CHESTER, Pa.— When Philadelphia Union left back Matt Real left his last United States under-20 camp, program manager Tab Ramos challenged him and the rest of his teammates to get consistent playing time with their club teams.
Real has played six games for the Union’s second-tier USL Championship affiliate while waiting his turn on the Major League Soccer team’s left back depth chart.
“Me and Tab talk on a normal basis. I was aware he was going to be at the game,” Real said, referencing a Saturday USL Championship match he played in for Bethlehem Steel FC. “[The U-20 World Cup]’s another thing that’s coming up that is really important for me. Every day, every session, every game counts.”
Real said Ramos told the U-20 players when they left camp “that it is extremely important for him to get players that are consistently playing 90-minute games, because once you go to the World Cup on that world stage, those kids are playing league minutes for the first teams they are at.”
Saturday’s game at the Vancouver Whitecaps is the perfect opportunity for Real to cement his spot in the Union starting XI with Kai Wagner suspended from a red card given last Saturday against Montreal.
Real saw the red card happen minutes before the Steel took the field at Talen Energy Stadium as part of a doubleheader Saturday.
“I knew about it because we were watching in the locker room,” Real said. “I just didn’t really think about it much. Going out on the field, I was just trying to do my job the best I could. The more sometimes you think about things that aren’t in the moment, it could distract you.”
In training this week, Real has been focusing on improving himself, just like he has every week, while in competition with Fabinho and Ray Gaddis for the starting left back spot.
“Last year was a similar circumstance, except I was at camp,” Real said. “I had to fly back home early for that. Same type of thing. I’ve been through it once so hopefully I can earn a spot again this week and prove to them I can handle the level.
“For me specifically, I just focus on doing what they tell me to do better. The little things like defensive positioning and always moving forward. If I start to think too much about other people around me, it can regress me in the way where I won’t pay much attention to myself.”
Real is the natural fit to start at left back as the No. 2 on the team’s depth chart, but Fabinho is healthy and brings experience to the field and Gaddis has played left back before the club.
“I need to be aware of the situation I’m in because there are a couple people who can hop in there,” Real said. “But if the spot comes, I’m ready for it.”
In the event Gaddis starts, the Union would likely shift Olivier Mbaizo into the starting lineup at left back.
But with three games in eight days ahead for the club, the next of which occurs Wednesday at home against FC Cincinnati, Real seems like the obvious fit for manager Jim Curtin’s lineup.
For Real, the key is to continue to get 90 minutes in every week in order to be fresh for the Union and the upcoming U20 World Cup.
“For me to get in 90 every weekend, whether it’s with the first team or Steel, it doesn’t matter,” Real said. “As long as I’m getting in 90, I’m happy that I’m able to do that.”