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Philadelphia Union: What to do if Richie Marquez misses time

By Chuck Booth

Apr 1, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; D.C. United forward Jose Guillermo Ortiz (9) dribbles the ball as Philadelphia Union defender Richie Marquez (16) defends during the first half at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; D.C. United forward Jose Guillermo Ortiz (9) dribbles the ball as Philadelphia Union defender Richie Marquez (16) defends during the first half at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports /
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Currently, Philadelphia Union fans are searching for positivity around the team as they’ve now hit the cellar of the Eastern Conference. I’m sorry but if that applies to you, then you may want to stop reading now.

It was bad enough that the Philadelphia Union lost to DC United 2-1 on Saturday but what made matters worse is that they lost their defensive leader, Richie Marquez. Marquez was subbed off at half time due to concussion-like symptoms after sustaining an injury in a collision with Andre Blake. Marquez initially stayed in after the collision which shows that there are still major issues with in-game concussion evaluations even as awareness about the danger of them is at the forefront of athletes and fan’s minds.

It wasn’t until Jim Curtin talked to Marquez at halftime and found out that Marquez was seeing double that he was subbed off in favor of rookie Jack Elliott. Elliott, drafted by the Philadelphia Union in the fourth round of the MLS SuperDraft, was the first member of the Union 2017 rookie class to make their first team debut.

After coming on in the second half with the Union down 2-0 Elliott played like a seasoned veteran snuffing out the few attacks that DC United put together. He also looked pretty good with the ball at his feet giving the Philadelphia Union options when they began chasing for an equalizer after CJ Sapong scored.

After the game, Elliott was asked about his performance in not allowing any more goals and he said,

"“It’s what I had to do. It’s my job and it helped us stay in the game. We were fishing for 45 minutes and we couldn’t get the result there”"

While it may not have been the most taxing debut for Elliott, he proved that his preseason wasn’t a fluke and that he can be a serviceable MLS center back. This leads us to a large question, however.

If Richie Marquez misses time with his concussion, who replaces him at left center back?

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In reality, there are only two names for this list on the current roster, Jack Elliott, and Auston Trusty. We’ll take a look at both of them and break down their chances to step in for Marquez. Since he came in as a substitute yesterday, we’ll begin with Elliott since he took over for Marquez against DC.

In that game, Elliott passed the eye test and while it isn’t much, it shows that he can likely succeed at center back in limited situations. Ken Tribbett also passed this test at the beginning of last season but he also played in more games than he was ever supposed to due to the development and health issues with Josh Yaro. So, if Elliott plays in 1-2 games while Marquez gets back to full health. After that, he’ll likely get experience in US Open Cup matches to continue his development.

While Portland would pose a larger attacking threat than DC did, Elliott’s 6’5″ frame and ariel prowess would likely cause some issues for their front line.

Trusty spent the weekend with the Bethlehem Steel starting alongside Ken Tribbett and it wasn’t the greatest of performances. While he has a ton of potential, Trusty still needs seasoning at the pro level. Elliott has the experience edge on him due to coming through the college ranks. That combined with Trusty being away with the US U-20’s during the preseason likely led to Elliott catching Trusty on the depth chart.

Trusty is still slated to be part of the central defense pairing of the Philadelphia Union future but he isn’t ready to play serious first team minutes yet especially against teams like Portland and NYCFC. Elliott may not be the sexy choice, but he’s the safe choice at the moment for the Philadelphia Union.

Next: Union fall 2-1 to DC United

In a perfect world, Marquez will have a calm week and will be ready for Portland at home, rendering this article moot. But that isn’t how concussions work and if the team is iffy on Marquez’s health he should be heald out of the Portland game. Jack Elliott will be more than ready to face the task.

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