Union's Andre Blake has two more games before Gold Cup

Andre Blake will soon be leaving the Union to join Jamaica in preparation for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Unlike Union teammate Alejandro Bedoya, who has already left for the U.S. team, the goalkeeper will have another two games with the Union.

The first is Wednesday in a Round of 16 U.S. Open Cup game against the host New York Red Bulls. Blake will also be with the Union for Sunday's home MLS game against the New England Revolution, coach Jim Curtin said Tuesday after a training session.

If healthy, Blake should be in goal for both games. He hurt his rib Saturday in a 1-0 win over visiting D.C. United, when Blake had one of the better games of his four-year career.

Curtin said that he didn't think it was serious and that Blake looked strong in training, but on Tuesday he underwent an MRI exam.

In Saturday's match, which snapped a three-game losing streak, Blake stopped a penalty kick by Lamar Neagle and then stopped a Neagle header in second-half stoppage time, tipping a shot that appeared headed into the net.

"It definitely was one of my better games, not only for me but the guys," Blake said Tuesday. "You only win by one goal, so that made [his effort] even more important."

Blake, who has a 1.25 goals-against average and six shutouts, says he is happy to have a few more games with the Union before the Gold Cup, but as good as he felt about the latest win, the most important thing in his mind is to move on.

"When you have great games, you have to keep your head down and keep working," he said. "When you have bad games, it is the same thing."

Blake missed the Union's first Open Cup win, a 3-1 victory over the Harrisburg City Islanders while he was with Jamaica in a friendly against Peru. John McCarthy replaced him.

Blake takes pride in playing in the Open Cup, a tournament for all levels of U.S competition. The Union advanced to the Open Cup finals in 2014 and 2015.

"It's a big deal because we haven't won a trophy for this club," Blake said. "The Open Cup is one way to win a trophy and it is something that this team takes very seriously."

There have been rumors that the Union would sign 25-year-old attacking midfielder Elias Aguilar of Costa Rica, who has been training with the team. Curtin shot that down. "He came in and had four good days of training," Curtin said. "He is not a fit for this team.

"I read reports about all these financial discussions," he said. "It never even got to anything in terms of money or financials or loan or buying. … He is a talented player, but at the same time not a fit for us."