Former La Salle star John McCarthy will start at keeper for Union

When the Union return to PPL Park on Saturday still in search of their first win, they will do so with a significantly different look.

Highly touted but struggling goalie Rais Mbolhi will not play against New York City FC. In his place, manager Jim Curtin has decided to start John McCarthy, the 2014 USL goalkeeper of the year, who joined the club from the Rochester Rhinos in February.

"John McCarthy will be our starter and Andre Blake will back him up," Curtin said Tuesday at a news conference. "And just to be clear on that, it was my decision [to bench Mbolhi] and it was based on performance. This is what I think is best for Rais and the Philadelphia Union moving forward to get a good result against New York City FC."

With Mbolhi out of the picture, the path is clear for McCarthy, 22, to make an impact for the struggling Union. The former North Catholic High and La Salle University star had been Mbolhi's backup for the first five matches.

"John has been excellent in the preseason, and John has earned this right to be a starter," Curtin said. "I have been very impressed with him. I have faith in him. I know our guys have faith in him, too."

Blake, selected first overall in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, is recovering from knee surgery.

With Mbolhi collecting more than $200,000 in salary, the Union are off to a dismal 0-3-2 start heading into the game with expansion New York (1-1-2).

The performance of the 28-year-old Mbolhi, who signed with the Union in July after a superb World Cup with Algeria, has not lived up to the billing.

He has allowed a league-high nine goals while stopping just 54 percent of the shots he has faced. He is 11th in total saves with 10.

"When you talk about salaries, there are always expectations in pro sports that go along with it," Curtin said. "The guy who makes a good amount of money on the team is going to be held to a higher regard than the guy you draft from Slippery Rock. [Mbolhi] is an experienced player who we needed to rise to the moment, get us points and win games. Right now, that's not happening."

@JmitchInquirer