The Philadelphia Union won't be without Andre Blake for too much longer, head coach Jim Curtin revealed Thursday when providing an injury update on their All-Star goalkeeper.
The 32-year-old Jamaican international exited Saturday's 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire with a non-contact injury, but his prognosis is positive and he could return as soon as Matchday 5, when the Union host Orlando City SC on March 25.
"Good news is that it is a grade 1 abductor strain, which is the lowest grade possible," Curtin said, while definitely ruling out the league's only three-time Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year winner for Saturday's trip to CF Montréal (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
"He won’t be a part of the Montréal game because he hasn’t trained yet this week. Of all the news we could have gotten, that is as good as it we could get."
Blake will be replaced by backup goalie Joe Bendik, who started Tuesday's 4-0 blowout of Alianza FC that booked Philly's spot in the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals.
For now, Curtin is adamant he won't rush Blake back into the fold until he's fully recovered.
"I’ll never rule out what could happen next because I don’t like to put timelines on these things, especially when every player heals differently," the two-time Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year said.
"Andre has typically been a quick healer, so I don’t want to sit here and say two or three or four weeks, but I don’t want to say he’ll play against Orlando because I’m not positive. Right now he hasn’t stepped on the field with us in training, but he’s going to work like heck and our medical staff does an amazing job getting guys back as quickly as possible."
