Shootout is a kick for Andre Blake, Union in win over Nashville

CHESTER — The roster says that Andre Blake stands 6 feet, 2 inches. The way Nashville shooters gingerly stepped to the penalty spot Sunday night, they seemed convinced the Union goalie loomed a dozen feet over the field.

Minutes later, as he was carried on the shoulders of his teammates, Blake was soaring even higher.

The Jamaican goalie stopped a pair of penalty kicks in the shootout before a pair of nervy Nashville shooters blasted shots over the bar, and the Union advanced on penalty kicks, 2-0, in the Eastern Conference semifinal. The game was tied, 1-1, after extra time.

Blake set the tone instantly by diving to his right to smother the attempt by Nashville MVP candidate Hany Mukhtar, who had scored in the first half. He followed with a save to his right on Anibal Godoy.

By the time Alex Muyl, freshly in the game, and Walker Zimmerman, who recently wore the armband for the U.S. national team, stepped to the spot, their belief was shot. And their shots were hopeless.

“I knew that first save would’ve been very big,” Blake said. “That kind of gave me some momentum, gave my teammates some confidence and definitely put the opposite team under some pressure. That was a crucial save.”

Blake’s performance helped move the Union into the Eastern Conference final against the winner of a Tuesday game between top-seeded New England and No. 4 New York City FC. The second-seeded Union would host NYCFC at Subaru Park next Sunday at 3 p.m. or visit Foxborough.

Blake’s shootout win makes the Union 4-4 all-time in shootouts, all the previous ones being in the U.S. Open Cup. They had lost their last three shootouts, including the U.S. Open Cup final in Chester in 2015, when Blake was subbed out for PKs.

It was just the third MLS shootout where one team did not score.

Jack Elliott stroked home his penalty to put the Union up 1-0, and while Sergio Santos missed his effort, Jack McGlynn stepped to the spot and coolly sent goalie Joe Willis the wrong way, a massive moment from the 18-year-old Homegrown midfielder.

“When a young kid says, ‘I want one,’ you reward him with it,” Curtin said. “For him to step up in that moment, there’s a word for it, but I won’t say it in the press conference. He has brass ones.”

“He’s a great player,” Blake said of McGlynn. “He’s humble. He listens and he wants to learn. He’s very technical. He shoots every time in training, so we know how well he hits the ball. We had no doubt putting him in the top five.”

Nashville struck first with its superstar Mukhtar, who picked out a perfect run, bisecting the space between the right back and right center back. No one picked him up as the right wing back fizzled in a cross, and Mukhtar planted a diving header into the net in the 39th minute.

The Union, though, got it back when Daniel Gazdag got two bites at the cherry on a set piece in the final minute of the first half. His first volley attempt was blocked by defender Alistair Johnston. But he kept battling, and used an outstretched foot to poke a ball past three defenders and Willis into the far side-netting.

For the Union, getting into the locker room on level terms was massive.

“It came at the right time, I think, before the halftime,” Gazdag said. “It was very important for the team. This way, we could start the second half tied. It was an important goal.”

The bulk of the chances the rest of the way were the Union’s, but they couldn’t cash in. Santos was the primary culprit. He had six shots, only one on target, and most absolutely flummoxing misses. He somehow curled one wide from six yards out in the 61st, then just put a shot wide in the 90th. In between, Gazdag had the ball in the back of the net, but Santos was judged to have impeded Willis and the goal was waved off.

Santos shot a golden chance right at Willis in extra time. Blake was called to make one save on Randall Leal in the extra sessions, and also benefitted from Daniel Lovitz, the Germantown Academy grad, whiffing on a ball that fell to him in the box in the 115th.

The left penalties, the cruel decider. The Union, Curtin said, shuffled their shooters, withdrawing Jamiro Monteiro early and apparently not having Alejandro Bedoya, who was somewhat hobbled after 120 minutes of exertion. Even if Nashville was more fortunate to get to the shootout, they didn’t have Blake to lean on during it.

“As soon as I saw that it’s PK time, I know that if I’m able to make a save, I put my team in a very good spot,” Blake said. “I kind of get into a zone and tell myself that it’s me against the ball and my goal is to stop the ball from passing me. Fortunately I was able to do that tonight.”

“He did an amazing job,” Curtin said. “I’m proud to have him wear the Philadelphia Union shirt. I hope he wears it for the rest of his career. He’s a special person, a winner.”

As Blake, the longest-tenured member of the Union, was carried off the field, blinking off the tunnel vision of PKs, the weight of the moment hit him.

“Soccer’s about moments,” Blake said. “And when it’s your moment, no one can really stop you or take that from you. Tonight was my moment, and I’m very happy for that.”