Union’s Matthew Real has chance to start for first time in a year with Kai Wagner suspended

For the last year and a half, Matthew Real has been the Union’s left back of a future that was supposed to be here by now. But the Drexel Hill native hasn’t played for the senior team since an early-round U.S. Open Cup game last June, and he hasn’t played an MLS game since a three-match run early in the 2018 season. He has instead been a regular with Bethlehem Steel.

This year, Real came into preseason competing with Kai Wagner for the starting job. Wagner won it and has been impressive in keeping it. Or at least he was until last Saturday’s foolish red card.

Now the door is open for Real to get on the field. It isn’t a certainty that he will start in Saturday’s game at the Vancouver Whitecaps (5 p.m., PHL17), but he knows he has a chance.

“It’s another opportunity for me to prove what I can do and hopefully show them that I have the skill set to break through if they need me,” Real said. “Developing my game in the past year since I’ve debuted, I feel like if they were to throw me out there now I’d be ready.”

Bethlehem coach Brendan Burke said Real has earned it.

“So far this season, he’s been really locked in and pushing and concentrating at a high level,” Burke said. “His passing has been good. His defending has been better than it has in the past. I’m excited for Matt. He deserves a chance.”

Union manager Jim Curtin has also kept a close eye on Real. Most recently, Curtin watched Bethlehem Steel in last Saturday’s doubleheader at Talen Energy Stadium, seated in the owner’s box with U.S. under-20 coach Tab Ramos and Union owner Jay Sugarman.

"It's a kid who, going forward with the ball, has a real knack and talent level to keep possession, to get crosses in, to be aggressive getting forward," Curtin said. Then, speaking for himself and Ramos, he added, "We still both want him to work more on defending forward, so, not backpedaling as a defender, being aggressive in winning balls. I think he's improved drastically at that over the past year."

Ramos was in town to watch a player who is a near-certainty to be going to the under-20 World Cup next month. Real knows it’s coming, but there’s a lot to do before then, especially with the Union (4-3-1, 13 points) playing three games in eight days starting Saturday. He might have been in line to play during the busy stretch no matter what.

“I keep both [club and country] in the front of my mind because both are really important for me,” Real said. “When I play here I try to focus only here. But obviously there are times off the field when I’m really excited about the World Cup coming up.”