has not gotten a chance since then. He should certainly be mentioned as a backup if Fred and Riberio are getting shout outs.
Eli with the shaftiest shaft analogy ever.
While I agree with Eli on a lot of points the rant about MacMath was over the top. MacMath is an excellent young talented goalie. To go off about the Union jumping at the chance to bring in a world class proven goal tender wasn’t about MacMath but about making the Union stronger. They had been trying to bring Mbolhi in for awhile. I agree that MacMath has been given a raw deal but if he is going to be the pro I think he is, he’ll deal with the adversity and be all the better for it, hopefully with the Union. For all of his raw talent he still needs to be a stronger presence and an ass kicker getting into some faces if need be. He tries to do too much at times. He tends to put himself in no man’s land because of misreading plays. I have no great love for Sakiewicz because he tends to do things in a somewhat shady manner but he is finally spending money. Curtin has settled things down but I still feel the Union need an experienced manager with a solid soccer pedigree. Like MacMath, Curtin needs to be an assistant for a while and learn from a real manager. These are just my opinions.
His self-deprecating tweet to LD honoring his retirement is priceless. He is all class & deserves to grow into a top GK somewhere. I hope M’Bohli teaches him well the rest of their time together.